But pause here for a moment. Before you take that first step, take a moment to feel grief: to mourn the time you have wasted, for the money you set fire to when you were paying validation tax to the Gaze. Lean into that anger: at the narcissists, at the landlords, at yourself. And then forgive yourself, and forgive them. Wipe the scoreboard clean. And then? Then you must accept that for a while you might feel lonely; because when you stop playing the game with everyone else, you stop being able to perform the person they believe you should be. Ride it out. That discomfort is your dissonance, not yours, and it is a sign that you are coming back to life.

Lil’ Kim said all we need in life is Money, Power, and Respect. You have the knowledge of the money. You have the protocols of power. But the respect? That is something you pay to yourself, in the currency of action. What do we ever really want? Truly? Options. The opportunity to choose. So look at the choices in front of you. The door is unlocked. The cage is open. The rest is on you. Because if you close this book and do nothing, you didn't read it. You didn't even consume it. You became food. And the words were just another dopamine hit that ate your time and left you exactly where they found you: Horizontal. Passive. And a slave.

You started in the ICU. And now you are here, whose light will you walk towards?

For those who chose to remain shook: "Can we please have a moment of silence?"* or Pour out a 'lil liquor?

If you chose to be resuscitated, welcome to the first day of the rest of your life. Become the 1%, Darling. You are now the Sovereign One. Choose your own altar.