There's a series of books called The Legend of Drizzt last time I checked (it's changed over the years, and the first book wasn't even supposed to be about him lmao) and in one of the books, our main character believes he has lost all his friends (not a spoiler, we already know who is okay and who isn't when he thinks this) and so he goes off alone into the mountains to kill orcs and goblins and shit until he maybe dies. A couple of elves way older than him meet him at one point, and since this is really the first time he's spent with elves long term since he left his underground homeland decades before, he doesn't really know "how to be an elf".
This is basically their philosophy.
Elves can live over a thousand years (one dark elf we know of is blessed by their evil deity and is over 5,000), but dwarves only about 2-400 years (I think?) and half lings about 100-150ish, humans standard 80.
Since you will lose 10 sets of "lifelong friends" at least, if they're human, many elves choose to stick with other elves.
But those that mingle, tend to segment their lives into smaller chunks.
Don't try to live your life all thousand years in one go, you will lose so much by doing so.
But if you think of your life as more "this is me now, I am very different from the person who wore this outfit 5 years ago, and this is who I will be for the next 100 years" then it becomes more manageable.
You never forget the friends and family you made in an old life, but you cannot carry your grief over losing them for the rest of your life.
Those that do end up sticking to their own kind, because it's less painful. (and also superiority complexes)
and I’ll never fully understand why they believe that will ever work.
Because usually they're safely tucked away all nice and warm in their houses or apartments, not actually caring beyond the vague notion of "oh nooooo bad things are happening to them oh nooooo..... Anyway as I was saying..."
It's like telling black person "you'll have equality someday, no need to get pushy or inconvenience anyone" in the US in 1865.
Its easy to say something like that when you already enjoy the "comforts" that they don't have.
Well, when you drive almost 100 miles to get to work, it's nice to have an hour and a half of good quality music instead of silence or low-fidelity tinny shit.
Also the passengers in my vehicle appreciate music since they don't have to focus on anything else.
Plus, you know... All the times I've been in my car without driving somewhere...
The only tech I want:
AC
Heated seats
Bluetooth/am/fm/aux sound system with good high and low ranges, but honestly as long as I have a diagram of what wires go where I can install my own like I did on my last two.
A backup camera for those times when I need to line up my trailer hitch but don't have a partner to guide me.
Beyond that?
Meh.
And not an actual American flag in sight.
I drive up 71 and 23 occasionally, and not too far from either, there's all kinds of houses looking almost like this. Some with way more enthusiasm.
And my favorite part: there are several houses I've seen around with trump flags flying above the American flag.
Now personally, I don't give a shit what you do to a flag. It's a piece of cloth. Who fucking cares.
But these are exactly the kind of people who bitch about that sort of thing.
I've heard complaints about the fucking UN not flying the American flag above others.... Like.... 1 that's not even a requirement according to your own damn flag code, other national flags may be flown level with the American flag, B: why in the FUCK would the UN fly a nation's flag above others? And 3- nobody gives a shit about American flag codes in other countries. Most here don't actually care about it either.
I put a small calendar whiteboard on my wall, and any important things go on that in big letters.
Can't not see it if it's the first thing you look at upon waking up!
I say, having walked past myself in the mirror without looking literally thousands of times....