OFF DECK | Are we here for the files?
NOT EVERTHING MISSING WAS MISPLACED
The filxxxxxredactedxxxxxx
OFF DECK
Are you here for the files?
Not everything misxxsing was misplaced.
I never got the retirement party.
No cake. No slideshow. No awkward speeches about “what a run.”
They’re not very good at planning.
That’s fine.
Controlled burn energy was built for this.
Some fires are chaos.
Some fires are maintenance.
You don’t swing the axe at the whole forest.
You clear what needs clearing and let the rest stand.
That’s the difference.
Cults attract magnets.
Not the other way around.
If something feels magnetic, step back.
If something feels loud, get quiet.
If something feels urgent, check the calendar.
Pull away.
Not out.
The deck stacks itself when repetition goes unchecked.
Kings and jacks of one suit stop arguing and become a single card.
Then we gather.
Print.
Compress.
Flick.
Twist.
Play again.
It’s not mystical.
It’s iteration.
That’s why the question matters now more than ever.
Are you here for the files?
Not the spectacle.
Not the stock ticker.
Not the trending outrage.
The files.
Because inside, nothing is hidden.
It’s repositioned.
Outside, volume increases.
Inside, the rules remain unfinished.
We regulate coffee temperature.
We license drivers, hunters, electricians.
But influence at scale?
That’s still a self-checkout aisle with no receipt printer.
And when stories vanish, the silence does more work than the headlines.
Not everything missing was misplaced.
Some things were moved.
Some things were reframed.
Some things were allowed to cool.
If you’re standing in line, know what you’re waiting for.
If you’re holding a phone, know what you’re amplifying.
If you feel the magnet, check your footing.
This isn’t outrage.
It’s posture.
Let the silence do the work.
Let the mirrors reflect.
Let the deck stack.
Then gather.
Print.
Compress.
Flick.
Twist.
Play again.
I didn’t get the retirement party.
That’s fine.
This isn’t an ending.
It’s a consolidation.
And I’ll ask it again.
Are you here for the files?
#OFFDECK
#ControlledBurn
#AreYouHereForTheFiles
TJ Baden | CreatorHuman ™ These are a few of my favorite things
Editor’s Note:
This isn’t about accusation. It’s about attention.
What gets remembered — and what quietly disappears — depends on where you stand.