So recently I was on Reddit and I stumbled across a post.
Dawkins and Hitchens both know that what is coming is permanent. There is no happy ending, with no chance of reunion or redemption in some other plane. Death will be a final parting, permanent and absolute.
In that embrace, it's not just that Hitchens means a great deal to Dawkins. It's knowing that soon, they'll be separated by eternity. And yet, in infinite time and space, two motes of consciousness, against unfathomable odds, simply had the opportunity to enjoy a brief lucididy of life and touch each other in some small way before returning forever to the endless naught.
Honestly, there is absolutely nothing more important than the realization that this life, the single life we have, is all and everything that we will ever have; when it's over, it's over. In a way, it gives life more sanctity and meaning that any religion could dream.
It got me to thinking, what I have I done, hitherto in my life, that I'am proud of. My only purpose as a student now, is to do well in my studies, and yet, I haven't done that. I've let my Dad down because of my complacency, dwindling away my precious time away on the Internet.
So many risks that I could have taken (good and calculated ones of course). Should have had the courage to talk to that girl. Should have studied hard, very hard. The thought of mediocrity or even being lower than bourgeois pains me.
Why is it that we waste our time? Why is it that we are simply afraid, to live?
What can we do to live to our fullest? What do we have to do that we can inspire ourselves to be greater?
To regret the past, to hope in the future, and never to be satisfied with the present: that is what I spend my whole life doing - Tchaikovsky, my favourite composer of all time
On February 07 2012 18:23 slam wrote: Always talk to that girl...
Are you happy?
=( No.
So do something about it. Make an effort to be more social. Make an effort to study more and be interested in your classes. Make an effort... catch my drift? If you aren't happy with "wasting your time in front of a computer" then figure something else out yo. It sounds simple but what's stopping you?
Being mediocre and being 'lower than bourgeois' are two very different things. Generally speaking, the term 'bourgeois' is used by those who are looking to deride the bourgeoisie (either for being materialistic, conventional or capitalist). It appears that you're defining mediocrity in terms of not having much money, or much social status. How important do you think these things really are?
Excuse me if I'm coming off as a little pedantic, but I'm curious as to your expectations in life; perhaps they have something to do with your current mental state?
On February 07 2012 18:57 ohsea.toc wrote: Being mediocre and being 'lower than bourgeois' are two very different things. Generally speaking, the term 'bourgeois' is used by those who are looking to deride the bourgeoisie (either for being materialistic, conventional or capitalist). It appears that you're defining mediocrity in terms of not having much money, or much social status. How important do you think these things really are?
Excuse me if I'm coming off as a little pedantic, but I'm curious as to your expectations in life; perhaps they have something to do with your current mental state?
Ah well, forgive me for my poor choice of words.
I expect myself to be successful when I grow up. Be a professor,teacher, or scientist. Money, and 2 kids.
Why is it that we waste our time? Why is it that we are simply afraid, to live?
Because it's hard! To be great at something you have to work hard. Even if you are incredibly talented working hard can not be replaced by laziness. Nobody's afraid to live. People are lazy! And I'm not judging, mind you. In fact, I can sympathize. Motivation doesn't come easy for me as well but everyday you have to go at it again. If you don't work hard you're not entitled to complain about the things you could have done in your life. You really want to be great and successful? Fine, work for it! If not, be content with your situation.
On February 07 2012 18:57 ohsea.toc wrote: Being mediocre and being 'lower than bourgeois' are two very different things. Generally speaking, the term 'bourgeois' is used by those who are looking to deride the bourgeoisie (either for being materialistic, conventional or capitalist). It appears that you're defining mediocrity in terms of not having much money, or much social status. How important do you think these things really are?
Excuse me if I'm coming off as a little pedantic, but I'm curious as to your expectations in life; perhaps they have something to do with your current mental state?
Ah well, forgive me for my poor choice of words.
I expect myself to be successful when I grow up. Be a professor,teacher, or scientist. Money, and 2 kids.
On February 07 2012 18:57 ohsea.toc wrote: Being mediocre and being 'lower than bourgeois' are two very different things. Generally speaking, the term 'bourgeois' is used by those who are looking to deride the bourgeoisie (either for being materialistic, conventional or capitalist). It appears that you're defining mediocrity in terms of not having much money, or much social status. How important do you think these things really are?
Excuse me if I'm coming off as a little pedantic, but I'm curious as to your expectations in life; perhaps they have something to do with your current mental state?
Ah well, forgive me for my poor choice of words.
I expect myself to be successful when I grow up. Be a professor,teacher, or scientist. Money, and 2 kids.
is that all you consider successful?
He lives in a social environment where there is just so much influence for the choice of jobs or their lifestyle.
On February 07 2012 18:57 ohsea.toc wrote: Being mediocre and being 'lower than bourgeois' are two very different things. Generally speaking, the term 'bourgeois' is used by those who are looking to deride the bourgeoisie (either for being materialistic, conventional or capitalist). It appears that you're defining mediocrity in terms of not having much money, or much social status. How important do you think these things really are?
Excuse me if I'm coming off as a little pedantic, but I'm curious as to your expectations in life; perhaps they have something to do with your current mental state?
Ah well, forgive me for my poor choice of words.
I expect myself to be successful when I grow up. Be a professor,teacher, or scientist. Money, and 2 kids.
On February 07 2012 18:57 ohsea.toc wrote: Being mediocre and being 'lower than bourgeois' are two very different things. Generally speaking, the term 'bourgeois' is used by those who are looking to deride the bourgeoisie (either for being materialistic, conventional or capitalist). It appears that you're defining mediocrity in terms of not having much money, or much social status. How important do you think these things really are?
Excuse me if I'm coming off as a little pedantic, but I'm curious as to your expectations in life; perhaps they have something to do with your current mental state?
Ah well, forgive me for my poor choice of words.
I expect myself to be successful when I grow up. Be a professor,teacher, or scientist. Money, and 2 kids.
is that all you consider successful?
What should be considered successful?
You'll have to decide what success is to you. No one else should dictate where you should find success or what it is.
For me it's happiness for myself and improving the lives of others. I think it is for most people, but they get lost in the idea that happiness is synonymous with material wealth. They're obsessed with obtaining a lot of money so they can buy nice things which they will end up not appreciatng for more than a few weeks.
So if you can't yet decide for yourself what success is, a good start is to search for a way to make yourself happy for the rest of your life. Find what you value and pursue, and keep evaluating whether your pursuits are actually giving you a sense of fulfillment.
On February 07 2012 18:57 ohsea.toc wrote: Being mediocre and being 'lower than bourgeois' are two very different things. Generally speaking, the term 'bourgeois' is used by those who are looking to deride the bourgeoisie (either for being materialistic, conventional or capitalist). It appears that you're defining mediocrity in terms of not having much money, or much social status. How important do you think these things really are?
Excuse me if I'm coming off as a little pedantic, but I'm curious as to your expectations in life; perhaps they have something to do with your current mental state?
Ah well, forgive me for my poor choice of words.
I expect myself to be successful when I grow up. Be a professor,teacher, or scientist. Money, and 2 kids.
is that all you consider successful?
What should be considered successful?
Having as much fun as possible each day, and having a large post count
This is from a questionable source, since I sometimes get stuck in the same downtrodden tracks in my mind. The terror of medioctrity is worse than death sometimes for me, and whenever I look back on shit I should've done and think too hard I can go into full despair-mode if I'm not careful.
However, the most important thing that I've learned through this very short time I've lived is that change is always possible. Not in the overly poetic sense that you can live in eternal bliss, more that you can do the things that you like and be ok with that. Life is such a weird thing if you spend time trying to quanitfy it with ideas like: "how succesful I am? what's the point?" and so forth. The key to a good life, I think, is to attempt to be very aware as much as you can, so that you know with certainty that what you did, even if you wind up regretting it, was done consciously and knowingly.
Have you ever tried mindfulness or meditation(I guess they're really the same thing, but to be on the safe side...)? I started meditating a few years back and even though I am unable to truly dive into it like some can it helps alot. It is not science fiction or require a mantra or for you to join a cult. Just take a few minutes out of each day to breathe and do nothing but that, try to breathe perfectly.
Here are some books that really helped me that you might want to check out if you are into the more "spiritual"-aspect of things:
Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu: Mindblowing stuff, everyone should have this lying around somewhere!
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert M. Pirsig: Phenomenal read of what happens when you loose your way and then find your way back with the backdrop of some awesome philosophy and ideas from Mr Pirsig.
Quantum and the Lotus, Matthieu Ricard and Trinh Xuan Thuan: This book changed my life, however silly that may sound. It brought so many ideas full circle and just completely thrashed all my preconceptions on everything, really.
None of these books will make a difference unless you make an effort or enjoy them ofcourse, but in my case they were phenomonaly thought provoking, so I hope they can be of some help. Hope you feel better soon, dude
On February 07 2012 19:14 Azera wrote: I expect myself to be successful when I grow up. Be a professor,teacher, or scientist. Money, and 2 kids.
Successful academic? Hah.
Despite our widely praised education standards here, there's better opportunities for teaching careers elsewhere. Teachers, lecturers and most forms of academia are usually frowned upon or just plainly do not receive the respect that they deserve for nurturing the adults of tomorrow.
Seriously, get off 4chan. Just get the fuck off it. You think that being on there gives you a sense of belonging, like you are part of something, an inside joke or a secret society. It is not. It's where the fucking losers and failures go so they can mock and ridicule anyone better than themselves to make themselves feel as if they accomplished anything that day. This also goes for other websites similar to it.
Put half your effort/time into your studies. I don't give a shit how you do it if you study for 3 hours then play 3 hours or 1 hour/1 hour jerking off porn surfing just get it done. Studying is not difficult. The scene from Fight Club where Tyler is pointing the gun at the college drop out comes to mind. Also, girls like smart guys. If you tutor girls, don't do it for free.
Pick an outdoors activity or sport, or rather, start lifting. Continue this until you get good at it and have a decent body.
Get a part time job. Bag groceries, flip burgers I don't give a fuck. It will give you cash and show you that money doesn't come easy. It is earned.
Listen. If you don't have anything to say then shut the fuck up. If you decide to say something, run it through your mind at least once to make sure it isn't rubbish. Speak up so that everyone can hear. Don't fucking stutter.
If you like a girl, talk to her. "Hey I'm *name* from math class and I think you're really cute, wanna grab coffee sometime?" If she says no then fuck it 1 down 982739253 to go. Get some numbers and sms them. If they don't reply after 2 tries, delete their number. Move on. You don't have to act like an asshole, if they ask you why you stopped talking just say you thought they weren't interested. Make it clear you want something more than friends.
Anyway hope that helped. I was also in that endless shit cycle of pissing off on the internet all day.
On February 08 2012 00:39 pyrogenetix wrote: Seriously, get off 4chan. Just get the fuck off it. You think that being on there gives you a sense of belonging, like you are part of something, an inside joke or a secret society. It is not. It's where the fucking losers and failures go so they can mock and ridicule anyone better than themselves to make themselves feel as if they accomplished anything that day. This also goes for other websites similar to it.
Put half your effort/time into your studies. I don't give a shit how you do it if you study for 3 hours then play 3 hours or 1 hour/1 hour jerking off porn surfing just get it done. Studying is not difficult. The scene from Fight Club where Tyler is pointing the gun at the college drop out comes to mind. Also, girls like smart guys. If you tutor girls, don't do it for free.
Pick an outdoors activity or sport, or rather, start lifting. Continue this until you get good at it and have a decent body.
Get a part time job. Bag groceries, flip burgers I don't give a fuck. It will give you cash and show you that money doesn't come easy. It is earned.
Listen. If you don't have anything to say then shut the fuck up. If you decide to say something, run it through your mind at least once to make sure it isn't rubbish. Speak up so that everyone can hear. Don't fucking stutter.
If you like a girl, talk to her. "Hey I'm *name* from math class and I think you're really cute, wanna grab coffee sometime?" If she says no then fuck it 1 down 982739253 to go. Get some numbers and sms them. If they don't reply after 2 tries, delete their number. Move on. You don't have to act like an asshole, if they ask you why you stopped talking just say you thought they weren't interested. Make it clear you want something more than friends.
Anyway hope that helped. I was also in that endless shit cycle of pissing off on the internet all day.
Good advice. Be careful about the part I bolded. It's double-edged. A really smart and good looking friend of mine, would just think so much about what he was about to say, that he really sucked at communicating. He would just end saying random shit just because he was thinking too much, but couldn't let the conversation go blank, so after a while not finding anything to say, he would end up saying ridiculous stuffs.
Oh and although the advice is good, I find it a little preemptive for OP who's only 15 year old if I remember correctly from his other blog entry. He still got plenty of time in my opinion ^_^
You need motivation and a work ethic. Stop talking about stuff, just get off your ass and tell yourself to do it. The general pattern for too many people is post stuff like this --> get motivation from the internet --> do nothing. If you allocated that time to actually doing what you want to do instead of posting on forums then you might get the grades / girl. Sadly it's much easier to talk about your goals and the put them off, and then ask questions about human nature and try to blame it on anything but the fact that you're lazy.
On February 07 2012 23:49 CutieBK wrote: This is from a questionable source, since I sometimes get stuck in the same downtrodden tracks in my mind. The terror of medioctrity is worse than death sometimes for me, and whenever I look back on shit I should've done and think too hard I can go into full despair-mode if I'm not careful.
However, the most important thing that I've learned through this very short time I've lived is that change is always possible. Not in the overly poetic sense that you can live in eternal bliss, more that you can do the things that you like and be ok with that. Life is such a weird thing if you spend time trying to quanitfy it with ideas like: "how succesful I am? what's the point?" and so forth. The key to a good life, I think, is to attempt to be very aware as much as you can, so that you know with certainty that what you did, even if you wind up regretting it, was done consciously and knowingly.
Have you ever tried mindfulness or meditation(I guess they're really the same thing, but to be on the safe side...)? I started meditating a few years back and even though I am unable to truly dive into it like some can it helps alot. It is not science fiction or require a mantra or for you to join a cult. Just take a few minutes out of each day to breathe and do nothing but that, try to breathe perfectly.
Here are some books that really helped me that you might want to check out if you are into the more "spiritual"-aspect of things:
Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu: Mindblowing stuff, everyone should have this lying around somewhere!
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert M. Pirsig: Phenomenal read of what happens when you loose your way and then find your way back with the backdrop of some awesome philosophy and ideas from Mr Pirsig.
Quantum and the Lotus, Matthieu Ricard and Trinh Xuan Thuan: This book changed my life, however silly that may sound. It brought so many ideas full circle and just completely thrashed all my preconceptions on everything, really.
None of these books will make a difference unless you make an effort or enjoy them ofcourse, but in my case they were phenomonaly thought provoking, so I hope they can be of some help. Hope you feel better soon, dude
Thanks =)
On February 08 2012 02:28 TheSubtleArt wrote: You need motivation and a work ethic. Stop talking about stuff, just get off your ass and tell yourself to do it. The general pattern for too many people is post stuff like this --> get motivation from the internet --> do nothing. If you allocated that time to actually doing what you want to do instead of posting on forums then you might get the grades / girl. Sadly it's much easier to talk about your goals and the put them off, and then ask questions about human nature and try to blame it on anything but the fact that you're lazy.
Yes, speaking from experience here.
I'm glad to report that I took some time off after posting this and studied for my upcoming Chemistry test on the Kinetic Particle Theory and Atomic Structure :D
For me, realising that the world is full of people that live lives so completely different to mine yet have similar issues with existential angst, was what allowed me to live more peacefully. Once you realise that the only expectations that matter are the ones you put on yourself you can decide to be happy.
I love food, good wine and better company. I am not afraid of mediocrity, most of the world is mediocre. Being special is bullshit that your parents feed you to make sure you don't disapoint them. The hard thing is finding what makes you happy, or at least not unhappy. All people live and die and there is no perfect way to do those.
EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/3xtSr.jpg)
