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It could be the uplifting music that I chanced upon late at night, or it could be because the world is just awesome. I'm not sure if it's childish of me to think that the world is all sunshine, rainbows, and ponies, but I'm just very comfortable with my life now.
Sure there are some things that bother me, and in fact, should trouble me. I however, have decided to not be overwhelmed by these things - I don't know if having a more or less carefree attitude is good or not for my future though. Here's what I should be troubled about:
- Preparations for GCSE O Levels. I'll be taking this next year and it's so huge and important.
- Are majors like Sociology, Law, and Philosophy useless? It's sad if they are because they really interest me.
- Writing. I want to improve my writing but I'm writing so badly now, it's sad because writing has always been my forte ( compared to all my other skills ). * Now that I think about this, maybe I'm better at speaking. Next problem is relevant to this.
- I've been selected to represent my school at some national speech competition. I'll have to write my own speech and I'm really nervous about this.
- I will be captain of my school's first ever debate team and we will be competing in a national competition. I haven't been debating for a very long time and I don't even know where to start or begin to prepare for this.
I don't want to add what I'm going to say next to the list, because I'm not sure if it's a problem. My thoughts seem to be very cloudy and disorganized nowadays. I don't talk to myself inwardly as much as I used to, and I think this has impaired my ability to think critically. I tend to lose myself sometimes, just cruising along like some braindead zombie. I recall being more in touch with my thoughts back when I made a blog daily. I'm also quite tired most of the day - adolescence?
But despite all this I'm still so cheerful/optimistic. Something wrong with me?
  
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Don't think so. Also those things you listed aren't exactly things to be concerned about, but rather something to consider. from my point of view that is.
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On June 19 2012 21:29 B.I.G. wrote:
Don't think so. Also those things you listed aren't exactly things to be concerned about, but rather something to consider. from my point of view that is.
I think they're pretty important because they will directly impact my future.
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On June 19 2012 21:25 Azera wrote:
- Are majors like Sociology, Law, and Philosophy useless? It's sad if they are because they really interest me.
Mostly, no, and yes.
Edit: cool music, checking out that composer now.
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On June 19 2012 21:46 Iranon wrote:Show nested quote +On June 19 2012 21:25 Azera wrote:
- Are majors like Sociology, Law, and Philosophy useless? It's sad if they are because they really interest me. Mostly, no, and yes. Edit: cool music, checking out that composer now.
Thanks!
Would you mind elaborating more?
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Look, you're gonna meet a girl, fall in love, get a job with decent pay to support a family, find the job surprisingly fulfilling, be a more involved parent to your children than your own were, inherit your dad and proudly send your kids off to college.
At least that's the direction you're currently heading in. Not bad for a "worst case scenario". You can change your life if you want to, but even if you don't - it will be far from mediocre.
The universe strives for balance, everything evens out. The passing of generations is nothing more than slow rolling waves that polish rough stones into smooth pebbles.
You've got nothing to worry about. Travel a bit maybe. Don't move to Aus.
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On June 19 2012 21:49 Azera wrote:Show nested quote +On June 19 2012 21:46 Iranon wrote:On June 19 2012 21:25 Azera wrote:
- Are majors like Sociology, Law, and Philosophy useless? It's sad if they are because they really interest me. Mostly, no, and yes. Edit: cool music, checking out that composer now. Thanks! Would you mind elaborating more?
With a bachelors in sociology, you're not really specialized in anything except for, well, social work. Think counseling victims, working with child services, working with poor families, etc. If that's your thing, awesome, but note that you can pursue a more lucrative full-time job in other fields and volunteer your free time at such places too. Sociology also gives you somewhat of a foothold in (non-clinical) psych jobs, and a lot of sociology majors wind up in random sales/marketing/clerical positions, because you have "people skills".
With a bachelors in law, you're basically saying "I want to go to law school", which comes with the obvious range of options.
With a bachelors in philosophy, you're obtaining very interesting knowledge and insights that no employer will pay you for. To be sure, you can find a job with a BA in philosophy, but you will not be a philosopher, you'll be in some random sales/marketing/consulting firm, and your job will more or less be to manage people and come up with new business strategies, or something. Philosophy doesn't lead directly into any job, but it can lead indirectly into some lucrative but generic positions, or to grad school for something more useful. The highlight of your resume would be "strong critical thinking skills", which is really something that everyone should have.
(Note: this is all second-hand, I'd love for someone who actually employs a significant number of people out of college with those degrees to clarify.)
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On June 19 2012 22:07 Thrill wrote:
Look, you're gonna meet a girl, fall in love, get a job with decent pay to support a family, find the job surprisingly fulfilling, be a more involved parent to your children than your own were, inherit your dad and proudly send your kids off to college.
At least that's the direction you're currently heading in. Not bad for a "worst case scenario". You can change your life if you want to, but even if you don't - it will be far from mediocre.
The universe strives for balance, everything evens out. The passing of generations is nothing more than slow rolling waves that polish rough stones into smooth pebbles.
You've got nothing to worry about. Travel a bit maybe. Don't move to Aus.
It's weird that the scenario you portrayed is exactly what I'm aiming for. What can get better than that? Other than instead of finding a job with decent pay, I find a job with 1mil/annum with low workload.
I'm surprised you remember about that whole Aus business, I decided to stick with Singapore and not give up.
On June 19 2012 22:10 Iranon wrote:Show nested quote +On June 19 2012 21:49 Azera wrote:On June 19 2012 21:46 Iranon wrote:On June 19 2012 21:25 Azera wrote:
- Are majors like Sociology, Law, and Philosophy useless? It's sad if they are because they really interest me. Mostly, no, and yes. Edit: cool music, checking out that composer now. Thanks! Would you mind elaborating more? With a bachelors in sociology, you're not really specialized in anything except for, well, social work. Think counseling victims, working with child services, working with poor families, etc. If that's your thing, awesome, but note that you can pursue a more lucrative full-time job in other fields and volunteer your free time at such places too. Sociology also gives you somewhat of a foothold in (non-clinical) psych jobs, and a lot of sociology majors wind up in random sales/marketing/clerical positions, because you have "people skills". With a bachelors in law, you're basically saying "I want to go to law school", which comes with the obvious range of options. With a bachelors in philosophy, you're obtaining very interesting knowledge and insights that no employer will pay you for. To be sure, you can find a job with a BA in philosophy, but you will not be a philosopher, you'll be in some random sales/marketing/consulting firm, and your job will more or less be to manage people and come up with new business strategies, or something. Philosophy doesn't lead directly into any job, but it can lead indirectly into some lucrative but generic positions, or to grad school for something more useful. The highlight of your resume would be "strong critical thinking skills", which is really something that everyone should have. (Note: this is all second-hand, I'd love for someone who actually employs a significant number of people out of college with those degrees to clarify.)
Hmm, I have 3 options of careers that I wish to pursue
- Lawyer
- Politician
- Professor at some Uni
So I guess my interests should help with being a lawyer and politician (is there anything I'm missing?), and if all else fails - professor. Being a regular teacher is cool too though. Not that I'm looking down on educators, it's just that I have other dream jobs that I rank higher than being an educator.
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<3 happy blogs.
Are majors like Sociology, Law, and Philosophy useless? It's sad if they are because they really interest me.
Useless? Useless is what doesn't interest you. =)
As long as you're gonna be able to afford a flat, food and healthcare others saying "lol that's useless" shouldn't interest you too much.
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On June 19 2012 22:34 r.Evo wrote:<3 happy blogs. Show nested quote +Are majors like Sociology, Law, and Philosophy useless? It's sad if they are because they really interest me. Useless? Useless is what doesn't interest you. =) As long as you're gonna be able to afford a flat, food and healthcare others saying "lol that's useless" shouldn't interest you too much.
Yeah happy blogs are awesome! Nobody likes to read a long, boring blog written by some kid anyway :D
I guess you're right though, as long as I can live rather comfortably, not broke, etc. it isn't really useless. Unless usefulness is determined by what can make me a multi-millionaire!
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On June 19 2012 22:41 Azera wrote:Show nested quote +On June 19 2012 22:34 r.Evo wrote:<3 happy blogs. Are majors like Sociology, Law, and Philosophy useless? It's sad if they are because they really interest me. Useless? Useless is what doesn't interest you. =) As long as you're gonna be able to afford a flat, food and healthcare others saying "lol that's useless" shouldn't interest you too much. Yeah happy blogs are awesome! Nobody likes to read a long, boring blog written by some kid anyway :D I guess you're right though, as long as I can live rather comfortably, not broke, etc. it isn't really useless. Unless usefulness is determined by what can make me a multi-millionaire!
If you base "usefullness" purely on what makes you a multi-millionaire, I'd bet that you'd not be a very happy multi-milionaire. =P
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On June 20 2012 00:13 r.Evo wrote:Show nested quote +On June 19 2012 22:41 Azera wrote:On June 19 2012 22:34 r.Evo wrote:<3 happy blogs. Are majors like Sociology, Law, and Philosophy useless? It's sad if they are because they really interest me. Useless? Useless is what doesn't interest you. =) As long as you're gonna be able to afford a flat, food and healthcare others saying "lol that's useless" shouldn't interest you too much. Yeah happy blogs are awesome! Nobody likes to read a long, boring blog written by some kid anyway :D I guess you're right though, as long as I can live rather comfortably, not broke, etc. it isn't really useless. Unless usefulness is determined by what can make me a multi-millionaire! If you base "usefullness" purely on what makes you a multi-millionaire, I'd bet that you'd not be a very happy multi-milionaire. =P
Yup, so it's best to just do what interests you well. Right?
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Thanks Azera for posting that beautiful music. I found the artist on grooveshark and am listening to her whole album now  . Its pretty enjoyable so far, reminds me of sim city music a bit. I can't explain why you're so happy...but its definitely in your interest to remain positive. I'm certain it will have some positive affects on your thinking ability/clarity and understanding (I remember hearing a study done in harvard university on happiness, I believe it was a TED talk).
Also I think you should go for what you love, just try hard to figure out what it is now or you may be forced to get another degree like me  . Good luck
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Dude this song is fucking amazing haha <3
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On June 19 2012 21:25 Azera wrote:
Are majors like Sociology, Law, and Philosophy useless? It's sad if they are because they really interest me.
If you really like sociology or philosophy but don't want to be limited in career prospects to simply being a professor in those areas, why not just read sociology or philosophy books and maybe watch lectures about the topics on youtube?
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Amazing music, thank you very much for linking it!
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On June 20 2012 06:28 airtown wrote:Show nested quote +On June 19 2012 21:25 Azera wrote:
Are majors like Sociology, Law, and Philosophy useless? It's sad if they are because they really interest me. If you really like sociology or philosophy but don't want to be limited in career prospects to simply being a professor in those areas, why not just read sociology or philosophy books and maybe watch lectures about the topics on youtube?
Do I focus on other professions like business then? I'm also asking because I'm better at these things compared to Science and whatnot.
On June 20 2012 07:52 Magulina wrote:
Amazing music, thank you very much for linking it!
No problem!
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Yes, philosophy is not "useful." Philosophy is what lets you think about what "usefulness" is in the first place.
Most people do not consider this question at all. (edit: And they usually become defensive when you ask, so philosophy will not make you any friends, that's for sure.)
edit again: The truth is, though, the main function of college is to put you in debt, so that you have to find a way to pay it off - this is what makes employment always a sellers market. So for most people, college is less than useless.
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On June 20 2012 11:56 sam!zdat wrote:
Yes, philosophy is not "useful." Philosophy is what lets you think about what "usefulness" is in the first place.
Most people do not consider this question at all. (edit: And they usually become defensive when you ask, so philosophy will not make you any friends, that's for sure.)
edit again: The truth is, though, the main function of college is to put you in debt, so that you have to find a way to pay it off - this is what makes employment always a sellers market. So for most people, college is less than useless.
Hmm, the whole college debt business isn't really relevant for me. Anyway, philosophy does seem to be pretty useless to specialise in. Maybe I can take a minor in it just for kicks though.
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On June 20 2012 14:28 Azera wrote:Show nested quote +On June 20 2012 11:56 sam!zdat wrote:
Yes, philosophy is not "useful." Philosophy is what lets you think about what "usefulness" is in the first place.
Most people do not consider this question at all. (edit: And they usually become defensive when you ask, so philosophy will not make you any friends, that's for sure.)
edit again: The truth is, though, the main function of college is to put you in debt, so that you have to find a way to pay it off - this is what makes employment always a sellers market. So for most people, college is less than useless. Hmm, the whole college debt business isn't really relevant for me.
This is "privilege." It is one that we share. You should, however, think very carefully about what it means.
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On June 20 2012 17:57 sam!zdat wrote:Show nested quote +On June 20 2012 14:28 Azera wrote:On June 20 2012 11:56 sam!zdat wrote:
Yes, philosophy is not "useful." Philosophy is what lets you think about what "usefulness" is in the first place.
Most people do not consider this question at all. (edit: And they usually become defensive when you ask, so philosophy will not make you any friends, that's for sure.)
edit again: The truth is, though, the main function of college is to put you in debt, so that you have to find a way to pay it off - this is what makes employment always a sellers market. So for most people, college is less than useless. Hmm, the whole college debt business isn't really relevant for me. This is "privilege." It is one that we share. You should, however, think very carefully about what it means.
I don't quite get what you mean =(
I just remembered about sociobiology, I believe you gave me a brief introduction on what it was in one of my previous blogs. I still have your words in a notebook. Is sociobiology useful in getting a ritzy baller job? Is it a major?
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What does it mean that you get to go to college and learn whatever you want and not have any debt, and for most people this is not the case?
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On June 21 2012 00:04 sam!zdat wrote:
What does it mean that you get to go to college and learn whatever you want and not have any debt, and for most people this is not the case?
Yeah I got that, but what exactly was I supposed to think carefully about? Are you trying to tell me that I should appreciate what I have and that I should make full use of it?
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Oh, that's up to you. I'm just saying it's a state of affairs that requires careful thought.
for myself, I would like to transform privilege into justice.
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How would you go about doing that?
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good question
Right now, I am just trying to learn as many things as I can so that I can increase my understanding of the world, and hopefully pass on some of that understanding to others.
Also, trying not to be part of the problem. Removing myself from the capitalist metabolism of pointless consumption.
The biggest problem that we face is that we are stuck in a culture that has lost the ability to dream about a better future. Changing that is the first step.
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So here's my advice. Nobody else will give you this advice. It is probably very dangerous advice.
Don't think about what things are useful. Study the things that you feel deserve to be studied. Almost everything that almost everybody does is almost completely useless. Your family has money - why do you need to make any more? Live modestly and seek to understand reality. The things in this world that are truly valuable are not so because of their exchange value; they are things that cannot be exchanged.
Don't ask "why?" Ask "Why not?"
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Hong Kong9179 Posts
On June 19 2012 21:25 Azera wrote:
- I will be captain of my school's first ever debate team and we will be competing in a national competition. I haven't been debating for a very long time and I don't even know where to start or begin to prepare for this.
What format? Lots of people from that community, at least in the United States, including me, are on TL.
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On June 22 2012 06:44 sam!zdat wrote:
So here's my advice. Nobody else will give you this advice. It is probably very dangerous advice.
Don't think about what things are useful. Study the things that you feel deserve to be studied. Almost everything that almost everybody does is almost completely useless. Your family has money - why do you need to make any more? Live modestly and seek to understand reality. The things in this world that are truly valuable are not so because of their exchange value; they are things that cannot be exchanged.
Don't ask "why?" Ask "Why not?"
That's what I' doing right now - in a way. ^_^
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On June 22 2012 06:49 itsjustatank wrote:Show nested quote +On June 19 2012 21:25 Azera wrote:
- I will be captain of my school's first ever debate team and we will be competing in a national competition. I haven't been debating for a very long time and I don't even know where to start or begin to prepare for this.
What format? Lots of people from that community, at least in the United States, including me, are on TL.
Format is unknown at the moment. But I think there will be 4 speakers
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On June 22 2012 13:59 TORTOISE wrote:
deleted
Aww, why?
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Hong Kong9179 Posts
On June 22 2012 09:46 Azera wrote:Show nested quote +On June 22 2012 06:49 itsjustatank wrote:On June 19 2012 21:25 Azera wrote:
- I will be captain of my school's first ever debate team and we will be competing in a national competition. I haven't been debating for a very long time and I don't even know where to start or begin to prepare for this.
What format? Lots of people from that community, at least in the United States, including me, are on TL. Format is unknown at the moment. But I think there will be 4 speakers
Keep us posted, if it's policy I can help.
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On June 22 2012 14:29 itsjustatank wrote:Show nested quote +On June 22 2012 09:46 Azera wrote:On June 22 2012 06:49 itsjustatank wrote:On June 19 2012 21:25 Azera wrote:
- I will be captain of my school's first ever debate team and we will be competing in a national competition. I haven't been debating for a very long time and I don't even know where to start or begin to prepare for this.
What format? Lots of people from that community, at least in the United States, including me, are on TL. Format is unknown at the moment. But I think there will be 4 speakers Keep us posted, if it's policy I can help.
Sure, thanks!
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You know things are not in an ideal state when a person thinks something might be wrong with them because they are happy.
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TLADT24920 Posts
OP, there is nothing with not stressing out about what's going on. Just take it easy and as mentioned study what you want to study. If you want to do law or study philosophy, do it. So many people study something that they don't want because they are considering the financial aspect and in the majors you listed, you can still make an income either way.
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On June 23 2012 23:59 Sarasin wrote:
You know things are not in an ideal state when a person thinks something might be wrong with them because they are happy.
Exactly, I don't understand why some people need a reason to be happy. Just be happy.
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Because that would be ignorance.
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Because there are a lot of things that seem like they should make you unhappy 
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I don't understand that, but maybe it's because I have traveled around half the globe and been to some very poor places. You begin to understand how little your problems actually are.
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I spend a lot of time thinking about very large problems.
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Trivialising things by saying that because someone has it worse than you is faulty logic
I'm not obligated to carry their burden. My troubles are troubles to me. Their troubles are their troubles. Certainly I have much to be thankful for, but what it seems you're trying to imply that people who lose an arm in a car accident should dismiss the fact that they have lost a limb and should rejoice because they didn't die.
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You are asking if there's something wrong with you, because in general you feel happy -- despite that the world isn't perfect and that you have some minor concerns such as tests, competitions, and other typical student things? I don't really get it. You're normal. It's normal to still feel happy in spite of these other things going on.
In any case, there was at least one useful thing in there to think about. It's true that you can study whatever you want, provided that you can get by while still being happy after studying it. If you want to be a lawyer, for example, you can study whatever you want for your undergrad as long as you do a good job. Same goes for those who want to be doctors. If your goal is to become a professor -- again, you could study whatever you want during your undergrad years. Just devote yourself to whatever it is, and produce solid work, and you'll be able to move on to other more career-oriented things with ease. I guess there are certain fields that really push you in one direction or another -- for example, neuroscience research. If you want to land a job researching some neuroscience topic right out of college, chances are you'll need to study neuroscience (or at least cell biology) in college. But clearly this doesn't apply to you, as you don't have a very specific and limiting career path in mind. Basically just study what you want to study, and do a good job with it.
As far as not needing to think about others' problems... I don't think he's suggesting what you are interpreting as faulty logic. For example, in my case, I realize that cancer --something affecting many others, but not me -- is a real issue that needs to be addressed. It's incredibly complex and it could affect anyone (and clearly affects many all over the world), so I feel compelled to do something about it one day, in however small or large a way that might be. Same goes for spinal cord injuries, and so on. There are real gains to be made, and they won't happen unless many of us aim at achieving them. If everyone had the attitude "My troubles are my own, and I don't need to think about other peoples' troubles", we wouldn't achieve a
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Got it
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EPT
