The World is Too Small For Me - Page 3

On April 30 2009 08:04 Shiverfish wrote:
I think we share rather similar styles of thought.

On April 29 2009 16:04 GrayArea wrote:

In plain terms, I am ambitious.

On April 29 2009 16:04 GrayArea wrote:
Sometimes it feels like nothing in this world can ever be good enough for me. Being a simple working class man, being a lawyer, being a doctor...they all seem like they aren't good enough for me. Like I can be someone so much bigger, so much greater, I want to be the best.

I'm 19, and in that phase in life where I have to decide what I want to do with myself...

When I think about the world, and all the possibilities it has, it just doesn't seem enough. I want to. do something that nobody has ever done in this world. I want to cure cancer, write a novel series that belittles Harry Potter by 100 fold, be the biggest star this world has seen. I want to shine so brightly that the progress of history itself could not and would not be possible without my influence.

On April 30 2009 11:51 TeNken.1 wrote:
It would be quite satisfying to blast on you like so many others in this thread, but I've gone through a similar phase in my own life (albiet with far less arrogance), so I'll cut the crap.

Your OP is filled with blatant contradiction. On one hand, you spout of your ambition and desire for non-conformity - which is perfectly fine in itself. However, the way you look at the world seems to be through a highly superficial lens, defined not by what it actually means to be say a doctor or a teacher, but by the general perception of what a doctor or a teacher does. You can't say that you hate conformity, and then rely on everyone else's perception of what "X" is to make up your mind for you. By doing so you're allowing yourself to be generalized / categorized. There's more to being a doctor than "looking at x-rays and performing surgery", and there's more to being a teacher than "teaching the same material year after year until you puke"; there's a human element involved.

The world seems to stress on us things that really aren't as important as they seem - like what your job is, how much money you make, etc. I believe life is about people, and interaction, and growth. You said that you see all the possibilities this world has to offer and it doesn't seem to be enough. It's easy to look at the world and scoff from afar, but it's much more difficult to be a participant and make yourself vulnerable to inadequacy.

Even if you hadn't mentioned that you're 19, I would still say I think your point of view is pretty much based on a lack of experience. When I was in a similar state of mind, I too thought I was invincible and so much smarter than everyone else and that after college life would be a piece of cake. It was only when I finally picked a career path (actuary), started studying and taking the practice exams while working full time did I realize how small and insignificant I actually was.

Once I put myself out there I realized that there were thousands of people out there just as smart as me fighting just as hard or harder for the same thing I wanted, and thousands more even smarter than I. It was a scary realization and a hard pill to swallow, but it was also exhilarating in a sick sort of way. It was a new battle to be fought, a new challenge to overcome. Did I really think that they were any better or smarter than I was? Maybe, maybe not. But it was up to me to either prove them right or prove them wrong. And that's what life is all about. As cheesy as it sounds, it's not about the destination but the journey. After all, you can watch a thousand reps and call everyone a newb, but your opinion doesn't mean shit until you actually sit down and play a game yourself.

On April 30 2009 11:51 TeNken.1 wrote:
It would be quite satisfying to blast on you like so many others in this thread, but I've gone through a similar phase in my own life (albiet with far less arrogance), so I'll cut the crap.

Your OP is filled with blatant contradiction. On one hand, you spout of your ambition and desire for non-conformity - which is perfectly fine in itself. However, the way you look at the world seems to be through a highly superficial lens, defined not by what it actually means to be say a doctor or a teacher, but by the general perception of what a doctor or a teacher does. You can't say that you hate conformity, and then rely on everyone else's perception of what "X" is to make up your mind for you. By doing so you're allowing yourself to be generalized / categorized. There's more to being a doctor than "looking at x-rays and performing surgery", and there's more to being a teacher than "teaching the same material year after year until you puke"; there's a human element involved.

The world seems to stress on us things that really aren't as important as they seem - like what your job is, how much money you make, etc. I believe life is about people, and interaction, and growth. You said that you see all the possibilities this world has to offer and it doesn't seem to be enough. It's easy to look at the world and scoff from afar, but it's much more difficult to be a participant and make yourself vulnerable to inadequacy.

Even if you hadn't mentioned that you're 19, I would still say I think your point of view is pretty much based on a lack of experience. When I was in a similar state of mind, I too thought I was invincible and so much smarter than everyone else and that after college life would be a piece of cake. It was only when I finally picked a career path (actuary), started studying and taking the practice exams while working full time did I realize how small and insignificant I actually was.

Once I put myself out there I realized that there were thousands of people out there just as smart as me fighting just as hard or harder for the same thing I wanted, and thousands more even smarter than I. It was a scary realization and a hard pill to swallow, but it was also exhilarating in a sick sort of way. It was a new battle to be fought, a new challenge to overcome. Did I really think that they were any better or smarter than I was? Maybe, maybe not. But it was up to me to either prove them right or prove them wrong. And that's what life is all about. As cheesy as it sounds, it's not about the destination but the journey. After all, you can watch a thousand reps and call everyone a newb, but your opinion doesn't mean shit until you actually sit down and play a game yourself.

On April 30 2009 14:43 Savio wrote:


This is just normal adolescence. During adolescence we develop the ability to think abstractly, think about our own thoughts (metacognition), and change the way we process information. Huge changes occur in how our brains work and one textbook characteristic of adolescence is fantasies of grandeur.


"Self-reflection becomes possible now because the person can look at him- or herself objectively from a witness perspective. Consequently introspection becomes a huge pastime for adolescents who spend hours assessing their self-images and imagining how they come across to others. This is called egocentric thought, partly because its focus is the self and partly because it puts the self in the center of the universe. Along with this tendency is that of personal myth (fantasies of grandeur and/or heroism) and imaginary audience."

--http://www.spiritsong.org/unit4-2.htm

This is good and normal.

As far as the non-conformism, that is pretty normal as well I think.


So...welcome to human development.

EDIT: But remember that fantasies get you nowhere. You CAN accomplish big things but it takes HARD WORK and lots of it. Work harder than anyone else around you and you will succeed. Don't get addicted to anything so you stay in reality and don't turn control of your life over to anything else. Be master of yourself and not a servant to the chemicals in your brain.

EDIT2: Regarding all the people who "bashed" you in this thread. Probably what happened is some of them felt the same way when they were younger but then after a little bit of adult living, came back to reality as is also normal. That is coming for you...just wait. But the trick is that after you realize you are a normal person and very unlikely to "cure cancer" or have some other great achievement, don't let that stop you. You can't cure cancer, but you CAN be a doctor if you work your butt off. You can't outsell Harry Potter but if you work harder than everyone else (that means less fun, less TV, less Starcraft even), you CAN publish a book someday...perhaps several. And those are still big accomplishments.

On April 30 2009 10:15 IdrA wrote:

theres the kiss of death

On April 30 2009 16:35 Chef wrote:
Ambition without talent is just annoying and cocky.

IF you think you're capable of so much, go and fucking do it. Don't just sit around telling people about it. Frankly if you're 19 and you weren't already on your way to being a doctor, you're probably not going to be one.

Everyone wants to be great. Then they hit 35 and go through a mid-life crisis realising they still haven't achieved all that they dreamed of. So I'll repeat myself. Stop wasting your time blowing up your ego, and start doing whatever it is you want to do.

On April 30 2009 16:38 rushz0rz wrote:
Commit genocide on an unimaginable scale. Evil people are remembered before good people.

On April 29 2009 17:50 FakeSteve[TPR] wrote:
yawn

On April 30 2009 18:10 FakeSteve[TPR] wrote:


imagine killing everyone and everything

now how can you commit genocide on an unimaginable scale? i just crushed ur ambition