This is what life has boiled down to. I can't just be who I am, what I am. I need degrees, an education, a respectable job. How many years of my life will be spent toiling through society's trials just because people think that nothing could come out of an 'uneducated' underachieving teenager. They can go fuck themselves. If I'm nothing to them than their society, their ways of life, and their lives are nothing to me. I don't need to go to university just because there's some overwhelming all-consuming social stigma which states that one is less than the elite few just because they don't have three letters behind their name.
We need to conform, we need to do what's expected of us, or else we're NOTHING. And how's nothing supposed to change the world? How's nothing supposed to make it a better place? How is NOTHING ever going to amount to ANYTHING if those who consider themselves SOMETHING aren't willing to listen to the words of someone who's Nothing?
I don't need to do what they want me to. I don't need to do what I'm supposed to do; what they expect a worthy person, anyone who's to be anything to do. I don't need to make myself into something I'm not, just so that they'd give my writing a second glace; Just to give my ideals a second chance. This isn't what life is supposed to be: Submit to conformity, live in obscurity, or kill yourself.
I think I'll give humanity what I have to offer, hope that they listen to, or at least hear the message I am trying to get across; and then I'll kill myself. Fuck this shit, this isn't what life is supposed to be. I don't know what they're all thinking, but this is definitely not it. I have no desire to live a cookie cutter life, inside their perimeters, according to their ways; the way everyone else seems to have no problems with doing. Fuck this shit: The shit we have to do just to be something in this convoluted, fucked up society.
I think I'd be much happier living out in the woods somewhere far away from all of this pretentious bullshit.
hmmm... the first two paragraphs are a great pep talk. Michael, if you eventually read this, don't comment. please. and honestly Richard i understand the social stigma that you may feel that you are under but i don't feel that being educated past high school automatically means university. i have many friends that went into college and/or apprenticeship programs and they have used this furthering education to make something of themselves. the point is that a high school diploma doesn't mean anything in our society today. you need to better yourself through higher education in order to be a more accomplished individual(recognize that i did not say successful individual). Furthermore i am actually going to side with what i imagine Michael would say, "cheer up Richard!" life is tough but threatening suicide, even pretend blogger suicide, in response to society's injustices is the coward's way out. MAN UP AND RELAX! fuck.
ReplyDeleteWhen was the last time you heard of a collage philosopher? or a philosophy apprenticeship program? And besides, when was the last time somebody decide decided to publish the work of a philosopher without a university degree? Probably not long after THE MIDDLE AGES. My friend Jimmy is one of the smartest (not by academic standards), most level headed guys I know. He could do this country a lot of good if someone made him prime minister. But nobody is going to do that, and why? Because no one with the power to change anything is going to take suggestions from an electrician. Plain and simple. Just because he doesn't have a couple letters behind his name.
ReplyDeleteOn the course I plan on taking there is no alternative. It's university (conformity) or work a medial job in some company where what I have to say about the world will amount to nothing (obscurity). Or I could just kill myself, but I'm saving that for when I'm old, worn out, and I've seen all my ideas turned into reality.
Instead of "MAN UP" you should be saying: "CONFORM TO WHAT SOCIETY WANTS YOU TO DO AND STOP BITCHING", Because without a couple university degrees I might as well be nothing to the people with the power to change things; After all, who's going to listen to an uneducated underachieving teenager?
richard you kill me! you openly call yourself an uneducated teenager and yet you're one of the brightetest kids i know! you think of university as conforming to the demands that society places on teenagers, i get it. but there is more to university than just getting it so that you can finally be accepted by people with power. it is a time do find yourself, god i cant believe that im actually saying this. apprenticeships and college courses are great for people that know what they want to do but that isnt what you want to do, cant you see that. i fully believe that you should follow your goals of studying philosophy but that is such a broad topic of study. you are right. this isnt the middle ages and as such aspiring to be a philosopher may sound wonderful but you need to apply this goal to the real world. you cannot spend your days wandering out of doors and staring at the sky. and i feel for your friend, i really do but there is a reason that the people in power are not taking your friend seriously. people respect university graduates because it shows commitment and higher thought. he may have all the answers but he needs to gain the respect of his peers in order to give his words depth rather than the supercilious rants of an unmotivated teenager.
ReplyDeletei should have broken that up a bit... sorry!
ReplyDeleteThere is more to university, but acceptance from the powerful people really is what it amounts to. Will it change my views? will I no longer pursue my goals of radical change after five or so long years of further education?
ReplyDeleteYou say it's a time to find yourself? Does it look like I don't know who I am and which direction I'm headed? You say college courses and apprenticeships are good for people who know what they want to do? does it look like I don't know what I want to do?
You've outlined the only things I can gain from university in your last two sentences, but as far as I'm concerned I don't need that superfluous, pretentious crap. What I'll gain is the ability to make myself sound better, and the acceptance of those who have the power to change what I want to see changed; and like I just said, That's superfluous and pretentious crap considering that I already know what I want to see changed!
you're missing my point! you know what you want to do but have no way of acheiving it! you want to be a philosopher-great! but how are you going to be that in our society? we do not have people who dedicate their lives to questioning life the way people didin the past. and even back then the only people that were able to pursue philosophical endeavours were usually those that were well off. unless you too have money to support yourself without working than you need to find ways to incorporate your beliefs into a profession,preferably one that will allow you to have the impact on the world that you say greatly desire.
ReplyDeletepeople alwayshave these grandiose ideas about how they can make the world better. and sad as it is to say you need to make something of yourself in order for this to happen. that isnt to say that you need to go to university to do this. we are in the technological age. if you truly wish to make a difference you can. use the resources available to you to start a revolution! challenge the governement or even the united nations! rally students and other like-minded indiviuals and protest! you have options, even know. granted i do feel that university could help with this, even if it is just to make yourself sound better. when trying to initiate change the first thing that you have to do is present yourself properly. it may sound mundane and pointless to you but in order to change the world you must first bypass all of the bureaucratic bullshit that people try to put in your way! it is stupid but true.
You're missing my point! I don't want to have to spend five or so years of my life and 60 or so thousand dollars just to express the ideas I have now. It's rediculous, and yes, you're right that I have almost no way of achieving it, because (I'm using repitition for effect) nobody with the power to change the things I want to see changed will listen to a uneducated underachieving teenager.
ReplyDeleteThis bureaucratic bullshit is what I'm complaining about! It's stupid, and I can't fucking stand it!
ok richard. now you are just being difficult. you are compliaing. what do you want to change? i mentioned that there are options available to you even now. and being educated doesnt necessarily mean gaining respect. michael ignatieff ran to be prime minister of canada. he was probably one of the most educated people that have ever tried in canada and yet he wasrejected by the people. if he, an incredibly educated man can be rejected then maybe what canada needs and is looking for is someone that is less educated. look at bush in the u.s.... hes a fucking dumbass! you can make a difference as you are you simply need to look into alternative ways to get what you want and do what you want to do.
ReplyDeleteWhat do I want to change? Well, there was that one post I had about making pop, alcohol and cigarettes illegal. Then there was that other one about pollution, and that one from friday and the ensuing conversation about how people need to care about each other. And then there was that whole debate me and Ms.Cat had about religion causing people to take life for granted on George's blog (which I think is one of the more important things, if not most important).
ReplyDeleteNow Shenelle, It would be much appreciated if you offered some suggestions about how I should go about getting my message out there (yes, seriously). So far this whole blog thing isn't working so well. I'd try a facebook group or making my own website, but I think it wouldn't be much more successful then my blog. Any ideas?
well it's going to take dedication. you need to start a movement. look at the occupy toronto protest that is going on now. you have many ideas about things that need to change but in reality it would be easier to start small. big a couple things for now and start getting information out there. you can start a website if you want but i agree that it may not draw the attention that you are looking for. you need to think of a gimmick or something that will gain interest. maybe make a controversial youtube video. the point is that you need to gain attention. start talking to students and go from there. youth in general are not very motivated. if you c an somehow gain pique their interest than you will touch upon thousands of students that are looking for a leader and a cause. do research. look into ways that you can make a difference within the system. start a petition and canvas neighbourhoods. or go out and get life experience first. volunteer with nonprofit organiztions within canada or outside of it. start with you.
ReplyDeletedoes that help? you just need to find some way to get people interested in what you have to say.
ReplyDeleteHave I told the two of you how proud I am of you? i know it shouldn't matter to you but it matters to me (and my life mission) that the two of you understand how amazing you are.
ReplyDeleteShenelle took 9/10s of the things I was going to say to you, Richard. And Richard...OMG! I agree with you on so many levels. I kinda feel like just leaving you with this quote (the favourite of my pot-head, rebellious, crazy roommate from university):
NEVER LET SCHOOLING GET IN THE WAY OF YOUR EDUCATION
But of course, I have more to say. Education is not training for a job. Education is not a credential. Education is not a hoop you have to jump through.
Education is engagement with mental and spiritual pursuits. I liken it to martial arts training or meditation. it is the study of life in an effort to participate fully, appreciate properly and indulge vigourously. I hate that people (especially teachers) push SCHOOL on everyone because of their own fears (and concern) but university is best thing that ever happened to me. And if I had money...I would have never left.
But I didn't go to get a job or to prove myself (although that's what I told my parents so they would help me pay for it) I went to FINALLY be in the company of people who were just as passionate as I was about all the same things. I found my soul family. I have a specialist degree in political science with a focus on political theory and a double minor in English and philosophy. you know what that qualifies me for? NOTHING. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. But it never mattered to me. I went to university to learn what I needed to learn about the world in order to be the kind of teacher I wanted to be.
Socrates and a whole host of other amazing people after him believed that you should take education from wherever you could,,.you can learn from anything. If your parents want it to be at university...take their money and FLY with it! Just because people use university degrees as a way of conforming, doesn't mean that's all it has to be. It's all what you make of it...and you RICHARD will make amazing things!
If you want to get your message out there...go to university and you will meet hundreds of people who will help you along the way. BTW, you know where university started right? In Greece, with Plato. The original vision was a place where people could sit and talk and observe and argue and think about ALL the things there are to think about in the world. That's why the root word is 'universal'--for everyone about everything. If you do go off to uni, keep that in the back of you mind;)
Socrates was my favourite philosopher. he always asked why. he never claimed to be the smartest guy like some of the others did but he had no qulms about stopping random people on the street to ask them questions. these were not trivial questions about mundane topics but questions that encouraged deeper thought. he did not believe in blind conformity but for people to think about the crap that the government is constantly spewing. if only it was this simple now...
ReplyDeleteBut it is that simple. And we don't even need to walk down the street anymore. We have twitter, facebook, blogging. In other countries these mediums are used to spark revolutions! We use them to poll our friends about KFCs new christmas menu. We have the tools--we just need to begin using them for the right reasons!
ReplyDelete