Sick outlook on the world and people

[whichwayisup]

That's okay. I just would like to see you do some good. With what you know and how you feel, you could shed some light on how life IS for a teenager. I'm sure many other teens would relate to you and feel understood if you did write a piece for the paper. Or even the school yearbook, why not approach them and see what happens.

[d'Arthez]

As long as you can't see enough good in doing what quite a few posters suggested, it won't change a thing for you. And you won't do it. As for not "seeing" things, that is normal with people who hold different views on a subject.

The same with studying, or developing your views. Who can expect a 16-year old boy to have a clear outlook on the world, and how to attain the Nobel Peace Price for instance? No one. And there is nothing wrong with that.

 

You are young enough to develop, to grow. One way or the other. You still have some time to set your goals, and perhaps change them, as you attain them.

 

A creator is a critic, otherwise he would not create.

[Plagued and Diseased]

Or even the school yearbook, why not approach them and see what happens.

 

Saying that "we" are screwed up, would sure wind up the biggest hate group in school against me. I dont think that would be a good idea lol

[whichwayisup]

OK scrap the yearbook idea. Was just a suggestion anyway. Just thought that maybe you could be a student's voice for many. I wasn't saying you put down 'all teenagers' are screwed up - You aren't understand what I'm saying.

 

What I am saying is, writing about the world today - What teenagers have to face, the ups and downs, the pressures. Do interviews and do comparisions on life now and life back then through others who have been where you are at one time in their life. It isn't about TEENAGERS screwed up, it's what they're up against.

[Craig]

Originally posted by Plagued and Diseased

Im wondering if anybody else thinks the way I do.. I feel this world is sick and full of hate and greed and nothing else. So much horrible stuff going on abuse, murder, rape, animal cruelty etc... I wonder why we are like this.. I wonder what the world was like before us humans screwed it up and turned it into a sh*thole.

Whatever you focus upon becomes your world.

 

We are the only living things on the planet that are screwed up. You dont see any other living thing killing unless for food or unless threatened.

Cats "play" with small animals, kill them and walk away without eating them. Bottle nose dolphins kill porpoises for no readily apparent reason in a manner that could be called rough play. Killer whales will similarly engage in what might be considered rough play or torture when they hunt for seals. Are these animals killing for fun? I suppose the true answer might never be known to us because we can't talk to them.

 

You may think im sick in the head, but we dont deserve to live. And I can say i am no better because here i am using technology and doing what everybody else does. We cant even save ourselves, and nobody knows it. We have no right to this planet. We destroyed it, and soon we will have to pay.

Perhaps you are just beginning your journey into awareness and not having enough facts regarding the "facts of life" are making assumptions based on limited or incorrect information and beliefs. The concept of "deserving" something is an entirely human concept. There is a price to pay for everything, especially knowledge and sometimes humans do things that they call progress only to learn later of the negative consequences and then need to change their approach.

 

Most people right now probably think i need some serious help, you have no idea... every living person on this planet needs help. And no nothing bad happend to me in my life to make think like this. My family is upper middle class i never experienced anything dramatic. Well, what im trying to get at is here, if everyone looked at themselves and thought about how we live its not normal. We turned this beautiful planet into a desolant place of hate and greed.

Humans are evolving mentally and emotionally. This isn't a perfect world but things are a whole lot better than in the good old days in nearly every way. One person is unlikely to make a big difference in the world but one person can have a huge impact upon his/her own small part of the world. All we need to do is be a good example for others and maybe two other people will decide to have a positive influence on their small part of the world. And so on, and so on. Regarding not experiencing anything dramatic, well I think you are experiencing dramatic things every day but not recognizing them as such. For example, I think it is dramatic that probably 4.5 billion people in the world would love to have your "problems." It's dramatic that you don't have to scratch out a mere existence by toiling at some meaningless job for enough money to buy barely enough rice and lentils to survive another day--just to work the next day for the same thing.

 

And some people are going to say look at all the good things going on. Yea well there is a badside to everything nobody realizes it.

There is a good side and a bad side to everything. If you spend all your time looking for the bad, that is all that you'll see.

 

Think about it look past all these lies and our so called "way of life"

At best our "way of life" is a compromise and a work in progress not a finished work, one might even call it a prototype.

 

What would your ideal world look like?

[Plagued and Diseased]

My ideal world is what it was before we infested it.( That may be a little too harsh) But theres nobody in this world that can say we changed the world for the better because that is a lie. Who can honestly believe that THIS is better.

[Craig]

Originally posted by Plagued and Diseased

My ideal world is what it was before we infested it.( That may be a little too harsh) But theres nobody in this world that can say we changed the world for the better because that is a lie. Who can honestly believe that THIS is better.

When did we infest it? I'm looking for your own interpretation here.

 

When you talk about the world being changed what do you mean? What kind of changes are you talking about?

[Plagued and Diseased]

When did we infest it

 

The dawn of man? I dont really know.. I wish i knew the answer. But i guess this goes into religion and science.

 

When you talk about the world being changed what do you mean? What kind of changes are you talking about?

 

Well its unchangeable now i dont think we could take back all the pollution, natural sites destroyed, animals extinct which is all our fault. I kind of sound like a hippy dont I..

 

Well nothing can be changed now... There is no road to recovery from this point. Unless another ice age comes around

[moimeme]

How can you do good in a world, which is run by idiots, to name but one possible thought?

 

Too extreme, D'Arthez. None of us little ants can change the WHOLE WORLD (well, unless we become President and start killing people because we're nuts) but we absolutely can do 'good' each and every day if we choose. If you want to change the world on a large scale, get ambitious. People who go after things with a passion usually get them. People become heads of nations because it's their one passion in life and they focus their entire selves on it. But you could also aspire to the leadership of another organization that makes a difference like the UN.

 

Or you can do it on your own. Do you know MADD? (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). Not sure if you have it there but it's an organization North America wide that has helped changed laws and has created a lot more awareness of the problem of drunk driving. One woman started it. So yes, you can make a difference but you must make the wish to make a difference your passion and act on it. You can't just moan and whine and throw up your hands and give up - that's a great excuse! If the world isn't changing because of you, it's because you're not working to change the world.

 

Yea i do look for meaning, but how can I if theres so much more negative things.

 

It's not that there are so much more negative things, it's that negative things get the press. Don't make the mistake of believing that the news is all there is to know about the world. Right now in your neighbourhood there are people doing good for others. All around you there is good, too.

 

I cant just live in my own little word and pretend everything is "ok," because its not, its far from ok.

 

It's not about living a 'black and white' life. You neither pretend everything is ok nor do you ignore the bad stuff. Rather, you acknowledge the bad stuff exists and then find the beauty and good and work towards good. Trying to characterize the world or its people as all bad or all good is far too simplistic; you need to understand that anything to do with humans is rarely all bad or all good; we are a mixture of both as is life.

 

You dont see many wealthy people helping poverty etc... No, its all bout the 24" rims, private jets, super models, and 2 million dollar homes.

 

A lot of them do it secretly. Again, the news isn't the only reality on the planet. Yes, the wealth, greed, and selfishness of the world is depressing, but nonetheless, there are good, kind, giving people as well. Bill Gates is a zillionaire - he and his wife have pledged to give most of their wealth to charity in their wills but have been doing a lot of it already and a lot of really wealthy folks are doing similar things.

 

I know a fellow your age who, when he was 12 or so and he learned about Craig Kielberger's work, got in touch with Craig and started working with him. He's already been to India to help Craig's projects. If you haven't heard of Craig and his work, read about it here: http://www.freethechildren.org/

 

You see - anybody - even a 12-year-old kid - can do something about the planet's problems if they genuinely want to.

[d'Arthez]

Originally posted by moimeme

Too extreme, D'Arthez.

Not too extreme. Only if you understand why things are as they are, you'd see the logic behind the things. You would discover that 'idiotism' is a bad explanation for most things. Right now, he is not at the level he could be. And he will get there, but he needs time. He is only 16. You did not understand the world as well when you were 16, as you do know.

And who knows what is the level of ambition you should be satisfied with? He could easily satisfy himself with the life he imagines for himself right now. Perhaps, as he will learn more, he'd change his goals. Let he discover that for himself.

Doing things like you and others suggest is one thing. Reading, studying about things is another thing. And both can be very helpful for him.

[moimeme]

Only if you understand why things are as they are, you'd see the logic behind the things.

 

Cynics and pessimists always claim that people who don't share their jaundiced views 'don't understand'. That's the way they can remain mired in their cynicism and pessimism rather than trying to change their lives or the lives of others. It's the lazy way out; 'it's too bad; it will never change. Oh well, might as well sit back and have a beer and not worry about it'. However, if you believe it can change and you are paying lip service to being upset about it, then suddenly you become part of the problem and, in order to live in line with your stated beliefs that things need change, YOU have to get off your own butt and change them. Cynicism is a copout.

 

You would discover that 'idiotism' is a bad explanation for most things.

 

Nobody called him an idiot. However you seem to be calling me one - see your first line

 

Right now, he is not at the level he could be. And he will get there, but he needs time. He is only 16. You did not understand the world as well when you were 16, as you do know.

 

So let's alert him to the fact that right now his impressions of life may be a little skewed to the negative because he's missed out on infomation about the positive. All in all, a life of hope and optimism is much pleasanter a life to live because even when you realize there's awful stuff in the world, you don't give up on life because of it.

[HokeyReligions]

P&D are you wanting to change the world, or your outlook? There are ways to do both. If you want to change the world you'll have to be prepared to take on a lot of ridicule from small-minded people who are not able to see the big picture. To get to that point you will need to work on your own outlook so that you can focus on the positives and use their strength. You can do that withough losing sight of the negatives, because the negatives have strength too.

 

If your room has evern been a total mess and you want to clean it, you sometimes have to make what looks like a bigger mess before you can accomplish a clean room. It's the same way with world problems too, and with problems in your own backyard.

 

There will never be a utopia on earth because the whole world will not agree on what utopia should be. There are times when people may think that it would be better if the whole planet were destroyed; that life as we know it is so poor that it would be best for all to die than for any to suffer. Then there is the human spirit that carries a glimmer of hope within and a desire to not give up.

 

Don't feel bad about how you feel. Its normal.

[westernxer]

Plagued, are you saying you suffer from the pain of knowing you exist?

 

Take the blue pill and Morpheus will be on his way to rescue you.

[d'Arthez]

What is it with people reading different things in my messages, than I intend to convey? First WWIU, now you moimeme.

 

Let me try again. The 'cynicism' is referring to his current views, and not towards a supposedly correct appraisal of the world. You cannot simply ignore or forget about the things he is referring to. That is no solution. He would have to incorporate them in more and more correct appraisals. Yes, even the bad things have to be incorporated in his views of your world.

I did not claim, and it really surprised me that you read that in my remarks, that I am a cynicist. I am not. But I am not naively optimistic about the world we live in; that is as dangerous as being a pure cynicist. I have been there ... when I was 16 myself. I still do not claim to be enlightened.

[moimeme]

You cannot simply ignore or forget about the things he is referring to. That is no solution. He would have to incorporate them in more and more correct appraisals. Yes, even the bad things have to be incorporated in his views of your world.

 

D'Arthez, I don't know how it is that you are not understanding what I'm saying, which is exactly what you just said.

 

NOBODY SAID WE SHOULD IGNORE THE BAD, LEAST OF ALL ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[whichwayisup]

Originally posted by d'Arthez

What is it with people reading different things in my messages, than I intend to convey? First WWIU, now you moimeme.

 

D, you come off a certain way by how you use your words. Maybe you don't intend to, but there is a definate "high moral and looking down at others" that comes across at times. That is what I picked up on when I read your initial post. And it continues throughout this thread. Or maybe it's just me, I don't know!

 

There's absolutely NOTHING wrong with Mo's posts, nor mine! Geez, I gave suggestion after suggestion on HOW he can better himself - To actually GO and do something productive instead of sitting and getting upset by the evil ways of the world. I personally don't think there's anything wrong with that, I'm sure many agree with me as well.

[d'Arthez]

My point simply was that action cannot go without reflection.

 

I know I come across with a high moral attitude. But that is simply one aspect of my character. I know some people consider it a flaw, or somewhat annoying at times (this is not directed to either WWIU or moimeme). And of course that it leads to an occasional misunderstanding.

 

Strange as I barely ever had the problem that people read other things in my posts. I need to move to an English-speaking country!

[westernxer]

Originally posted by Plagued and Diseased

But theres nobody in this world that can say we changed the world for the better because that is a lie.

 

It's called perspective for a reason.

[moimeme]

He's just 16. It's common for people that age to start realizing that the world isn't a completely happy shiny place. Doesn't mean he'll continue on this path. It's all part of sorting oneself out that's necessary for growing up.

[Plagued and Diseased]

Take the blue pill and Morpheus will be on his way to rescue you.

 

O god your a comic...

[scarlyjones]

Lighten up dude..............

[westernxer]

Originally posted by Plagued and Diseased

O god your a comic...

 

 

You're, not your.

 

Signed,

16 going on 60

[suegail]

Well, it upsets me too. I really don't like to see hundreds of trees torn down, areas of natural wildlife destroyed all for the sake of having a new super shopping mall and mc donalds in its place. I know of people who've had to give up their farms because the state came through and said 'we're going to build a new highway.' Money in the pocket, yes, but all that natural landscape destroyed, ponds drained, trees down, everything covered in cement.

 

Do we accept violence in the world? I think in alot of ways we do. "Bad things happen because there are bad ugly people in the world. But let's not think about it too much. Let's think about all the good." I do believe that is the attitude of many in the world unfortunately. And it has been a misfortune for people in all parts of this world because unaffected people tend to turn their backs.

 

Are people concerned with things in life that just don't matter? You said it well and you know it's true. It's that little thing you mentioned called 'greed'

It'll eventually take you where you don't want to be, because you won't want to leave this world without it.

 

I think you're doing just fine. I think you're just highly aware of the world around you and I think you're not placated by the 'it's not me, it's them, it's someone else's problem,' line of thinking. I see that as a sign of strong character.

[Plagued and Diseased]

You're, not your.

 

Signed,

16 going on 60

 

Didnt know you were my english teacher, then again you do kind of look like her

[westernxer]

I think he's starting to crack...