The "Good" Life

[Lewi T]

I think it all depends on each individual person. If someone has great aspirations and wants to get a well-paid job, and they work hard in school, college, university, then they get a job and work their way up to the top, then they can look back and think 'I've earned this', then they can and should be happy. (This could also be for other things such as professional sportsmen, who have trained hard all their life etc.) But if someone isn't really bothered about doing all that, and just gets a 'dead end job', but doesn't mind and knows that that's what they've aimed for, and they're happy with that, then fair enough. But it's when people don't try and do anything, they don't work hard, but then complain about not getting anywhere in life, and think they deserve something when they don't, then they are 'wasters'.

I think that the standard of living that LevesqueIsKing mentioned is largely due to parents and teachers, as they want the best for their children, so they try and set them out to go through all levels of education and to get a job with the qualifications.

Fair enough I suppose if people have that 'good life' that Sovieto was talking about, but if smoking weed then leads on to other harder drugs, then problems begin.

 

[LevesqueIsKing]

of course. because the man is a total square and he dosent want us living that life so he made weed illegal, which is why it leads into trouble now..

Preach it.

 

[blueovalboy7]

Live in amsterdamn.

 

[surfinrach90]

This is quite an interesting thread ya got here =]

I think about this quite a lot because of what I want in the future. Yes I'm doing the whole 'go to college, pass, go to uni, pass to get a good job, but only, only because I'll need the qualifications to be a photographer, yes you don't REALLY need them but people with qualifications in photography usually get a lot further than the people who don't, that's the only reason why I'm doing it.

I don't want a boring day to day 9-5 job. I'd die of the boredom. I think it runs in the family, my father loves to work away, he's in China right now and he LOVES it there, he goes somewhere like every year for about half the year and he loves it, and hates it when he's got to go back to the day to day jobs the other half of the year.

But we sorta go buy the moto 'work hard, play hard'. Yes I don't see my father for half of the year hardly and he does go away to really far places but we've got two houses, about 5 cars, god knows how many motor bikes and a speed boat.

Also, when I tell people about my sister they usually think stuff like 'gosh how terrible' but it's not that bad really.

She got pregnant when she was 16, dropped out of school to have the baby, and she now works in a fish and chip show every day.

Sounds bad doesn't it, but the reality is she's got her own house which is REALLY nice, she's spent lots of time and money on it and she's around doubled the price on it thanks to what she's done with it.

She's taken courses in Spannish and Bookeeping while my nephews in school or in the nights and plans to run a hotel/bar/restraunt in Spain in a few years.

So she might not have gone to uni and gotten qualifications then gotten a big house, gotten married then have kids, but she's happy. She loves her life the way it was. She once had a conversation with this man from Tunisia when we were on holidays and he couldn't understand why she liked her life the way it was but she's got everything she wants, a partner, a house, a job, a kid etc.. =]

Woah I've typed lots..

 

[LevesqueIsKing]

^Interesting family.

I too dont like school, mainly because I think it is a waste of time. I honestly think that we could get a highschool education (K-12) in 6 years IF all schools went year round, and really got down to business rather then the crap they're doing now. Rather then having a summer where we forget everything (and then waste half (or more) of the next year "reviewing") we could have about a week off every month or so.
Sure, I'll be graduating highschool and sure, I'll be graduating college, but thats simply because in this day and age you just about have to. I dont know how your sister pulled it off, and I dont really want to find out either, which is why I'm going to college.

On a side-note: I dont believe in grades, either. Its not like I'm using it as an excuse because I get all A's, I just think that it is a terrible system.

 

[Sovieto]

^Interesting family.

I too dont like school, mainly because I think it is a waste of time. I honestly think that we could get a highschool education (K-12) in 6 years IF all schools went year round, and really got down to business rather then the crap they're doing now. Rather then having a summer where we forget everything (and then waste half (or more) of the next year "reviewing") we could have about a week off every month or so.
Sure, I'll be graduating highschool and sure, I'll be graduating college, but thats simply because in this day and age you just about have to. I dont know how your sister pulled it off, and I dont really want to find out either, which is why I'm going to college.

On a side-note: I dont believe in grades, either. Its not like I'm using it as an excuse because I get all A's, I just think that it is a terrible system.

yah..grades dont show how smart you are...they show...i cant think of a good word for it, something along the line with endurance and working hard...

 

[LevesqueIsKing]

^Agreed. It is so easy to ace homework without knowing anything about it. I have no idea how many times I've just beat around the bush on "extended response" questions (and never really answered the question) and I get full points. Its just a waste of time.

 

[Bliss]

You essentially work your whole life to finance things you want/need and in the end what do you have to show for it? I think you should make money work for you versus working for money if that makes sense to any of you.

You got that right..invest early and let the money work for you. Let it grow so by the time u retire, u dont have to depend on ur retirement fund.

 

[Lewi T]

^Agreed. It is so easy to ace homework without knowing anything about it. I have no idea how many times I've just beat around the bush on "extended response" questions (and never really answered the question) and I get full points. Its just a waste of time.

You got that right, the amount of times I've answered questions like that is stupid, I just chat sh*t for half a page to make it look like I've wrote something, and you get the marks for it.
I think exams are a waste of time, obviously there's some element of knowledge, but all exams really show is how well one can remember a particular subject. Someone could have absolutely no idea whatsoever and never have taken a particular class, but they might be able to read through a text book and remember lots of it and ace the exam.

 

[LevesqueIsKing]

^I honestly think that school is less about actually learning and more about having good test-taking skills. The system is an absolute joke.

I am a professional "Study 5 minutes before class starts, because you didn't pay attention in class, and still ace the test-er"

Yes, it is a profession.

 

[Brawny]

Sorry, didn't read the second half of the thread.

I want to get an education because I like learning, and the careers I would enjoy, require a lot of education.

 

[Pikachu256]

^ Same Here Looking Towards PC Tech, PC builder, or Working with Intel for me =]

but yeah I really enjoy High School right now, Don't know why but Jr High was boring but High School is really fun lol (makes me want to go to school everyday but I have to go to school at 6:50AM)

 

[RPGMasterTurk91]

I love money, and nothing else! I agree with it all, nearly, except, I still want to be a millionaire. I've always dreamt of having a massive house, with a huge home theater, massive swimming pool, huge TV's all over, and a room made just for video games! And, of course, have a 10Gb/s internet connection. Plus the perfect computer... And a jacuzzi, and...

Yea, I think money brings happiness.

Hmm...what an interesting stance.

What happens when you die? Do you take ANY of that money back with you? Many people who live to an old age (80 and up) realize at around this time that they are not immortal--that death is inevitable and will come without a doubt sooner or later. Many people believe that satisfying your every desire--in which every fulfillment is only temporary and will demand satisfaction until the day you die--is what their lives are about, religious or non. Living for this world (and not the next for believers) alone is the priority of life for these people.

My dad grew up in a small village in Turkey in the 1960s-70s. People there weren't necessarily poor, but not a single one was considered "rich" either; some people had more privileges than others, of course, but the general aura was not an unhappy one. Here in America (or any other "developed" country for that matter, including Turkey today) in 2009, I am being told by my father that we have everything here compared to then, but happiness is lacking. Over there, you had little, and you coped with little, and you didn't have to worry or want certain things. Over there, compared to here and now, you had nothing. Here, you have everything, but the formula for happiness (which is different for all, but a general "formula" guideline needs to be met, if you will) is not present. Yes, money has directly brought people happiness--in most cases, completely temporary. In our society, buying everything we want with our money is "the way to be happy". Buy your way to happiness, the more you have, the better of you are. This, however, is not always the case, and like I said, does not follow the general guidelines to "happiness". It may work for some, but those people for example in my father's village had a certain happiness that would never be seen again here in America. It was a different type of joy, one that was more sincere and permanent.

 

[Happy]

I think I'm expected to follow through with my education onto uni as my two older sisters have done so. I don't really mind doing so as it will be always be there as a safety mat in life if I don't succeed in what I want to do.

If I'm honest, I'm a lazy person, I like to do things my own way and do the minimum. I'd like to do something I enjoy and also make enough to live and with some luxuries. I know I will probably end up with some crappy office job for the rest of my life but I haven't given up all hope yet...I'm still thinking of ideas which a lazy person like me could live off.

 

[Brawny]

Wait, how did this thread get bumped a year and a half later? D: