Math Problem

[Kommander]

I'm 27 now... so now I'm in my late 20s and I haven't accomplished anything. I blame lack of support from the people around me. It's certainly not that procrastination thing I have a problem with. Well, I'm almost half way to a Bachelor's Degree, but it doesn't feel like I'm accomplishing anything...

I've heard the 30th birthday is the one that hits people the hardest. I'm not looking forward to it.

Also, no one wish me a happy birthday. I'm determined to be miserable about it, and so far I'm succeeding. Yet success makes me happy... dammit. Fucking paradoxes!

 

[rhubarbodendron]

I'm 2 decades older than you but in my experience no birthday is really hard. As you age you also get used to your age, simultaneousely. If you feel comfortable with yourself, you will have no problem with whatever age you have.

And don't worry about not having achieved something yet. First of all, there is still plenty of time (just think of how many scientists who got their Nobel price postum).
Secondly I noticed that Americans tend to use money as the sole measure for success. An attitude which you might possibly wish to reconsider at the current economical situation. Nowadays people aren't unemployed - and hence poor - because they are stupid or lazy. They are unemployed because there is not enough work or enough money to pay the workers. This has nothing to do with the personal value of someone and it can happen to really anyone.
In other countries other things count. For example, a friend of mine was left disabled after a car crash. His wife had just left him and he raised his baby son all by himself. Today, that baby is a handsome young man with exquisite manners, a charming and sparkling personality and absolutely fabulous marks at school. "Creating" such a person is in my opinion (and in that of my fellow Europeans) a much greater achievement than the development of a new car or the invention of postits.
To us the value of a person (and their social status as well) depends almost exclusively on their personality and the way they interact with society. Whether someone is rich or poor is nowadays more or less a question of good or bad luck.

So stop feeling miserable and start being you. The rest will come all by itself.

LOL, sorry for preaching such a long sermon, but that's what we old folkies are like.
And you practically asked for it

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ Europeans have some very odd ideas about Americans.

Also, no one wish me a happy birthday.

Happy Birthday.

Don't feel bad; I had to start my own birthday Thread. And 30 is no big deal-- when you're 50.

 

[Kommander]

And don't worry about not having achieved something yet. First of all, there is still plenty of time (just think of how many scientists who got their Nobel price postum).
Secondly I noticed that Americans tend to use money as the sole measure for success. An attitude which you might possibly wish to reconsider at the current economical situation. Nowadays people aren't unemployed - and hence poor - because they are stupid or lazy. They are unemployed because there is not enough work or enough money to pay the workers. This has nothing to do with the personal value of someone and it can happen to really anyone.
In other countries other things count. For example, a friend of mine was left disabled after a car crash. His wife had just left him and he raised his baby son all by himself. Today, that baby is a handsome young man with exquisite manners, a charming and sparkling personality and absolutely fabulous marks at school. "Creating" such a person is in my opinion (and in that of my fellow Europeans) a much greater achievement than the development of a new car or the invention of postits.

I definitely do not equate money with success or achievement. However, I do see money as a tool I can use to achieve success. Whereas lots of money is the goal of most people, I see it as one possible route to eventual achievement.

I define success in many ways; too many to get into here. While examining my life up to this point, I realize there are many paths I could have easily turned down that would leave me much worse off than I am, and I'm grateful I had the wisdom to avoid those paths. The thing is, I realize that there weren't many opportunities I passed up either. Those opportunities I did pass up, while they might have led me to a better place than I am now, I wouldn't be much better off. I grew up constantly hearing things like "full of potential" and "capable of much success." I kept telling myself "my time will come," but I'm beginning to realize that waiting around for success to come to me won't work; that I have to make it happen. I'm struggling to figure out how.

Well, this is getting way more existential than I meant for it to be, and yes, I do realize that these thoughts are fairly common. I'll figure something out, it's just going to take some time.

^^ Europeans have some very odd ideas about Americans.

Also, no one wish me a happy birthday.

Happy Birthday.

Dammit...

And 30 is no big deal-- when you're 50.

Yeah, I had gathered as much. I think this is how it works, pretty much:

10: Yay! I'm going to have an awesome birthday party, and my bed time is 9:00 now!

20: I'm not a teenager anymore! I'm an adult! I know everything and I'm fully prepared to enter the real world!

25: My 20-year-old self was an idiot! I do not know everything and I'm still not prepared for the real world.

30: Holy shit I'm 30! I'm old!

33: Hmm, being in my 30s isn't so bad.

39: Holy shit I'm almost 40!

40: So I'm 40. Hmm, I don't feel old...

50: Still don't feel old. However, kids these days! Things were better back in my day. (PROTIP: No, no they weren't.)

60: Maybe I'm getting old. Just a little though.

70: No, now I'm getting old. Still just a little. Also, I hate doctors.

80: Still hate doctors. Nurses, however...

90: ... the thieves! I better start counting the pennies in my change dish.

100: I hope my grand-kids don't figure out that I'm still capable of going to the toilet and I constantly shit in my pants just to antagonize them.

110: Dammit, my great-great granddaughter just caught me using the toilet. Maybe I can buy her silence by giving her candy.

120: God damn I'm old.

150: Thanks to advances in medical technology, its like I'm 20 again, but with 150 years of life experiences. I can start my life over, but this time, I actually do know everything!

160: My 150-year-old self was an idiot...

 

[RJDiogenes]

All very accurate. Except things were really better in my day. I'm optimistic that they'll be better again, though, as soon as the long-delayed next rebellious generation comes along.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

The rebellious generation will propably be the one after the next one. The current one is the elbow and wallet generation (out of the way! Here come me and my big ego! // Mr banker, I want these bass speakers in my car. Give me a loan. And a second one for a new TV and a third for my fastfood bill). The next one will be the I-must-pay-off-my-parents'-debts generation. And then I think we'll get a rebellious one who'll protest against their parents being such misers and such phonies.


Kommander, I owe you an appology. I totally underrated you. That age analysis is simply marvellous. A pity it's too long for a signature.

Oh, and Happy Birthday!

 

[RJDiogenes]

Maybe so. Something has thrown off the cycle, probably the 2001 terrorist attacks (at least I hope so; I'd hate to think it's the Internet). But the 40-year cycle should have given us another little renaissance this past decade, so we're about ten years late at this point.

 

[Kommander]

Except things were really better in my day.

No they weren't.

Kommander, I owe you an appology. I totally underrated you.

Don't worry about it. I get that a lot.

Maybe so. Something has thrown off the cycle, probably the 2001 terrorist attacks (at least I hope so; I'd hate to think it's the Internet). But the 40-year cycle should have given us another little renaissance this past decade, so we're about ten years late at this point.

By my dad's estimation, my generation is the rebellious one because I listen to different music and have different opinions on things. They're so cute at that age!

And, he's a Baby Boomer... the closest thing my generation has to Abbie Hoffman is the Beastie Boys... and they're not even the same generation as I am, technically speaking.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

I'm a baby boomer, too. Which means that I'm old but cute, heehee.
Yes, we are a bit rebellious but we are also rather relaxed, usually.

RJD, at the risk of disappointing you, I think the 9/11 effect is only a local one, restricted to the US. Without meaning disrespect to the American people, most other peoples would not have allowed themselves to be traumatized so much. Whenever some self-appointed terrorist only sneezes, the whole country jumps. You feed the trolls, to use an internet term. In my country after such an event we simply tidy up, rebuild what broke, insert a small-sized metal badge into the pavement in front of the new building as a memory and then we continue business as usual.
Therefore, at least over here, it must be an internet-related problem.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ The 2001 terrorist attacks in the US were the most dramatic and visible events in a global wave of terrorism, so even if the effects were strictly local-- and I disagree-- the global war still exists. And if it's the Internet, then we're really in trouble; it's not going away, so how would we get back that spark of life?

Except things were really better in my day.

No they weren't.

I disagree. There was much more liveliness and color and creativity and diversity when I was young. Society is governed by cycles and for some reason we've never broken out of the last one; there's been no renewal.

By my dad's estimation, my generation is the rebellious one because I listen to different music and have different opinions on things. They're so cute at that age!

And, he's a Baby Boomer... the closest thing my generation has to Abbie Hoffman is the Beastie Boys... and they're not even the same generation as I am, technically speaking.

That's odd that he feels that way. I'm a Baby Boomer and I don't see much rebellion in a generation that thinks the color gray is cinematic, confuses cynicism with maturity and uses their friend count on Facebook as a status symbol. The world has grown dull and conformist; we need a new generation with a spark of life to break us out of the rut.

 

[Mutai Sho-Rin]

My calculator seems to be malfunctioning. Maybe somebody can help me with a calculation. Does 2,011 minus 1,961 really equal 50?

LOL - really! I just read this in the United Red Carpet club in Denver and laughed out loud quite robustly. People are looking at me funny - piss on 'em! FIFTY is the new FIFTEEN. Grab it by the balls and run with it as fast as you can. Pray for another 50.

 

[Kommander]

I disagree. There was much more liveliness and color and creativity and diversity when I was young. Society is governed by cycles and for some reason we've never broken out of the last one; there's been no renewal.

I guess it depends on how one defines "better." Although, when people usually talk about how things were "better back in the day," it seems like they mean "things were different back in the day." It really comes down to one's values.

That's odd that he feels that way. I'm a Baby Boomer and I don't see much rebellion in a generation that thinks the color gray is cinematic, confuses cynicism with maturity and uses their friend count on Facebook as a status symbol. The world has grown dull and conformist; we need a new generation with a spark of life to break us out of the rut.

It's more of a father and son not seeing eye-to-eye thing than a generation gap thing, although it does play a part. Mostly, he seems to think he's the only father who has a son that didn't turn out the way he wanted. Rather than realize that I am, in fact, a different person with different life experiences, and therefore will come to different conclusions, he assumes I do it just to piss him off. Like I said, they're cute at that age.

Although, he has admitted at various points that I seem to have things figured better than he did when he was that age, and avoided doing stupid things that he didn't. So that's something, I guess.

 

[RJDiogenes]

My calculator seems to be malfunctioning. Maybe somebody can help me with a calculation. Does 2,011 minus 1,961 really equal 50?

LOL - really! I just read this in the United Red Carpet club in Denver and laughed out loud quite robustly. People are looking at me funny - piss on 'em! FIFTY is the new FIFTEEN. Grab it by the balls and run with it as fast as you can. Pray for another 50.

Heh. You better believe it. I'm hoping for at least 115-- I want to see the Tricentennial.

I disagree. There was much more liveliness and color and creativity and diversity when I was young. Society is governed by cycles and for some reason we've never broken out of the last one; there's been no renewal.

I guess it depends on how one defines "better." Although, when people usually talk about how things were "better back in the day," it seems like they mean "things were different back in the day." It really comes down to one's values.

In a sense and to a degree; but I think my values are a good measure of the health of society-- creativity, diversity, open-mindedness, critical thinking, literacy and so on and so forth. I'm certainly nostalgic for things that only have personal meaning for me and don't mean a great deal in the big picture, but there are also standards that the current state of society fails to meet; one hopes that things get better as time passes, not worse.

That's odd that he feels that way. I'm a Baby Boomer and I don't see much rebellion in a generation that thinks the color gray is cinematic, confuses cynicism with maturity and uses their friend count on Facebook as a status symbol. The world has grown dull and conformist; we need a new generation with a spark of life to break us out of the rut.

It's more of a father and son not seeing eye-to-eye thing than a generation gap thing, although it does play a part. Mostly, he seems to think he's the only father who has a son that didn't turn out the way he wanted. Rather than realize that I am, in fact, a different person with different life experiences, and therefore will come to different conclusions, he assumes I do it just to piss him off. Like I said, they're cute at that age.

Although, he has admitted at various points that I seem to have things figured better than he did when he was that age, and avoided doing stupid things that he didn't. So that's something, I guess.

Well, that's pretty close to universal. You shouldn't worry too much about it. In the words of Ricky Nelson, "You can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself."

 

[Mutai Sho-Rin]

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
"Garden Party"! Haven't heard that in a l o n g time.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Come to think of it, neither have I. I guess it's a "Lost 45" nowadays.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

I may be mistaken but I believe HM the Queen has a garden party every year. So it's propably just a question of living on the right continent ( = Europe)

 

[RJDiogenes]

But do they play Ricky Nelson?

Welcome back.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

Thanks Sorry about the late reply - first week back at work is always very busy and in the evenings I was just too tired to go online.

The Queen is known to have a rather unbiased taste in music. I wouldn't be surprised at all if she owned a few Ricky Nelson recordings.
Maybe it's because of her job that she is quite openminded for someone that old. She's certainly more tolerant and flexible than my mom who's a good 20 years younger than her.
(and since this was originally a b-day thread: Happy 90est to Prince Phillip )

 

[RJDiogenes]

Way to go, Prince Philip. Hang in there.