[Eli]

Well most of modern American life and culture is vapid.

I think we are done, most of us and our children are lost in a psychotic haze of consumerism.

I will not be saddened to see this monster of a world die. I say come on Armageddon, lets get it on.

[I_Like_Plants]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('lateralus', 'E')vent X will no doubt be preceded by events A through W.

[Baldwin]

I suggest you all read Brave New World. This world is is governed by 4 things:

1)-A hyper-conditioned society that is bombarded by witticisms and "useful" phrases.
2)-Extremely liberated sexuality
3)-Consumerism gone wild
4)-availablity of "feel good" drugs

1) Don't you think that the sheeple are affected by constant messages in advertisements, news broadcasts, music, movies etc?

2) Think of how radically the sexual revolution of 45 years ago has panned out. Sex, which used to be absent or barely hinted at in adult movies, has now become flagrant in PG entertainment.

3) Wal-Mart. Shopping Malls. The notion that wealth, big cars, big houses, and having said house packed to the gunwales with cheap chinese crap are all measures of self-worth and happiness. It is is a cancer on society.

4) For all the cancaphony and clamoring about the "War on Drugs", how is it that you could probably find the 5 kids who deal drugs at any given high school within an hour?

In Brave New World, the World Controllers used the aforementioned quartet to keep the masses living in a mundane, boring, artificially happy world to keep them as good little sheeple. The only difference is that hitherto this poitn the government has not been so audacious as to use marijuana smoke to sedate protesters.

If you want to find some happiness, do something you always wanted to do but thought was outlandish. I did just that. I learned to play the bagpipes. I never had an iPod (or want one). Now I don't need one. I can just play my favorite song.

My second thing on the list is to buy a farm in Ireland, a few horses, and a pair of wolfhounds and live out my days there. I suppose a computer would be nice, but meaningful interaction with my far sundered kin would do just as fine.

[frankthetank]

I haven't cared about the crash for a good year or more. I just laugh a lot now. I see things everyday that make me sick, but i know the only thing that can change that is higher prices, less jobs and less energy (all being related). Someday not too far off i feel we'll see a more clear picture on where this road is leading us.

[perdition79]

I stopped caring how it all ends as soon as I figured out that the odds of survival greatly increase (for our ilk at least) in a fast crash.

Hopefully it's not a nucular scenario, but I've hedged my bets in case it is: I live and work near MacDill AFB in Tampa, so I can be vaporized.

[Newsseeker]

Don't give up guys, we have the complete collapse of world civilization to look forward to. Prior to this there will be a depression. This makes me enjoy everyday life even more.

[Ludi]

I have to say I don't understand why someone would think life sux, is boring, and there's nothing to do, hate this way of life, give up. Maybe it's a young person thing, young person without much imagination...

Why not try living a different way?


Here's a site you might enjoy visiting, hubert:

http://anthropik.com/

[threadbear]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('kochevnik', 'A')s Yoda would say :

Wisdom you have found.
Smart you now are.

You're asking the ultimate existential question, 'Is this all there is ?'

Do whatever, but whining - even existential whining is not useful. Change.
...

[hubbertspeak7777777]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('threadbear', '
')


I don't know, Kochevnik, I think whining actually helps. I'd prescribe a good whine over prozac or anti-depressents, anyday.

The hamster wheel lifestyle is just kind of funny. You just have to laugh. People seem to be at some kind of evolutionary nexus point that renders them half asleep and half awake--self aware social robots.

For all of those advising just dropping out of the system--It's not quite as easy as all that. If you don't pursue some kind of profession or career and wish to live a kind of austere lifestyle, you have to work at Starbucks, or some other crappy job. We can't all be successful artistes.

[Eli]

Well Ludi

when I talk about the world sucking, it is from my own assessment of what I see.

My personal life is very good. I am however looking forward to the crash. I realize that what we see in this current consumer driven society is an illusion. However many people near and dear to me do not yet see the reality.

Well things are about to get all too real for us all.

I hear ya Hubbert, college for the most part has little to do with getting a job. They don't care if you learn anything of value at all, how valuable will a history of art degree post peak?

At least by working at starbucks you can get a free cup of coffee.

[Aimrehtopyh]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Madpaddy', 'W')henever life gets you down, Mrs. Brown, and things seem hard
or tough.
and people are stupid, obnoxious or daft,
and you feel that you've had quite enouuuuuuuuugh...

Just
re-
member that your standing on a planet that's evolving,
and revolving at nine hundred miles an hour...
That's orbiting at ninety miles a second, so it's reckoned,
the sun that is the source of all our power.
The sun and you and me, and all the stars that we can see,
are moving at a million miles a day.
in an outer spiral-arm at forty thousand miles an hour
of the galaxy we call the Milky Way.

Our galaxy itself contains a hundred billion stars,
it's a hundred thousand lightyears side to side.
It bulges in the middle, sixteen thousand lightyears thick,
but out by us it's just three thousand lightyears wide.
We're thirty thousand lightyears from galactic central point,
we go 'round every two hundred million years.
And our galaxy is only one of millions of billions,
in this amazing and expanding universe.

The universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding,
in all of the directions it can whiz.
As fast as it can go, that's the speed of light you know;
twelve million miles a minute, that's the fastest speed there is.
So remember when your feeling very small and insecure,
how amazingly unlikely is your birth,
and pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space,
'cause there's bugger-all down here on earth!

[paimei01]

http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/zenindex.html
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he Zen master Hakuin was praised by his neighbours as one living a pure life.

A beautiful Japanese girl whose parents owned a food store lived near him. Suddenly, without any warning, her parents discovered she was with child.

This made her parents angry. She would not confess who the man was, but after much harassment at last named Hakuin.

In great anger the parent went to the master. "Is that so?" was all he would say.

After the child was born it was brought to Hakuin. By this time he had lost his reputation, which did not trouble him, but he took very good care of the child. He obtained milk from his neighbours and everything else he needed.

A year later the girl-mother could stand it no longer. She told her parents the truth - the real father of the child was a young man who worked in the fishmarket.

The mother and father of the girl at once went to Hakuin to ask forgiveness, to apologize at length, and to get the child back.

Hakuin was willing. In yielding the child, all he said was: "Is that so?"

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Eli', 'W')ell Ludi

when I talk about the world sucking, it is from my own assessment of what I see.

My personal life is very good. I am however looking forward to the crash. I realize that what we see in this current consumer driven society is an illusion. However many people near and dear to me do not yet see the reality.

[Ludi]

Sure it's hard not to despair, seeing how things are, but, despairing, or deciding not to care, doesn't help you, or anyone else.


I agree with pstarr.

[Ayame]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Eli', '
')I will not be saddened to see this monster of a world die. I say come on Armageddon, lets get it on.

[hubbertspeak7777777]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Eli', 'W')ell Ludi

when I talk about the world sucking, it is from my own assessment of what I see.

My personal life is very good. I am however looking forward to the crash. I realize that what we see in this current consumer driven society is an illusion. However many people near and dear to me do not yet see the reality.

Well things are about to get all too real for us all.

I hear ya Hubbert, college for the most part has little to do with getting a job. They don't care if you learn anything of value at all, how valuable will a history of art degree post peak?

At least by working at starbucks you can get a free cup of coffee.

[Ludi]

So, Hubbert, you're looking forward to collapse as revenge against those more successful than you?


Man, that is one of the most pathetic things I've read on this board.


Pathetic.

[eXpat]

Life is shit...and then you die! That is a fundamental truth of existence. Good thing is that when you realize that, you will choose your own path on life, which will suck as well but at least is yours.