I was perusing the internet over this fine weekend and I came across a blog I used to follow quite regularly. It says things like "practical tips for productive living." And then it goes on to list things that would be good to think about during the daily grind. It's written by an annoyingly cute couple who obviously sit around thinking philosophically on the regular. I must say, I'm a tad jealous because, frankly, I don't have the energy.
Anyway, if you're interested in the site itself, I will give you the link or post it here--it's worth a read.
Soo, as I was browsing around the archives, I found some cool, thought-provoking questions that left me lost inside my own head for a good 2 hours or so. There were 50 of them and I am not going to list them all here, but I am going to post some of the more provocative ones. Obviously, you don't need to write volumes on each question--but expound on the ones that really resonate with you and allow your mind to roam at will. Take your time and have some fun on the mental playground that these questions construct sort of naturally.
I did--and I will answer them for you too because that is something, after much speculation, I realized that I don't do nearly enough.
1.How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? (I love this one!)
2.Which is worse, failing or never trying?
3.If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
5.What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
6.If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
8.If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
9.To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
10.Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
12.If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
13.Would you break the law to save a loved one?
17.What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
18.Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
23.Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
26.Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
34.Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
36.Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
41.If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
46.What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
1.How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? (I love this one!)
ReplyDeleteI don’t really understand this question…However I think it might be asking how old am I really at heart despite the number of birthdays that have gone by? If that’s the right interpretation, then I’d say I’m fifteen and twenty-five at the same time. I’m still young and I don’t plan on letting the things go that I love, but I can be pretty high strung sometimes.
2.Which is worse, failing or never trying?
Without a doubt, never trying is worse. I always believe in trying no matter if you fail or pass. If you don’t try you’ll never know. If you don’t try you have regrets. I don’t like regrets. This is sort of what my This I Believe was about. I just do it. Just go headfirst into things without worrying about failing. I learn lessons that way.
3.If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
I honestly wish I had the answer for this. I feel like this is my life every single day. I’m not doing what I love at school. I have dreams and I feel like none of them are getting accomplished where I am. Here’s an example small in scale to what I’m talking about, but still relevant in my life. I do track. I go every single day to practice. I go to every meet. I’ve been doing this for years. I don’t like track. I dread going to practice sometimes. There are some days where it makes me sick just thinking about it. But I’m told I should do it, and I feel an obligation to do it. Then I sit back, and wonder why the hell am I spending hours every single day practicing some I don’t like? I used to enjoy doing it (years and years ago) but I’m not a fan these days. However, here I sit, in my Oakcrest Track shirt as I write this blog.
5.What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
I would love to take away prejudice. That’s an easy one. Anyone who really understands me knows it’s something I don’t tolerate. We might someday find peace if this could happen.
6.If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
ReplyDeleteThis might take some people by surprise, but I would probably sing or dance. Okay. I love singing. I sing all the time, usually at home, or sometimes down the halls at Oakcrest. However, I am TERRIBLE at singing. I can acknowledge that fact. I sound like a dying cow when I sing. I don’t really care though. I love it. I love music and how universal it is. I love how it unites people from all countries around the world. I literally cannot go a day without listening to music. Okay dancing. I used to dance four to five hours a night until my sophomore year. I did pointe, tap, jazz, etc. etc. I taught it for a summer. Then I taught it for a whole regular dance year (which is September to June like school). I got to perform in fancy parades and competitions and in Philly and I got to go to these cool places for it. I got good at it. Through middle school the only place I felt okay and happy was in dance class. Then reality struck and I no longer had time for it. So I haven’t taken an actual dance class for almost two years now. I miss it once in awhile. Sometimes I pull out my old dance tights and shoes and remember all the memories and how happy it made me.
8.If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
I’m not exactly sure. I guess everything would be accelerated. For example, I wouldn’t be so obsessed about little things that don’t mean much in the grand scheme of life, like grades or if I’m having a bad hair day. I try not to worry about that stuff now, but it gets hard sometimes. I think I’d also be paranoid about not having a fiancée right now either.
9.To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
This is kind of difficult. I guess 50%. I control the fact that I do my homework and I try my hardest to excel in difficult classes. I’m heavily involved in helping my class, Student Council, Social Studies club, and three or four other clubs. I choose to go to practice against my heart’s desire every day. I choose the clothes I wear. I choose to say some things and hold my tongue at other times. However, the course my life has taken depends a lot on my family, more specifically my parents. They brought me up in a good environment. They helped me through school. They read to me when I was little to make sure I had an interest in education. I have gotten an education because of them. So right now in my life it’s split pretty evenly.
10.Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
I’m more worried about doing the right things. I always try to do the right thing. I’m a rule follower. I don’t like breaking them or I feel like I’m going to be sent to the principal’s office of life, better known as jail. It can be something small. I still feel like I will immediately be sent to jail. I’ve mellowed a lot over the years. I used to obsess to an unhealthy extent about homework and making sure I put it in my bookbag. This was in elementary school, and has faded over the years. I would put my homework in my bag the night before, check it four or five times to make sure it was still there and hadn’t fallen out. Then I would check it again in the morning before I left. I would check it when I got in my mom’s car in the morning when she dropped me off. Then I’d check again when I was about to get out of the car. Then I’d check when I walked into school. It was like this with a lot of things. I had a worry doll that I was forced to carry around with me. It was really just a clothespin with thread and a little head drawn on. I was supposed to hold it when I got worried. I was really lame, okay? I’ve relaxed a lot since then, but those moments of worrying still come out once in awhile.
12.If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
ReplyDeleteI would have to give two. One would be to “never grow up.” The next would be “be yourself.” I think they are some of the most valuable things I have learned over the years and I want to pass those lessons off to a baby so they can have them for life, and not have to learn them the hard way.
13.Would you break the law to save a loved one?
Shoot. Here is my worrying-must-follow-rules-personality. Usually the size of the law being broken would matter, but I guess in this case I would break it for a loved one. Love conquers all. That includes my worrying.
17.What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
I haven’t yet accomplished my dreams. Time, school, and other obligations are holding me back. Plain and simple. I just have so much to do with so little time. Hopefully I can get started on them after this hectic, crucial, junior year is over. This makes me want to cry thinking about it. I have to move onto the next question because I feel so stuck lately. I just want to move on. Meet new people and do new things. I want to do things I actually care about.
18.Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
Oh yeah. I’m one that holds on to the past. It usually bites me in the butt in the end. I need to let go of a few people in my life, specifically. They’re not who I thought they were, and it’s hard for me to accept that. I made them out to be so much better than they are, and it’s something they don’t deserve. I have trouble letting go, it’s not in my nature. Well, I can let go of anger, and I’m not very good at holding grudges, but I’m sucky at letting go of people that need to be let go of. In my heart I want to hold on, but I know that the smart idea is to let go.I have this faith that they will wake up one day and come and apologize and everything will be perfect again. But in reality, they’re never coming back. They’re never going to be the people I thought they were. I need to learn to accept that some people are just not good people.
23.Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
Heck yes! I might not be good at a ton of things, but I’ve always thought I was a good friend. I wish I had another person in my life that cared so much about other people and could show it. I don’t mean to sound snobby and bratty about this, but I like my friendship qualities. I’m very loyal, thoughtful, caring, and trustworthy. I even give second, third, and fourth chances to people who shouldn’t get them. I wish I had some more people in my life that had any of those qualities.
26.Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
ReplyDeleteThis is kind of hard for me, but I would rather lose all my old memories. I love my old memories, but if I NEED something to look forward to in the future. I like to think my best years are still ahead of me. I want to remember them.
34.Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
I can’t think of a specific instance that this has happened off the top of my head, but I’m sure it’s happened. It’s probably happened while holding hands with someone or giving someone a hug. You can say so many words with just a simple action. It’s very sweet to think about.
36.Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
Wow. This is hard. I think in some instances it’s possible to know what is good and what is evil. In other situations, there is a very fine line one must walk. So this is a fence sitter question for me. Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. Good and evil is all in perspective after all.
41.If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
Every single person on my dad’s side of my family. And then my mother. And I would visit like 5 people that are not linked to me by blood. Wow. That’s so scary to think about. I don’t like thinking about this.
46.What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
Honestly, not much. I sort of do my own thing now, and not worry about what people think. I say the things I do because I want to, not because I want people to view me a certain way. I wear the clothes I do because I like them, not because I’m trying to blend in or stand out. I don’t say every little last thing on my mind, because some of those thoughts are mean. I hold back because I’m a nice person, not because I’m worried about what people will think if I say that mean thought. I like to stay true to myself and make sure everyone knows who I am. Then I don’t have to pretend or hide as much. I get a lot of judgments now, but I don’t really change a lot of my actions because of other people.
This is only the first half, but more is coming... later.
ReplyDeleteI have not read any of these questions ahead of time, so I’m just winging it, and I apologize if I come off as repetitive.
1. Age is but a number, as they say, and this number doesn’t affect a person as much as one may think. If I were to magically forget my age, nothing would be radically different. I often forget my age anyway. I always think of myself as a twelve-year-old, subconsciously, except with more experiences, and my parents, actually being 45 and 52, are stuck at 35 and 42, like I’m stuck in time. So I guess I would assume I was 12 if I didn’t consciously acknowledge my true age. Pretty weird though.
2. Failure isn’t what I’m afraid of when I get older—all of the “what if-s” and “I wish I could’ve-s” that come with recollection of old memories scare me—because failure hurts for a little while, but missed opportunities last forever. Trying everything and taking advantage of every opportunity is what would make that fear go away. Thinking about all of the things that slipped through my hands would be heartbreaking, disparaging. That is why I joined tennis freshman year—to try my hand at something I’ve never done before. That is why I joined drama this year—to try to broaden my horizons and see what I can do. That is why I took this class—to try to prove that I have capabilities beyond computing and spitting back information. I like challenges, and even if they are a pain in the neck, I can say to myself in sixty years when I’m collecting my social security check (because I didn’t die when I was supposed to), “I did everything I could and never let an opportunity skid by me, and I became a better person because of it.” Failure isn’t as bad as people make it out to be.
3. For me, the latter applies to me more often. I do my best to avoid unpleasant situations and awkward interactions, but usually the future is at stake when I am doing something I don’t want to do, so I force myself to do it anyway. As for not doing things I like to do, there are a couple of reasons. The first, which is pretty important I guess, is I have limited time and energy to do them. If I could perfectly plan my day, I would wake up at 3 to watch the sun rise after I drive somewhere the sun throws itself onto a body of water. After that, I would go about the rest of my day and then go to sleep at seven to compensate for my early awakening. Of course, I have homework, extra-curricular activities, school, etc. to tend to, so my schedule is completely screwed up. The second two, which are of less importance, are a lack of money and close ties to society. Since I’m sort of writing a lot for only a couple questions, I won’t embellish on those two.
5. Greed is one of the things that I can’t stand about humanity. Everything “belongs” to someone. Whether it’s a dollar or an ugly pair of plaid slippers, everything has its owner; everything is off-limits to everyone else. When these barriers of what-belongs-to-whom begin to collide with other people, problems arise, and I can’t stand this conflict. Arrogance and selfishness are derivatives of greed; the first is the attempt to collect everyone’s focus, the second is the pushing away of others due to fear of losing what is yours. Two things that can’t stand, summed up by a single word, a word that I’d destroy off this world if I could.
6. For me, helping people out makes me happy. Whether it is homework or just being there to listen, helping others gives me much joy. Anything that would make other people’s lives better would make me happy, and therefore rich.
ReplyDelete8. Assuming that my parents have also died at around 40, I would be an orphan by now for a few years. Independence would have become second-nature at this point. However, going through school and getting as much knowledge as possible would still be my main goal in my life. Getting a good education would help me get a job that would help save people, care for my next of kin, and live happily. In other words, I would hardly change at all.
9. I’m still not sure what I’m doing with my life. However, I have prepared myself for any path that I decide to take by challenging myself to become better at being academic while still maintaining my personality. I have to say that I have taken some control of my life by preparing for my future rather than wasting 100% of my time goofing off with people.
10. Sure, doing things correctly is all well and fine, but when it comes down to it, I prefer to do the right things rather than the wrong things. Immorality is one of those things that cannot be eliminated, but can be severely reduced, and I try my best (I seem to always try my best apparently) to damper the amount of immorality that plagues the world.
12. If I could instill one piece of advice to a brand-new baby, I would tell him to be kind to others to the extent that others are willing to accept his kindness. This way, if someone wants to be friends with him, he can be the greatest friend a person can ask for. If someone wants to be acquaintances, then he will smile at them in the hallway. If someone wants nothing to do with him, he will respect their wishes and leave them alone. This is something that I wish I learned earlier.
1.I don’t really understand this one, but I’m guessing I’d e around 18 (if I’m understanding the question the right way)
ReplyDelete2.Failing is much, much worse than never even trying. I commend anyone who goes for it.
3.I’m sorta stumped on this one. I guess it’s because there are limits. I’d love to be on the beach everyday surfing, but eventually I’ll run out of money. I’d love to stay home from school some days, but if I did, I wouldn’t graduate. Societal punishments restrict us from doing what we want, and forcing us to do what we don’t want.
5.I wish the people in the world were more connected. If we communicated more with people around the world, I think hate and other negative aspects of people would disappear.
6.Lifeguarding would make me rich. I love my job, I just wish it was more than a seasonal part-time job.
8.If I were to only live to 40, I wouldn’t become a doctor. By the time I started to enjoy my life and work, my time would almost be over. I’d take up something adventurous, like maybe become a tour guide.
9.Very little! My life has been entirely planned up to the present. When graduation comes, I’m hoping much more of my life will be under my own control.
10.Doing things right. There’s too much pressure and risk in life to not do things right.
12.I’d tell the baby to explore. When people explore they grow, learn, and prosper. I would tell the child to go out and experience things.
13.Yes. Laws are a hindrance in life, and I take them very lightly. I would definitely break some to help some people out.
17.I want to roam. Not like hitchhike (That’s really sketchy), but just traveling wherever I can go. If I actually did that, I’d miss a lot of homework and my grades would go down. I’d get too many absences in school, and would have to serve detentions. My parents would call the police and have me arrested, and I’d never be allowed out again. I think that’s enough justification to refrain from doing something I really want to do.
18.No
23.I think so. I’d want an intelligent friend, who’d know how to be both serious and determined, but also spontaneous and free. Actually, I wish I had me as a friend.
26.Lose all of my old memories. One, because I really don’t have many good memories in the first place. Two, because life is about discovery and “newness”. I can’t imagine given up the possibility of the future.
34.No; if that ever happened to me it would be an awful conversation.
36.No; and the sooner everyone can except that morality is a grey area, the sooner we can settle out differences.
41.First, I would visit my parents for obvious reasons. Then I would start visiting close friends, just so I could experience their presence one more time.
46. I’d be one outgoing son-of-a-bitch!
Failing has always been worse than never trying. I agree. In the book I'm reading now, future Odysseus says something along the lines of "Failure tastes of vomit and dog shit, and any man should be ashamed for becoming accustomed to it." Probably the best quote so far, but I feel as if becoming accustomed to failure (don't get me wrong, no one should come to automatically expect failure or go into a situation knowing they'll fail) helps with taking hold of certain opportunities, and makes it easier.
Delete"Societal punishments restrict us from doing what we want, and forcing us to do what we don’t want." first of all, I loved this. LOVED THIS. Secondly, I was a little disappointed with your answers until the last one George. I mean, your answers were valid, and your explanations were done well, but I expected different I guess. Oh well, still liked your ideas.
Delete1. How old would you are if you didn’t know how old you are? (I love this one!)
ReplyDeleteIf I didn’t know how old I was, I would probably guess 62. Apart from the fact that I don’t look 62 years old, I’ve always felt like I’m an old soul. Add to the fact that I love to knit and crotchet (which is becoming a lost art) and enjoy watching the Golden Girls, and it’s certain that I can come off as a little grandmaish.
2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?
Never trying is definitely worse. I don’t kick myself for failing, but I often regret not doing anything, or letting an opportunity pass me by. Failing is just one of those things that is bound to happen in someone’s life, however if you never try anything you’ll never know what would have happened.
3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
Society. That’s basically the issue with pretty much everything. We stop ourselves from doing what we don’t like to do base off of what other people expect us to do, and even what is socially acceptable. We do things to please others, often shoving away what we really love. I’m guilty of doing this, and I’m sure many other are as well. We probably like so many things we don’t do because, it’s out of reach. It’s kind of like rules. When they’re put in place some people have an itch to break those rules. But once taken away, the rules and the act aren’t that important. Liking things we don’t do is like lusting over the forbidden fruit, but never actually going after it.
Okau, so when I first read this I thought, "62? Nyamekye, that's so sad! All of the life has been sucked out of you!" But then I kept thinking, and I think it's actually beautiful. I find the youngest and oldest we are the more carefree. And I absolutely adore and value that trait the most of any other. It's the in-between that makes us completely suck.
DeleteI thought that the fact that you said 62 was not only really funny but kind of true. I feel like you take alot of precautions that are not always necessary, in my opinion. But when i first read it i was like aww
Delete5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
ReplyDeleteThis is by far a rant question. It was established in lunch today. As much as I’d like to take away hatred, prejudice, war, and all those nasty things, if I took them away, what would the world be? Rachel Filippone (don’t know why I used her full name?) made a point today, “if you take away anger, you can’t find love.” Same thing with sadness and happiness. Taking away something could completely alter the world. Changing one aspect of the world we live in could have dire consequences. No one is aware of how the world would function without hatred or war. As much as people would like to think it’d be a happy-go-lucky yay everybody kinda life, something else would emerge, that would probably keep our world in the same judgmental state of mind. So, in short: I wouldn’t change anything about the world. It’s not perfect, and it has a lot of issues, but without those issues, it wouldn’t be the same.
6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
At first I took this as, if happiness would be money, I’d end up homeless and broke, because my happy-o-meter is always hovering around 0. Sometimes -1.2. But, now that I reread it, I understand where you’re going with this. Writing and travelling would definitely make me rich. I always talk about travelling the world and meeting new people and such, but then I’m faced with the harsh reality: where am I going to get all the money to travel? However, I’m pretty sure if I ever got a chance to visit half the places I want to I’d be the happiest person on Earth. Freshman year, in Mrs. Rock’s class, she asked if you could follow your bliss, what career path would you choose, and I talked about being a writer. Though I’m not the best writer in the world, I love to do it. I’ve written 100+ paged short stories (I don’t really know if they can be considered short), and have entered poetry and essay contests. It’s just something I like to do. I can write down all my feelings and have the satisfaction of knowing that I was able to release those feelings (without anyone knowing yay!)
8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
I don’t think I’d live my life any differently. It’s not like I’m off right now having a great time. But if I died at 40, I’d probably force myself to settle down and get married sans children. I also probably wouldn’t have enough time to travel everywhere in the world because I’d be too busy finishing my bazillion graduate degrees, juggling a multimillionaire pastry shop- Mimi’s Café- and buying a private island to observe the effects of forcing geniuses to live together.
9.To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
I haven’t really controlled the course of my life. I mean I make choices for myself, like what I want to eat or wear that day, but for the most part I’ve been guided down the right path. My parents and sister have had a huge impact on where I’ve ended up now. My parents have always herded my sisters and I down the right path, and since Gwen already trodden down the road to success, college, yadayadayada, I feel as if I’m just following what she’s doing. Even most of the courses I’ve taken in high school have been based off of what she took. It’s kind of how I’ve always lived my life, following after what she does, and since she hasn’t ended up pregnant or a drug addict, I’m pretty sure I’ll continue to look at her as a guide on how to live my life. There’s also the fact that I don’t really know any better.
for number 6, I couldn't agree more, part of being a director for me would be traveling the world and finding raw talent and learning about things to help better the way I tell a story. I enjoy story telling, it truly is one of the most blissful moments because it is the moment when you have pretty much become a God, creating a whole world out of your own imagination. Writing essays and stories is a lot like directing and script writing in that regard, I say that you should follow that dream.
Delete10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
ReplyDeleteI’m more worried about doing things right. I mean, I could think I am doing the right thing, but it’s actually a big no no. “The right thing” is open for interpretation. I’m a worry wart, and I always question whether I’m doing the right thing or not.
12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
Screw everybody. You come first. Focus on your happiness. The first one is kind of mean and harsh, but what I’m trying to get at is that, people are going to judge you and make fun of you but you should just let it roll off your back. There are a lot of effed up people in this world, who screw you over, and hurt you, but you’ve got to worry about yourself. Forget them. All that matters in this world is you.
13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?
As much as I’d like to say I’d do anything to save a loved one, I’m a wuss. When it comes to breaking the law, it depends on what kind of law we’re talking about. Murder? Probably not. Driving over the speed limit? It’s already happened. The severity of the punishment would factor greatly into whether or not I’d actually commit the crime.
17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
Telling people off/ telling people how I feel. I’ve always always always wanted to tell people how I truly 100% think about them. What’s holding me back…? Myself. I cannot express myself for the life of me. When I’m about to tell someone how I feel about them (I love you oh my god let’s get married or gtfo and go to hell) I trip over my words, and I run out of breathe and I even find myself choking on the words/ my tongue/ my spit. It’s like it’s physically impossible to get certain words out. However, sometimes I feel that if I were able to tell people how I felt about them, I wouldn’t be so stressed out, or worried.
18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
Hellllllll no. I think that answers the question well enough. I get over things pretty easy. I let them roll off. I don’t like to dwell in the past and think what if. I mean, it happened. Get over it. As far as I’m concerned, there are no time machines yet, so you can’t go back and change what happened. So you might as well mosey on down the path of life.
I like your response to 12 :)
Delete23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
ReplyDeleteSee above answer. No way. I can admit it: I’m a sucky friend. I know it, and I’m not afraid to let everybody know how much I suck as a friend. When I think about it though, when I’m friends with people that are similar to me, those relationships generally last the longest. I like low-maintenance relationships. Ones I don’t have to put a lot of effort or feeling into it. And now that I look at it, the longest relationships I’ve been in, have been with people similar to me. I love individuals that don’t ask too much of me, and let me rant, whine, and ignore them on a daily basis, because they are sure to return the favor at some point.
26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
This is a sad question but definitely lose all of my old memories. I have a terrible memory to begin with, and I don’t really remember anything, just pivotal moments in my life so losing them wouldn’t be all that bad. I mean, I hate living in the past. Imagine if you just had memories of yourself when you were 11 and in your awkward stage. That would be awful. New memories are often more emotional and are able to put a smile on my face. I hate digging through the back of my mind, it can get a bit dusty.
34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
Being shy, and an introvert is actually a good thing I’ve come to notice. I listen more than I talk, and it’s helped me open my eyes to the different viewpoints around me. I like to listen to people talk, far more than I actually like to talk. I’m not the one to start up a conversation, but rather, gravitate towards someone who is extremely exuberant, and listen intently to their viewpoints. During class discussions, I’m probably the last person to raise their hand and give input, but when I leave a class, I often feel so satisfied. It’s a great feeling. You get to explore your own mind, while at the same time retaining new information from another person.
36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
No. Good and evil is open to interpretation. My good could be your evil, and your good could be my evil. Simple as that. Except it’s not that simple. It’s actually a very complex matter…
41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
There are way too many people to visit. I’d Skype with the important people in my life, but the IMPORTANT IMPORTANT people, would open the door to see me on their front step. We’d reminisce and talk and laugh and cry (them not me) and then hopefully, die peacefully.
46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
Everything. Basically everything I do is based on what others will think of me. It’s something I wish I could change about myself, but I’ve been doing it for so long. A lot of things aren’t socially acceptable, but if no one was judging me…well let’s just say I’d have a great time.
Sorry long post!
Since I wrote so much for the first half, I just wrote a little bit less for my second half.
ReplyDelete13. I would break the law to save someone I love because I feel that their life is more important than any law in the Constitution.
17. I have never utilized my time to make the most of a day. I always am doing things that I have to do or doing nothing while pretending that I’m doing something productive. Days when I have hours of free time need to be spent more with friends than they usually turn out. I’ve never really thought about how much time I waste until recently, so that would probably be why I frequently wasted my Sundays this year.
18. Yes, even though I don’t usually.
23. I would have to say no, but I think I could be friends with someone like me.
26. I would rather lose all of my old memories because my old memories aren’t really that special, unless you mean I wouldn’t remember who all my friends are; then I’d rather never be able to make new memories and be friends with my current friends forever because my friends are awesome.
34. Yeah, it was really weird.
36. Since good and evil is all about perspective, I would have to say that, knowing for sure, without a doubt, where the division lies, nobody can know absolutely what is good and evil.
41. This is a toughy. If I HAD to choose one person to visit before they died, I would have to say… actually, that is too hard. I don’t think I could stand to see everyone I know die, without even an “adios”. So many people have affected me as a person directly and I could never single out only one person to spend their last few hours with. I guess that is sort of greedy, but I would have a really hard time deciding who is “most important” to me because each person is important in their own way.
46. Well, I already act like an idiot with a lack of sense of dignity a lot of the time, so not much would change. Maybe I would be more daring in social situations, but that wouldn’t make a huge difference in my life.
1. If I didn’t know how old I was, the first thing I would do is look into the mirror. This wouldn’t be the most accurate method because I look younger than I really am, but I wouldn’t know that. So based off of my appearance and my personality, I would say I’m fourteen years old. I tried asking my mom this question but she kept saying “You would be however old you are.”
ReplyDelete2. This one is easy. Never trying is obviously worse than failing. That’s one of the most common moral phrases ever. I’ve had a few horrible experiences with this, because when I never tried something I would never know what the outcome could have been. I’m still wondering.
3. We know that life is short and we say that life is short, but we can never really comprehend what that means until we reach a really old age. We’ll feel that we always have more time to do the things we want, or we’ll feel that we’re always too busy, or we’ll feel that it’s too late in life to chase that dream.
5. If there was one thing I could change about the world, it would be hatred. Not to sound redundant, but I hate hatred. I see it everywhere, whether it’s in my personal life or not. I see it between players on my team and I see it between different groups of friends. I don’t see why people can’t just swallow their pride and accept people for who they are.
6. Happiness is something I have readily available in my life. I feel sympathetic to those who have less, and I don’t envy those who have more; much like material possessions. The work that would make me rich would be hanging out with my best buddies. Since we all share a sense of humor, I can laugh forever when I’m with them.
8. I don’t think I’d be living my life much differently. I might have this rationale because I’m only sixteen and I can’t comprehend living past forty, let alone to forty. Both of my parents would be dead by now, but I would still have the same goals. One thing I might change is taking more chances in life, but I already need to do that.
9. I feel like I’ve controlled a good amount of my life, but a lot of it depends on things out of my control. I wouldn’t be in four AP classes right now if I hadn’t sat down next to Ted in algebra 1 in the eighth grade, so I have him to thank for that. You could argue that everything is controlled by outside influences, but I like to think that deep down inside there’s something that gives people the option to throw away every influence and do what they think is right.
10. This was a tough one. I don’t like doing things wrong, but I’d much rather do something wrong than do the wrong thing. My morals are important to me, and always doing the right thing is a struggle.
Dawwwww Dan, number 9 made me smile. I know you're right there. I think that people influence you, but in the end, you are the one that has to decide how you want to live life and you need to put in the effort to make your life happen. In the end, that is what happens.
DeleteJust because everyone else is doing it..."Dawwww Dan you're so adorable" Anyway I smiled at 9 just as Mike did (probably more personally). I like that you spoke from the heart in this blog. You're such a good friend and I'm glad I sat next to you in Algebra 1.
Delete12. I don’t think a newborn child would even understand my piece of advice, but if he miraculously remembers for the rest of his life, I would tell him that you can’t always take things at face value and that there’s always more than one side to a story.
ReplyDelete13. To save a loved one, yes I would break the law. It really depends on which law though. I would no doubt litter to save my grandmother from certain death.
17. I really want to go on a date. I’m not desperate for a girlfriend, but I wouldn’t mind going out on a date. I guess my fear of rejection is holding me back.
18. Yes. Some things in the past are difficult to let go. I’m sure I’ll have let go of everything from my younger years by the time I’m out of college, but then again maybe I won’t.
23. For the most part I have been the kind of friend I want as a friend. I have a good sense of humor and I’m easy to get along with. I could be a little less obnoxious sometimes though.
26. This question really made me evaluate how precious my memories really are. I had such an awesome childhood so far, I just couldn’t bear losing it all. However, the future is open to so many more possibilities and I truly believe that my life will only get better. So I would rather lose all of my old memories because I wouldn’t know how awesome they were anyway.
34. Honestly no. I don’t think I’ve ever had such an experience. I don’t mean to be selfish, but some of the best conversations I have had include both people in the conversation.
36. It is not possible to decipher between good and evil all the time. Some things are pretty much universally agreed upon, while other issues are in a gray area. People can establish laws and morals, but there will always be doubt.
41. Well I know a lot of people, so I would be quite bummed out if they all dropped dead. This question doesn’t specify if the “who” is asking for one person or more, so I’m going to assume it’s asking for more than one person. I would visit my middle school crush and tell her all about it. I would visit all of my relatives and tell them how much they mean to me. I would spend the remainder of the day with my friends.
46. I would speak my mind more often. Being in AP classes can sometimes pressure me not to ask questions when the answer seems obvious to others. I’m held to certain standards as an AP student and I don’t want people to think I’m as dumb as I really am, although my abilities in lang are a decent indication.
Sadly, people don't ask questions because of the anticipated judgement. But the only thing that usually goes through my head (unless the question is mind-numbing) is "Well, good for them! They had the courage to ask the question that they assumed everyone else knew the answer to." And I find comfort in the fact that people feel the same when I ask questions, or even better, when I don't worry about judgement when asking questions.
Delete1. I guess I would be around 23. That’s a good age, and one I wish I could stay at. I feel like I’m a few years older than what I am now so I guess this would be accurate.
ReplyDelete2. Failing is not as bad as never trying in the first place. I say that I have lived a good portion of my life passing up a few opportunities here and there, and now I try to avoid making those mistakes. Of course there are situations where we should not try things (hazardous), but in the purest sense we should take opportunities that present themselves to us. We shouldn’t be afraid of trying certain things. However, my brain wants me to say failing is worse as I’m in the testing mode right now, but I know deep down that never trying is much worse.
3. It’s because the man is holding us down man—telling us how to live our lives. The people who say these things aren’t far off ass society dictates the paths we take as we are consistently influenced by a variety of people and ideas. Essentially, all of us are on a route that life has laid out for ourselves. We want to so desperately believe that we are in control of everything we do, but in the end all of our actions just blend together. Certain actions have to be made by somebody. Because society dictates that we must pay taxes or get a job, we do so. Nobody wants to be constrained by a job or give away their money, but we are told to do so. Life’s busy and constrained schedule forces us into doing more things we hate than we want.
5. I would like if people kept their personal beliefs to themselves. I mean things like religion or prejudices. I know that we can’t eliminate hate or prejudice, but how about people just keep it to themselves. I’m all for freedom of expression but only if it’s the discussion of beneficial ideas. If people didn’t argue over the “creator” or “who’s to blame for Germany’s loss in WWI…cough…cough…Hitler and friends”, then I think we would see a more progressive society. Just everybody shut up. That’s what it boils down to.
6. Man…my dream job would be to build and design theme park rides…but I’ve found that the economy isn’t so kind to this occupation. But if I could do this under these circumstances I would be rich in happiness.
8. I don’t think anything would change much. Back when the life expectancy WAS 40 people went about life as business as usual. BUT, because society has developed this great attention to hindsight, everybody would go around being more spontaneous—taking more chances. This would only happen if the life expectancy was suddenly lowered to 40. But if it remained at 40 then nothing would really happen out of the norm.
9. I’ve already spoken to this in question 3. But to reiterate on a personal level…not much. The same goes for all of you. None of us controls much of our life—especially because of our AP mentality.
10. I often fall into the category of being a perfectionist (especially with things I care about), so I’m more concerned with doing things right a lot more than doing the right things. I guess it’s about half and half truthfully.
12. I was disappointed in the ending of this question because I initially thought we were sacrificing a newborn. That would have been much more interesting. So I’ll say something cliché like, “the best advice is no advice”, because all of our lives have different paths and it’s impossible to know what to say. So hold on tight everybody because life is a winding road with crazy stuff around every corner. Wait how would a newborn understand what I’m saying anyway?
To number 8 on your list: I see where you're coming from there. I wonder if that spontaneity would be enough to solve the world's problems and to improve it? Risks need to be taken to make new discoveries right? Risks are what brought our ancestors to America and risks are what founded every principle on which we live today. Maybe it would take away the reliance on money in society as well. Who knows?
Delete13. Uh, yeah I could see doing that. If they were wrongly put in harm then sure why not? Laws are meant to be broken as they say. I mean these people need to be of some emotional value to me for me to break the law on a large scale.
ReplyDelete17. Sky diving bro. No not really. I really don’t know. I really want to travel throughout Europe, alas my pockets be empty. If I only had the cash live comfortably from place to place and scour the lands of Europe.
18. Nope. At least I can’t think of anything right now. Movin’ on.
23. I would say so for the most part. I’m generally always there for my friends and I’m honest with them. So that’s what I really look for in a friend. I’m pretty funny, and I like funny people.
26. I’ve been told not to hang onto the past so I chose to retain my ability to make new ones. I like the people I am involved with now and most of my good memories are with them. I have no doubt they can be made again. I have more life ahead of me then what I’ve spent so I’ll take 50 or so plus years of good memories versus 17.
34. No. The best conversations I’ve had have concerned witty banter and exchanges of humorous commentary. How do you have a conversation without speaking anyway? It’s more of a lecture than anything else.
36. Yes. It’s just that the perception of good and evil acts can sometimes be blurred, and can exist on a gray line that makes discerning good from evil a bit more difficult than it should be. I’m sure there was a blog on this before that has this expounded on more clearly.
41. My closest friends and some of my closest family. My friends more so because I’ve had more beautiful memories with them then my family altogether. I envision my closest friends and I all sitting around a fire or something together having just one great big laugh before the end.
46. I guess be more of a clown. Make more jokes and stuff. Nothing too serious or anything. More front forward I guess?
1.How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? (I love this one!)
ReplyDeleteWell, I definatly think I'm mature for my age. Intellectually all of our minds are more mature than the majority of our age group. However emotionally, I still have some room to grow. I'm extremely dramatic when it comes to my emotions, all of my exs can ROUCH for that. I guess that puts me about early twenties. I haven't experienced enough to obtain the great wisdom of anyone over 50 and I'm not emotionally mature enough to be anyone over 30.
2.Which is worse, failing or never trying?
I really don't want to be on the fence, but this question is so difficult. I initially believe it's worse to never try because you'll be haunted with that thought of never knowing. However the more I think about it the more I believe the disappointment of failure trumps that haunting question. Sure failing is a part of life and contributes to one's wisdom, but honestly if you never try, or get your hopes up for something, you'll never be let down.
3.If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
We do so many things we don't like sometimes to please others, but most of the time because we have to. It becomes a necessity to life in order to achieve whatever it is we're shooting for. Like homework, perfect example. I hate doing homework, I much rather be sleeping right now. But the fact is I have to get my work done in order to get grades in order to get into a good college in order to get a good job in order to make a lot of money etc! It's life. You do what you have to do in order to survive, even if you much rather be sleeping.
5.What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
EASY! I would stop anyone who has proven irresponsible to take care of a child from having one. I've expressed this belief plenty of times so I don't need to go into much detail here. It's simple, no one should bring a child into this world unless they are fully capable of giving this child there all. If they do and they're not ready, they're doign this child a great injustice.
6.If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
Hmmm, a couple jobs. I could work as dog trainer (like in The Lucky One!) because simply put, I lovve dogs. I love their excitement and happy energy they bring around me. I could run a day care, being around babies all day would light up my world. I seriously believe everyone could learn SO much from someone under the age of 5. They're so carefree and pure its beautiful. But even more than anything else, I really want to go into social work. I want to help kids in poverty striken or abusive homes. I want to help keep that innocence and life in these young kids.
8.If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
I don't think I woudl live it any differently. I never think about dying or when/how I'm going to die and I would start just because I was told my life is over at 40.
9.To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
I think to a high degree, like at least 85/100%. Besides moving, I've taken a strong control over my life. My parents, yes strict, aren't around me long enough to make any decisions for me. They don't sit me down and make me do my homework or take AP or study, no one does. I do everything on my own. I decided for myself that I want a strong education and I want to make somehting of myself.
10.Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
I honestly have no idea, or maybe I'm just tired, I don't know.
12.If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
ReplyDeleteStay carefree. Babies are so pure the firts couple years of their life. Then society kicks in and they become influenced by their surroundings. 9 times out of 10, these influences destroy us. But if a child can manage to stay pure, stay carefree, the world would be a million times better.
13.Would you break the law to save a loved one?
Yes. I've noticed throughout the school year that I've become a lot more family oriented. I don't go out to a friend's house as much, I'm always with my brothers and sisters etc. Come on now I'm always writing about Kayla, and I would do anything to save her.
17.What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
I want to travel. I seriously want to go to so many different countries learn and live their languages and cultures. This has always been a dream of mine, but of course I'm too young and broke to actually follow through with this.
18.Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
Yes, I really don't want to go into deatil because it gives me anxiety thinking about it, but there's this ring that I keep holding onto that I know I should give back to its owner. I guess I feel like giving it back will end the relationship I have with this person.
23.Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
Absolutely. My closest friends know that I am always here for them NO MATTER WHAT, and I always have been for them.
26.Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
Right now, being a young 17, I would rather loose all of my old memories. I have years and years to make new ones. My past memories aren't that great anyway. I just said last week, I have the worst memory ever! So I'm not scared to loose precious childhood memories from previous years of my life, I don't remember them anyway.
34.Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
Ha, yes! Literally EVERYTIME I walk away from my good friend Lashon, if i'm not walking away from a fight, I feel this way. And I laugh because I just thought about that today. Whenever we're together and not fighting, we're laughing like crazy or flirting sexier than ever. I always walk away with red cheecks and a huge smile.
36.Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
No, and the explanation for this is simple. Everyone has their own beliefs on morals, thus it is impossible to have a set in stone model of good and evil.
41.If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
Erika (and her family), Andi (and her family), Argiea (and her family), all of my siblings well all of my family really, Lavon (and his family), uhmm I hope I'm not forgetting anyone. The ones I have listed are simply because they are either family or extremely close friends. These are all people that I love to death and care so much about. I probably wouldn't even be able to see them knowing they'll die tomorrow.
46.What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
Well, I'm pretty open with everything I do. I'm never in fear of being judged, or maybe I am and just don't realize it. But as far as I know I wouldn't do anything differently.
1. I asked Ted and he said 76. I asked Dan and he said 6.5. I asked Emily and she said 21. Can a soul really have an age without a body, assuming my body won’t give me any hints? I could imagine if you don’t end up having any arbitrary way to determine your age you don’t really have one, right? But, to rein in my thought, if I didn’t know my age I’m guessing I’d fluctuate. I certainly feel like I fluctuate all the time now. It’s not always fun.
ReplyDelete2. I wasn’t sure about this one. On the one hand, if you never try you have no limitations. You can achieve anything. You have hope, the greatest of all gifts. When you try and fail you have experience, the most pragmatic of all gifts. I guess in the long run it’s better to try and fail, but if you’re a mayfly spend your time convinced you’re a god instead.
3. Because people are crazy. People are batshit insane and nothing they do has to make any sense. It’s a wonder they can get anything done with so many glands and hormones running through their bodies. Also, people are scared of change and the unknown.
4. I want everyone to be happy. I don’t care about the consequences.
5. Talking to people. Stimulating people. Finding out what kind of person they are by talking to them. Finding out what kind of person I am by talking to them.
8. Right now everything after age, say, 40 seems like fluff to me anyhow. Some kind of bonus. I have no idea what my life will be like way in the future when I’m 80, and I don’t know what my life will be like way in the future at 40. To me, Betelgeuse and Sirius are the same distance away.
9. 100% I’ve done everything of my own free will. But that doesn’t mean I’ve done it RIGHT.
10. Doing things right. Who, in the end, can judge what the right thing to do? The public? The majority? Or just you? Better to be a complete bastard, and a successful bastard, than the world’s most incompetent Gandhi.
12. ‘Hang on tight. It won’t be easy, but it will be beautiful. And if you can make yourself believe that you’ll be a lot happier.’
13. I don’t think anyone wouldn’t break a law to save a loved one. It isn’t love if there’s any kind of rhyme or reason in it.
17. Go out and travel, because A. I’d probably die, and B. People would be sad if I left.
18. I try to hold on to everything, just in case it comes in handy at some point.
23. I’ve tried, but I don’t know if what I want as a friend is what other people want as a friend. In fact, I don’t know what I want and I’d be pretty surprised if anyone else did.
26. Lose my old memories. You can’t live entirely in the past, at least not if you’re still moving forwards. Besides, are my memories really that great?
34. No, but sometimes it’s nice to just be around someone. To have a silent reassurance of companionship. I can see the value of conversations and silence.
36. Yes, but none of us will ever be able to figure it out. Good and evil must be possible for the terms to have any sort of meaning, but for all intents and purposes it’s gray all the way down.
41. I’d get on a plane and go see as many different people all over the world as possible, and experience all their viewpoints. I’d save an hour to get home and say bye to everyone I know.
46. Be entirely up front about all my feelings, probably.
I love your response to 10 and I completely agree, although it wasnt reflected in my response, I completely agree with the idea that right and wrong is sometimes based solely on what they have been told in which case it is always changing. I also like 12
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DeleteYou know what, I take back 46. I'm pretty good right now. If I do or don't do something it's for a reason outside mere judgement.
DeleteKen: THE LUCKY ONE! haha great night. Okay anyways, I love your job options about happiness. I adore dogs and babies. When watching the movie, I kept thinking to myself, "This is an awesome job. Why can't I make it in life like this?" She was so happy working with dogs and it made jealous knowing that she had found a job in which she was rich with happiness. I agree also to what you said about children under the age of five. There is so much to learn. They don't use big words or try to be cool, they don't have an ulterior motive or looking to screw me over. They're so sweet.
ReplyDeleteDan: AWW. Your blog was so cute! It's really sweet that you want to go on a date with someone, but aren't desperate for a girlfriend. I'm afraid of rejection too, so I can understand where you are coming from. It takes a lot to overcome that, but someday you will! One day you will go on a date with a great girl. (:
ReplyDeleteSchuyler: Your advice to a newborn baby was beautiful! I thought it was so inspirational, and will probably get that child through a lot of rough times. I'm thinking about writing it down myself and putting it near my bed so I can always read it and remember those inspirational words! Good job!
ReplyDelete1.How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? (I love this one!) You’d probably take me as the average 17 year old. However, sometimes I go a few days without shaving and I could be taken for 24 or 25 at first glance.
ReplyDelete2.Which is worse, failing or never trying? This seems a bit cliché, but I’d have to say that never trying is most definitely worse than failing. At our age, failure is simply a bump on the road. While later on, great failures may become roadblocks impeding our path. Failure is an important part of progress, for without failure there may be no progress.
3.If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do? The answer to this question defies the first statement. Life, indeed, is not “so short.” We have ample time to achieve whatever we want. Life seems so short because so much time is used for trivial things that we do not enjoy. However, we do these things for a reason. There are aspects of life that, according to social Darwinism, are simply necessary due to competition. We do so many things we don’t like, toil at a job for eight hours, in order to increase our desirability as a potential mate. In other words, we do things we don’t want to do in order to gain a profit, whether financially or intangibly.
6.If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich? If I could buy stock with happiness and invest smiles into my 401(k) plan, I’d spend my life riding bikes and working on them. To me, the simple machine of a bicycle is one of the most amazing concepts of movement to wrap the mind around. I would truly enjoy spending the balance of my existence working with the community of bicycle riders.
9.To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken? I guess it’s been 60-40. 60 percent of my life has been a result of my own decisions. 40 percent has been made up of by the impact of others, and their weight on my being.
12.If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be? “Don’t live your life based on quotes.”
13.Would you break the law to save a loved one? Obviously, yes. I’d break tons of laws to save anyone. I don’t like this question very much. Who wouldn’t?
17.What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back? Okay, well here goes a long one. I’m going to ride my bike to Philadelphia this summer. Last year, my friend Matt rode his bike from Mays Landing to Philly and basically lived out of his backpack for two weeks. I aspire to do nearly the same. I need to release some of that teenage angst that I’ve been building up in the past few years with 50 miles of pedaling, diner food, and talks with strangers. I’ve been planning to do this trip for a while now, so I guess my age has been holding me back? At sixteen I’m obviously way more likely to get murdered out in Philly than at 18, so I still haven’t made the trip. That and the lack of planning. I know, a trip like that often takes weeks of planning. However, I want this trip to be on a whim. Planning seems to yank some of the excitement and luster from a spontaneous bike ride to Philly. There’s something in the irony of losing yourself in a big city that attracts me to this endeavor. Bon voyage to me.
18.Are you holding onto something you need to let go of? Maybe. I guess the coming months will be a judge of that. Anyway, right now I should let go of this ice cream cone. It’s melting, and I can’t seem to let go of it.
Your response to question two made me think of one of Cervi's great life lessons. It's true, failure now is not really a big deal, but failure 20 years from now is huge. But I guess I just don't like being let down. I mean who does? And I love your response to question 17. There's something so carefree and beautiful really about letting go and becoming lost in a big city. But it's even more beautiful to make that 50 mile journey with nothing but a bike and backpack. I love it.
Delete34.Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever? There have been a few times where I’ve been awestruck merely by the presence of someone. At camp Woodward, a BMX utopia out in the middle of Pennsylvania, I was constantly surrounded by the best riders in the world. Just being in their presence gave me the incredible feeling of awe.
ReplyDelete36.Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil? No. You can know what is good and evil to you. I know what I treat as good, and what I treat as evil. However, there are always extenuating circumstances to every act of evil, and secret motives behind every act of good. Therefore, good and evil can be misconstrued by what the actor wishes to portray.
41.If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today? I’d probably visit most of my family and friends. Then I’d leave to find as many people as possible to talk to. I’d like to gain insights on life from thousands of people before I die. I think that’d be pretty cool.
hmm, the life is short one made me think. Maybe you're right and life isn't so short. I mean, we only have memories, so what really is time? And time is relative to your life. So life is infinitive in a way. Right?
Delete1.How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
ReplyDeleteI have the sense of humor of a nine year old and the attention span of a seven year old. The idea of growing up and becoming civilized and sophisticated makes me sick. I love immaturity. I love being around people who act as though their biological clocks are stuck in kindergarten. Youth is such a joyful gift. Young people watch the world with eyes full of wonder and excitement. They hold back neither laughter nor tears. It’s the ideal lifestyle, which is why I pray that my psychological age increases as slowly as possible.
2.Which is worse, failing or never trying?
I suppose it’s better to try and fail than never to try at all. But the act of not trying isn’t nearly as intimidating to me as the act of failing. And I know what failure feels like. It sucks. The pressure to succeed is often so overwhelming than anything less than pure triumph is an embarrassment. So I’m not sure about this one. As much as my mind advises me to try, try, try again, my heart begs me, above all else, not to fail.
3.If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
It’s difficult to truly appreciate the brevity of life when we’re young. And by the time we finally understand how short life truly is, it’s probably because we’re old, in which case, it could be too late.
5.What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
For the sake of not wanting to disrupt the delicate balance of good and bad, happy and sad, I wouldn’t change anything. It’s impossible to predict the full effects that any seemingly insignificant alteration could have on the world.
6.If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
My dream job would probably be an international taste-tester journalist. It combines my ultimate passions: exploring, writing, and eating.
8.If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
I would probably skip the whole parenting thing. There’s not enough time in forty years to go through graduate school and raise children. And the former is more important to me. So I would spend almost seventy-five percent of my life in school (which I have no problem with), and then I would spend the last ten years of my life putting to use all that I’d just learned. I’d do a lot of traveling, and if it suits me, maybe get married.
9.To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
ReplyDeleteEarlier this year a motivational speaker spoke to us at an assembly. One statement he made that really stuck with me is that each of us is the product of our five closest friends. The people we spend most of our time with dictate who we become. In that sense, I don’t think many of the choices I’ve made in my life have truly been mine. The people around me are constantly influencing my lifestyle, usually with neither my consent nor my knowledge. But I can control who I associate with, and I usually surround myself with people who are either fundamentally similar to me, or people I admire, in the hopes that they will have a good influence on me. Ultimately, we all control our own courses, and therefore have no one to blame for our mistakes other than ourselves.
12.If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
Get out. Get out now.
13.Would you break the law to save a loved one?
A law, on its own, seldom earns my respect and/or obedience. My morals aren’t always consistent with our government’s legal system, nor should they be. So if I don’t care about breaking laws, the more relevant question would be would be whether I’m willing to get CAUGHT breaking the law to save a loved one. The answer is…probably. It depends on the meaning of the word “save”, as well as the severity of the consequences, but…probably.
23.Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
Hell no. I don’t see myself as a good friend. I’m negligent and get fed up with people’s over-sensitivities and emotions (I’ve recently adopted “no one cares” as my catchphrase. It's only slightly sarcastic.). I’m also an awful communicator, so knowing the right things to say at the right times isn’t really a part of my resume. On the other hand, I love listening to people’s problems, and I think I try my best to understand and not to judge. Although, that's a bit of a paradox now that I think about it…
So in that sense, I might not mind having someone like me as more of a distant friend. You know, the one you talk to when all of your other friends are offline.
34.Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
This happens to me every day. Some of the best conversations of my life have consisted of nothing more than silence on my part.
36.Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
No. No, no, no. There is no good, and there is no evil. There’s just a whole lot of gray. Labeling a person or a situation as simply bad is myopic. People should be more open and understanding to the intricacies of each other and of life. The more time we invest understanding the less time we have to criticize.
41.If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
Well I’d probably waste the first half of the day wondering why on earth all of the people I know are dying. Then, in the next several hours, I’d weigh my options, mapping out in my head the quickest routes to the homes of my loved ones, checking traffic reports and confirming ETAs on Google Maps. Unfortunately, this would probably leaved me so mentally drained that I'd spontaneously fall asleep, waking up the next morning to find everyone I know dead. Oops.
46.What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
First of all, I probably wouldn’t wear clothes. Like, ever. And I would sing all the time, as well as talk to myself in public. I wouldn’t hold back emotions as much as I do, and would communicate more freely with people about how I feel and who I am.
Sometimes when Mr. Czaps makes fun of you and says stuff about how you have all these smart remarks for things half of me thinks, no Rachel would say that, then there aret times like right now when i read 12. Thats some very good advice.
Delete1.How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? (I love this one!)
ReplyDelete18. I feel like I’m above the maturity level of most 16 year-olds, but I also feel like I don’t have enough experience to be in my 20s.
2.Which is worse, failing or never trying?
Never trying. I have regrets more regrets from never trying than from failing.
3.If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
In the short term, it’s the things we don’t like that provide some sort of sustenance. Some careers can give you plenty of money, but you may not enjoy it. As for liking things we don’t do, it’s probably because the more attainable a luxury or desirable thing is, the less luxurious, desirable, and enjoyable it will be. How good would vacations be if you took them every two weeks?
5.What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
The disagreement over stupid causes. People’s rights are people’s rights, and if you’re killing anyone because of your belief, you’re doing it wrong.
6.If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
I’d probably be happiest working to improve humanity. That’s far too vague, but I’m not sure what humanity-bettering activities I actually enjoy.
8.If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
If my life span is 40 years, then fuck school. Seriously. That’s more than half my life down the drain, followed by 14 to 18 years of work. Either that or I put as much effort into school as humanly possible, get a master’s degree at 18, create my own business, and live the rest of my life in luxury. I’d probably also take more risks. Maybe I'd pull a Chris McCandless type deal, if I really wanted. But around 30, not 18.
9.To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
I still live with my mildly-controlling parents (it’s acceptable now) but I’d say I was always pressured to do well in school. Even when my mom said I was getting myself into trouble with the four AP classes, I still felt the pressure, because I want to appear like I want to take these unnecessary classes because they’re fun and I enjoy learning. That’s what colleges want, right? So that’s pressure from parents (that’s more like a ghost limb at this point) and pressure from society (I gotta get into that school or I’ll die!) and not much me in the mix. But besides school decisions, I’d say I’m in control.
10.Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
Like question number two, I’ve regretted not doing the right thing more than not doing things right, so I’d rather do the right thing.
12.If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
ReplyDeleteLife isn’t fair, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to be either.
13.Would you break the law to save a loved one?
Yep.
17.What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
I want to punch someone in the face. Especially this one girl in the hallway who went out of her way to slow me down while I was rushing to Matlack’s class. The only thing holding me back is the fact that I’m unsure of the consequences.
18.Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
Probably.
23.Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
I’d say so myself.
26.Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
Lose all of the old ones. I’d be able to feel the same thing I felt after reading all those books and watching all those movies and tv shows and playing all those games. And I’d rather have the future to look forward too, rather than a past to admire.
34.Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
No. But tell me if you've done this with me. I can't remember.
36.Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
Nope. Good and evil are both subjective. They’ve only been established as absolutes by religion and constitutions. Your good is always someone else's evil.
41.If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
My parents, my brother, every person I’ve wronged, some friends.
46.What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
I’d probably do the same thing I do now. I’d speak up more for and against certain people though.
I agree with your answer to number 17, I've always wanted to punch someone in the face, and it just hasn't happened yet. I always say it, but I've yet to do it. I should probably get on that.
Delete1. I would probably be around 18. At 18, even though you’re technically an adult, I still think 18 year olds are teenagers. (Basically, you still have that “young and wild” mentality) but you’re also aware of the freedoms you have now that you’re of age. You take on more responsibilities and become more independent. So I think that describes me.
ReplyDelete2. You never try, you never know. Never trying is worse than failure. When you never try, you always regret. I’ve regretted not taking on opportunities. I’ve spent a lot of my time thinking what if? Failure sucks, but lessons can be learned from it.
3. Simply because there are consequences if we don’t. We’ll be failures and unacceptable to society. Do I enjoy doing homework every night? No, but if I don’t I won’t get good grades, get into a good college, get a job. Blah blah blah. Society restricts us from doing what we like, and liking what we do.
5. Probably for people to accept and tolerate people for who they are. No judgment, hate, or prejudice. It would be nice for people to respect others for their accomplishments as well.
6. Well, I’m not sure of the exact job I want to do, but I would want to help others. Make people happy you know? One little act of happiness could brighten up someone’s world.
8. I really don’t think I would live life that differently. When I’m 30, I’ll hopefully have a job that I like and maybe have a family. Who knows? So I think I’m okay with how I’m living my life right now. I might take more risks as I get older and take on those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.
9. Ehh, this is hard. I mean, I guess this goes back to question 3. I think up to now most of the course of my life hasn’t been fully under my control. I HAVE to go to school, and do this to be successful. But then again, I get to make my own decisions in the process…if that makes sense.
10. I’m more worried about doing things right. When I put my effort into something, I want it to be done right. I feel horrible about myself when things don’t turn out as planned.
12. Be yourself. Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.
13. Yeah, why not? I’d never break the law for revenge or just plain anger. But under the right circumstances, certain actions are acceptable. Especially when you’re saving a loved one.
17. Meeting new people and exploring. I feel like high school is restricting me from all the amazing opportunities the world has to offer. I want to get out of this place, and just start over.
18. Nope. I move on from things sooner or later.
23. I laughed when I read this question. Yes of course I do. I’ve always wanted to be friends with someone just like me. Well maybe not someone with the same exact personality but someone that shares the same interests as me!
26. Lose all of my old memories. It’s gut wrenching to say this because I’ve had some great experiences in the past and I never want to forget them, but I’m still young. Life hasn’t started yet. There’s so much more to experience. I can’t imagine stopping here at this point in time.
34. Weird question. No. I need to actually express my thoughts, through words and laughs to have a good conversation, let alone “the best conversation.”
36. What’s good and what’s evil is all about perspective. There’s never going to be a situation that everyone agrees on.
41. My few best friends and closest family. Hmm, this is weird, but my favorite celebrities would be a nice plus. I mean, most of my leisurely enjoyment comes from them. Instead of tweeting them all the time, why not go see them?
46. A lot of things. Too much of my decisions I make are dependent on what others think of me. It’s probably the number one I wish I could change about myself. But sometimes, if I’m around the right people, I’m less afraid of being judged.
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ReplyDeleteTed:
ReplyDelete"Just everybody shut up. That’s what it boils down to." I love it, best line ever. I think if everybody just kept their mouths shut, maybe we wouldn't have half the problems we have now. I also agree when with you when you say a lot of us don't control our lives. There's kind of a path made for AP kids already.
Amanda:
ReplyDelete18 would be a nice age, however, you can't buy alcohol legally. Not that that factored into what age I picked for myself...I'm also happy to meet new people. High school does seem a little restricting at the moment.
Nyamekye: It seems as though you were stumped with #6, as was I. Although we both selected that traveling as the best job for happiness. Unfortunately, I don’t know of any jobs that pay people to travel. But if there are any, I hope you’ll let me know.
ReplyDeleteTed: You also face a similar problem as I did. How does one travel without running out of money? It’s a mystery I have yet to solve.
Schuyler: I could see you as a 76 year old soul. I also loved your line “Betelgeuse and Sirius are the same distance away.” As a teenager, it seems as if no real amount of time separates 50 and 80.
1. This question confuses me. I’ll be honest about that. If I didn’t know how old I was, I probably wouldn’t think about it. To be honest, age isn’t really all that important to me. As for smoking and drinking and driving, I do none of them f and therefore am not concerned with turning 18, 19 or 21. Another factor that comes into play with age is death. I fell right now that I will die when I die and there is no point in changing that.
ReplyDelete2. Never trying is the worst thing you can do as a human. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they act. People act based on initiative. Without initiative you never try to do anything. Every person has something they are good at and you can’t find that forte unless you try.
3. People are afraid. I am typing this blog right now in lunch. I wasn’t going to because I was afraid of what might happen if computers weren’t allowed in this new electronics deal. I see stuff like that all the time. In general the government, propaganda, and parents instill this fear of being wrong and this idea of having to please everyone else around you. If you’re expected to go to law school, then you won’t spend tens of thousands of dollars touring Europe because if you do then you are not a productive member of society.
5. If I could change one thing about the world I would change… people’s obsession with money. Murder, war, rape: they can, somewhere along the lines, be tied to money. In the grand scheme of life, monetary things don’t matter. When you die, no one is going to be like “Oh the (insert name here), boy he had a lot of money.” Okay, maybe they will, but after that short “honeymoon” period after you die nobody will even remember your face, except your family and friends of course. Money is worthless. I don’t want a big fancy job and a huge house. It’s completely unnecessary. If someone could explain exactly what a lot money does for someone, please explain it to me.
6. As I kind of dabbled upon in number 5, I am not concerned with making a lot of money. Because of that, I didn’t choose my dream profession based on pay rate. If this fantasy world were to be real for some strange reason, my dream job would remain the same. I want to go into forensics. Since I was a little kid I have wanted to work in “the lab.” Maybe I watched too much CSI, but I KNOW that’s what I want to do. My parents want me to be a pharmacist or an anesthesiologist… nope. I have always found the concept of forensics interesting. I like that I can help people and not have to necessarily deal with them face to face. Maybe I would be an art curator of sorts, but that job is extremely hard to get, and let’s face it, I have NO arts on record…. So maybe as a side gig!
8. Hmm…. I don’t think that I would live differently. Age is seriously just a number. I could walk outside right now and get shot, okay maybe not now because I’m still in school, but you get the point. If I had the guts I might drop out of school and just sit around at the library all day, but that scares me. I love learning but I hate school. That being said, if the life expectancy was dropped to 40, but the educational system stayed the same, I might think about not coming.
9. I would say a little less than half. My parents don’t really get too involved with what I do now. When I was younger though they had complete control over everything I do. Educationally, I do what I want; socially and physically, not so much. My parents (more so my mom) have a set of “rules” for where and what I am “allowed to do. I have changed quite a bit over the last few years, so every day it seems like they are more and more crazy. I trust myself to make the right decisions when the time comes for decisions to be made. Now that I am a junior in high school I am starting to gain more control over my life. Since I am only 17, the majority of my life has been instructed by parents and grandparents and teachers.
10. I tend to worry more about doing things right. I have this thing about doing things wrong, especially when I am instructed to do it a certain way. In school I get really upset and freak out if I do something wrong or turn it in late.
ReplyDelete12. I would tell a newborn to listen to his heart. Nobody knows you better than you know yourself. Some people let others walk all over them and that’s a shame.
13. It might be weird but I often think about this. Every time I do, murder comes into play. Last year during one of Mr. Costal’s morality rants, I said that I probably would. I don’t know though. Murder, probably not. But then, what other law-breaking could you do to “save” someone. Drive without a license… I don’t drive. It would depend on the situation.
17. I have always wanted to travel. If my affection for Dr. Who and tea aren’t enough, I have a weird obsession with England. I am looking at colleges in England to go to. That probably won’t happen right out of high school, but I can always transfer. I guess the lack of money and the protection of parents have kept me from going away.
18. Probably. I think that everyone holds on to something. I am not sure what that is personally; it is probably obvious to those people around me. I hope one day to figure that out.
23. I think that I’ve been a pretty epic friend. At times I can be realllllllly annoying, but who isn’t. I love my friends
26. I would rather lose my memories. If I could never make “new ones” then I would never have new experiences. If I have no new experiences, then I am dead. I believe that memories make a person who they are. Those memories are memories for a reason. That being said, new adventures are highly important to me!
34. I fell like that has never happened to me. I talk A LOT so usually I talk in conversations. The best conversation I ever had I can remember and I did talk. All I shall say is that it was a three way conversation between my sister, our friend Doug and me.
36. I tend to label things as good and evil. I don’t however know exactly what that entails. It’s kind of like defining love. For every situation there is a different occasion that calls for a different definition.
41. I wouldn’t visit anyone different. I see the people I enjoy being around every day. As for family, my family consists of seven people that I see on a regular basis. I have also found that when people die, it’s easier if you haven’t seen them for a while so…. Yeah. New topic…
46. I wouldn’t really do anything different. Perhaps I would turn work in a little late or something of that nature. I listen to unpopular music and like weird and often old movies. I wear jeans and a hoodie every day. I don’t believe in god. I brush my teeth 3-5 times a day and floss twice per day. I can’t remember the last day I didn’t take a shower. I do what I do because that’s who I am.
Amanda: Tatally an 18 year old in NYC! Just sayin'. We were talking about this blog in lunch, and physics and maybe one acts...? I think? We talked about how trying and failing s better than not trying at all.
ReplyDeleteMimi: During our random rant/conversations in Latin and Lang I can't remember if we ever talked about telling people off. I have a bg problem with this. I often tell people what I am thinking (I try not to in public forum for sake of the other party's image). It pisses a lot of people off. I love that I am so honest, but it gets annoying sometimes, just so you know!
Kendall: I believe you have a soul in their twenties. You are very mature for our age. You should be proud of that!
Cole:
ReplyDeleteI would love to punch people in the face. I often say how I'm going to punch so and so in the face, but I never do because of well...the consequences. It would be great if we could though. I really enjoy the advice you'd give to a newborn. It's very...I don't know...optimistic? It's kind of refreshing and nice, it's like you're warning them, but giving hope at the same time.
I know I did three responses already but I really feel the need to address Cole: I was doing my last skim read through before I close the blog until next week. I saw Chris McCandless and my eye was immediately attracted. This might sound crazy, but I actually thought about doing something like that the summer before Sophmore year and then I stumbled across the book in Borders (R.I.P.). Then we watched the movie in Costal's. I decided that if I was going to run away, I would join the Peace Corps instead. I would spend my time survivng on my own, while helping people at the same time! That was random... sorry...
ReplyDeleteThese are the best kinds of comments though! The ones where someone says one thing and it sparks an idea or story that they can talk about. So, believe me when I say I'm glad this was rather random. I think though, with the 40 year limit, the risk of death seems like less of a big deal. But with the normal average life span, I'd definitely do something like join the Peace Corps if I was risky or brave enough.
DeleteDan: You're a very noble person, Dan, and I'm truly glad that you're my friend, and that's an understatement. You are one of the people I would have a hard time choosing between for number forty-one.
ReplyDeleteSchuyler: I really liked your advice because it was very hopeful and everybody likes hope.
Rachel: The way you justified wanting to stay young at heart was really good! I feel the same way about maintaining my youth for that reason.
To Tom: I said that I would be fourteen, which is a whole two years older than the age you would be. I honestly thought you would have chosen an age older than your real age, but I guess I was wrong. I answered question number five in a similar manner because I said that I would eliminate all hatred. My answer is more general, but I like your specificity and reasoning.
ReplyDeleteTo Schuyler: You’re answer to question three was quite interesting, but the last sentence sums up a credible view. I got really confused when I saw that you have a response to a question four because there isn’t one. I also like to see that people believe they are in control of their lives. I, too, agree that anything past the age of forty is impossible to envision at this age. I find it amazing that you would go meet more people so that, when everyone you know dies, even more people will die.
To Matt: I wish my facial hair was as developed as yours. I like how you said that failure is necessary for progress. Not many people take that into consideration. I also said that I’d spend the day with my friends and family, but I said the same thing to Schuyler: if you go around meeting tons of new people, wouldn’t that just add names to the list of people you know that are going to die tomorrow? Maybe I misunderstood the question, but I like your ideas either way.
Oh gosh Bunje, this is a lot of questions...welp, onwards!
ReplyDelete1. If I didn’t know how old I was, I would either be 17/18 (a senior) or I would be a freshman in high school. Well, I’m sure that I would be classified with the seniors. After all, I do believe that I spend way too much time with seniors. If people don’t know me personally, they tend to just assume that I’m a senior since I’ve been at Oakcrest for quite some time now. Of course, I’d much rather be a freshman. There’s so much that I still want to do in Oakcrest that I feel as if, were I a freshman, I would be able to get it all done. I also can’t really picture myself off at college yet, I still see myself years from now performing on the Oak stage with more amazing parts to perform as.
2. I would rather fail than to never try. Unless, of course, it was an attempt to use drugs. I would never want to try that stuff and ruin my innocent self. However, when you fail at any other thing, you learn. That’s why I’ve never been afraid to answer a question in Matlack’s class no matter how STUPID I know I’ll sound. Failure allows you to look at a mistake, know that it’s wrong, and then learn why the success works correctly.
3. I think that we do so many things that we don’t like to build discipline. A body builder tears muscles and feels sore afterwards, but in the long run their muscles grow and recuperate. I don’t know though, the only thing I do that I don’t like is math and it’s because I’m good at it. I think that sometimes we also like to stay with things that are familiar to ourselves. However we like things that we don’t do because well, “the grass is always greener on the other side. Before we do something, we have no clue how difficult it may be and only see the positive outcomes that follow it.
5. If I could change one thing about the world, it would be the uneven distribution between appreciation for sports and appreciation for the arts. I believe that both are equally important to a child’s mind, but I hate how there are countless amounts of people out there who think that you need to be either a girl or gay to be in the arts or that athletes aren’t allowed to be “smart.” This is just me blowing off steam, but I also hate how drama 100% funds itself without any help from the school district, whereas sports teams all get at least some amount of money. I wouldn’t want to pull any money from the sports, but it would be nice to know that the board of education actually does support the arts to some degree.
6. If happiness was the national currency, I would become a director. I’m going to school to become a doctor, but the truth is that I don’t picture myself enjoying my job. Aspects of being a brain surgeon make it sound cool, but the only thing that really inspires me to learn about the subject is theatre. If only my parents weren’t set on me going to school for something other than an art...
8. If the average life span was 40 years I would NOT become a doctor, I can tell you that much. I probably would just choose to do whatever it is I wanted too...*cough cough directing cough cough*. Life would be way too short for me to not have fun while it lasted.
1.Well based on my physical appearance and my maturity of a 4 year old, I would guess that I’m somewhere between the ages of 13 and 19.
ReplyDelete2.NEVER TRYING. Who cares if you fail. I heard this great saying once that I hated. “You can’t fail if you don’t try.” You know what, you can’t win either. And you only freaking live once. So go try something. Why waste an opportunity. I
3 I think we do a lot of things we don’t like because we as a society want to impress others. I think it’s dumb, but it’s the truth and I do it too. Guilty as charged.
5.Where’s 4? And I would change the amount of happiness. People are too sad and mad all the time. They waste their lives away caring what others think and being mad about something they can’t change. Lighten up and be happy. That’s all I have to say on that subject.
6.(All of these questions seem to relate back to my answers on the previous one. Maybe that’s intentional?) I would be a musician. I don’t need to elaborate.
8 I’d go to everything faster. I would get a tattoo now rather than wait until I turn 18, I would go sky diving at 20 instead of 30. I’d ask someone to marry me rather than go to prom with me, and I sure as hell wouldn’t be in school or working.
9. I feel I have full control on the course of my life. I feel this way because I have fallen off the tracks a few times, and I’ve been able to get back on. I don’t need to elaborate on that either.
10. The right thing for sure. I could care less if I do something wrong unless it hurts someone else. I mean, everyone makes mistakes, but if you have good intentions what’s the harm?
12. Reach for the stars. I know it sounds cliche, but you have your whole life ahead of you. Make a dream and stick with it, because anything can happen.
13. Yes. I’d break the law for more than just that too.
17. I don’t think I want to do something I haven’t done. (age and law permitting)
18. If I was holding on to something, then I wouldn’t need to get rid of it. There’s a reason I’m holding it.
23. That’s all I try to be.
26. Old memories. My life has been somewhat boring so far, plus I’m only 16. Good times are only about to start.
34.YES!!!!! I thought that only happened to me! Wow.
36. Nope. It’s all what you want it to be.
41.I’d spend the day with my family. They’re the only true people that will be your friend from beginning to end.
46. LOL nothing. People judge me on the crap I do every day and I still do it. I wouldn’t change a bit.
There's nothing in the world that you want to do that you haven't done yet? Skydiving? White-water rafting? Great Wall of China? Meet Mac Miller? I don't know dude.
Deleteyeah, you're right. i didn't really think big picture
Delete9. I like to believe that I control some portion of my life. I control my work ethic. I know that my parents have made a lot of huge decisions to push my life in a certain direction, but I also know that without my work ethic I would not be at the position I am today for my future. I’ve worked my whole life to get good grades and to go above and beyond the call of duty with everything.
ReplyDelete10. I’m not worried at all about doing the right thing. I know that I would in the end make the choice to do what I believe the right thing is, I almost always have. However, I’m definitely more worried about doing things right. Without doing things right, there would be no success, or at least there would only be very little. More important than success though is being able to learn from the journey. which is how I believe one could “do things right.”
12. I won’t elaborate, but the one thing I would tell a new born child is to never forget how to smile.
13. Of course I would break the law to save a loved one! If it was someone that I truly loved, and I know that they weren’t around to take advantage of me, I would do almost anything for them. I know that I would sacrifice my own life for them. P.S. when I say “loved” I do not mean that I am head over heels for them, just that they are extremely close to my heart.
17. Okay, don’t laugh, but the one thing that I have not done that I really want to do is really learn how to dance. I don’t mean the easy, dumbed-down Tunney choreography. I want to learn tap, and jazz, and swing, and ballroom, and heck I’d even learn some ballet. Ever since a few years ago, I always regretted not learning when I was younger. Good dancing is possibly the most beautiful in the world to me. When I see videos of people like Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor, I grow beyond jealous. (View amazing dance numbers below) The only thing standing in my way is time and money to be put into lessons to learn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAISjlN_p8E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miiDiSsm3dI&feature=fvwrel
18. I don’t think I’m holding onto something that I need to let go of. I guess if anything, it’s my anger that still exists from losing state elections and that whole day. Although I’m happy I’m not on that board, I just know that I could have done things differently had I had more guidance from people like Costal and Mary.
23. I try my hardest to be the kind of person I would want as a friend, however I’m not too sure if my personality drives people off regardless.
26. Oh gosh, I think that this question is the hardest on the list. It would be pretty crummy if I couldn’t remember anything from the past. I’ve had some amazing times that have shaped me to who I am, but life would be terrible if I could never make more memories. That would mean that I couldn’t continue to shape myself. I would much rather be able to continue to shape myself and finish my life with more memories than to to only have old memories.
34. I enjoy the moments in life in which I can have a conversation without having a conversation. I do it often, and I know for a fact that when I’m lost for words I must be happy. More importantly, oh yes you are about to see the insides of the romantic Mike, I have this idea in my mind that the greatest feature on a girl is her eyes and that tends to be a huge part of whether or not I like someone. If I can be lost in their eyes and lost for words then I’m most likely also hearing bells in the back of my head. Face it, this question is a bit geared towards the relationship aspect of conversation.
ReplyDelete36. I don’t think it’s possible to know for a fact what is good and evil because they are relative. There definitely is no epitome of good, nor that of evil, there will always be something that can or will top that example. I also think that there is nobody who can judge either, because they very from culture to culture and from mindset to mindset.
41. Well, since there’s only a few hours left in today, I probably only have time to visit one person. I frankly don’t know who I would visit though. I feel as if no matter who I visit wouldn’t be able to dictate a change in who dies. Therefore, I would probably go to whoever it is that would make me happy to be around, that way I know that time isn’t wasted. That being said, I think I would go to the house of the Veltri family. SOme of you know Matt and Justin Veltri. I grew up with them, seeing that we were neighbors and all. I would go there not necessarily for them, but for their parents, which acted as if they were my parents at times, and I would go to just see how the youngest of the brothers has turned out, Collin. Collin is just a little kid, and I feel as if little kids are the purest beings out there. I know that he has potential to live an amazing life, and it would make me happy to see how he’s been.
46. If I knew nobody would judge me, I would be a dancer right now. That’s what stopped me when I was little and I will forever hate myself (not really) for falling into peer pressure in that regard. So yeah, that about wraps it all up!
To Mike: In regards to your last two questions...I agree with your analysis. I only see you being the most happy in the entertainment sphere. But all in all I hope you become an excellent doctor. I'm sre you will break in to that sector one way or another.
Delete*That is the last two on your first post*
DeleteEveryone: My question for 46 is why? Why would you change who you are? I mean, you had an opportunity to make yourself who you are, and you chose this. Why change that? I mean, who cares what others think? I have much more respect for someone who is themselves no matter what. So why act differently if others wouldn't judge you? Hate to break it to ya, but people judge you now.
ReplyDeleteI would be the same person, I mainly took it as if I knew no one would EVER judge me then I would have done things differently before that would create a slightly better Michael Giovinco for today. The difference is from now and then, I stopped caring about what people really thought of me in that regard.
Delete8.To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
ReplyDeleteUp until maybe my sophomore year of high school? A big fat 0%. My parents are probably a lot like most of yours; expectant, controlling, uptight. But I changed that the minute I realized that I’m living for myself, and not them.
13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?
In a heartbeat.
17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
I want to tell off my crew coach. I want to tell him exactly what I think about his methods, his rules, his expectations…And I want to express to him that I believe he has ruined our chances of ever being successful this season. What’s holding me back is that if I tell him how I truly feel, he’ll throw me off the varsity boat and onto the second 8 (again) because that is his idea of punishment. Sigh.
23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
I believe so, and I’ve always prided myself on this. I know what a good friend is because it is something I lacked a great deal of my life; someone who is consistently supportive, honest, and sincere. I don’t care if we lack the chemistry of a good friendship, I’m looking for the people who I can share a friendship with that doesn’t have multiple sides; for example having the same person talk about you who was just talking to you. I’ve never done that to a friend, so I hold the same expectation for mine.
41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
This is difficult because the people I have in mind live very far from each other… So I’m going to assume that under these conditions, I have acquired teleportation and therefore can visit my select people with ease. I’d visit my brother, where ever he is. (most likely Rutgers, but who knows with him). Next I’d visit my sister, in Vermont. I wouldn’t visit my siblings because I feel compelled to, but because I know that they know me better than anyone else, and I know them the same. So I’d love us to share some final moments of that surreal identification with each other. I’d visit my (ex) boyfriend and perhaps twist out any remaining droplets of affection we have for each other before it turns sour. I’d visit all of my dear friends and hopefully round them up in one big group because I always laugh the most when I’m with them all together. I’d visit anyone and everyone who has ever moved me or given me happiness.
46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
I’d tell the truth all the time. I wouldn’t be fake or falsely sympathetic. I wouldn’t pretend to care when I really don’t. I wouldn’t bite my tongue when I know you deserve a few choice words. I wouldn’t make promises I can’t keep. I wouldn’t sail through life as a people-pleaser. I guess I’d be a little more me.
Amanda: Your responses are ones that I feel like would be in seventeen or teen vogue haha :) cute and uplifting! I like your optimism for most answers. Also, I absolutely agree that high school is restricting. Ask any college student, most will tell you that the best thing about college is meeting people, and having the opportunity to surround yourself with people just like you.
ReplyDeleteNyamekeye: Even though I suppose it's Rachel's words, your blog makes an excellent point! Without hatred (or some kind of equally negative synonym) there would be no love. The opposites in life create some of the most unmovable balances. I think when people learn this reality, it would be easier to mediate the problems in life, rather than hopelessly try and heal them. (I'm speaking so generally!)
Mike G: I wasn't expecting to see that at one point you aspired to be a dancer! I'm disappointed that you let peer pressure and judgement fall in the way! It's not too late to test the waters! That's all I gotta say! :-)
thanks Connie! I want to try to pick some things up while I'm at college, it'll just be more difficult since I won't have the discipline and knowledge that dancers pick up when they're younger.
Delete1) If I didn't know how old i was I would probably be in my early thirties. Still young and willing to take chances, but beginning to become aware of the responsibilities of adult life. Which I suppose is like the same as what I actually am: still young but starting to understand what life is about. But something about teenagers is just too much for me, the drama the immaturity. No, I think I'd be early thirties almost purely because I want to be.
ReplyDelete9) I have had very little control over the course my life has taken, and unfortunately I've become very accustomed to people deciding my path and fulfilling the duties that may or may not accompany that path. I've actually started to notice that I enjoy when people tell me what to do. I guess there's some sort of insurance in that as well as a certain lack of responsibility, like even if I screw up it could very easily be blamed on the person who made the decision for me.
10) I am equally concerned with both, but I concern myself in a certain order. First I think about what is right, then I think about doing it right. That way it's kind of the best of both worlds.
18) I'm am almost definitely holding onto multiple things that I need to let go of. None of which I really want to talk about, but I'm mostly holding onto them because I'm afraid I will loose them forever, or that I won't be able to replace them with something that would be equally as valuable to me.
34) Yes, and it's a really great feeling. It's only happen to me once or twice, but if you just look into that persons eyes and you can see everything that makes you complete, and there are no words that could encompass the exchange that is actually taking place between you two. Which for me is so comforting because although I can be very outspoken I wouldn't say that I'm really articulate, so when something like this happens it just makes me really happy to think that I didn't have to worry about what I may or may not have forgotten to say, because there was nothing to say.
36) I don't happen to think "things" can be good or evil. But I don't think that anyone could decide whether or not a person is good or evil, because there are just too many factors to consider. I'm sure I've said in some blog that I strongly believe that no one can ever really "know" someone else, for the simple reason that you will never be anyone else but yourself. So logically you will only ever know you, and some people don't even make it that far. Other people might sympathize with you, or be going to something similar, or have a basic idea of what you like/ dislike/ think but they will never 100% know you.
ReplyDelete41) If I knew no one would judge me, I would probably not do anything different. Which is odd, but I feel like people judging you and people reacting to you are two different things. I haven't completely figured it out yet but I'm positive that I could care less about the opinions of most of the people in the school. Because their opinion has very little bearing on my life and to be perfectly honest I'm pretty sure I don't effect them enough for them to even have an opinion. Although I might dress a little differently only because I have some clothing that I think people at oakcrest just wouldn't appreciate. Especially since one time I wore rain boots to school and in the hall some kid said something about me hunting alligators. His comment was not only stupid but completely unnecessary, especially since those boots are really freakin cool. I digress.
Other than that though probably not.
Bunje, this is cruel. I could write an entire blog for each of these questions. But I’ll attempt to very simply and concisely answer the majority of these.
ReplyDelete1. The other night I was talking to my Dad about relationships (ranting more like it) and I basically told him I have next to no interest in relationships at this point in my life. If I were to date, it would be more for fun I guess. High school is for me, and I don’t plan on getting emotionally attached to any one person and make life decisions based on it. No matter where I go to college I’ll probably find a husband, or wherever I work. I basically realized that a relationship is a friendship with an attraction level. I can’t remember what else I said, but basically it ended with my Dad saying, “You’re wise beyond your years.” It’s always been that way. At camps, I always got stuck with the older kids that I hardly knew because I was mature. So I’d say I’m a divorced forty-five year old lady, even though getting old and anti-fun terrifies me along with divorce. The only thing I hate more than commitment is a breach in commitment.
2. Never trying never trying never trying. Failure sucks ballz (I feel like if you’re going to say that, you have to go all out) but never trying is what eats away at you when you’re a forty-five year old divorcee petting your Scottish Fold cat and watching baseball alone.
3. Reason number 54 why I disapprove of society, right here. We do things that we don’t like to do so we can live longer. You know, money, food, hospital bills, all of that fun stuff. I guess it balances out. If I did all the stuff I wanted to all of the time, I would die a lot sooner. But we get all caught up in jobs by a certain age, and responsibility. We forget why we work (to do the things we WANT to do) and we forget we ever had things we wanted to do. That’s the price of nice clothes. And divorces.
5. This question is impossible not to cop-out on. I want to say, “the fact that I have to answer this question.” Not in the sense that I’m condemning blogs. But in the cheap sense that in a perfect world I wouldn’t need to be asked this question, because it wouldn’t exist. Sadly, it does exist, so I’ll just say I’d change cynicism. Nothing ever changes with an attitude that says the world is doomed.
6. I’ve been leaning towards botany lately. My favorite subject is science. I love knowing how things work, but I’ve recently realized I’m less of a fan of math than I had previously believed. We are currently divorced. With math out, Chemistry and Physics, Math’s dogs, have unfortunately left with him. That leaves me with Biology. That was my favorite science anyway. I love genetics, so I’d probably like some sort of Genome project. However, I’m not a big fan of dissections, so I’m just about stuck with plants. But I like plants. Plants also conveniently give me an excuse to be outside and not cooped up every day. Field work with plants could make me very rich.
8. I would have kids sooner. Forty used to be the life expectancy and probably still is in some parts of the world. People aren’t really meant to live much longer. It’s not in our genetics, but that’s what science and technology are for! Still, it’d be dumb to say you’d live much differently. Regardless of when you die, you should be living up every moment to begin with. Eighty or so to forty or so shouldn’t constitute a change in much besides conventions.
ReplyDelete9. I’d like to say I’ve controlled my life pretty heavily. Whether or not somebody has guided me a certain way, such as with school, I’m still ultimately making the decision I want to fulfill. I like what I’m doing and I do what I like.
10. I’m more worried about doing the right thing. That’s completely subjective of course, but still what I concern myself with first, before I bother with how I’ll properly play it out.
12. Don’t forget to love yourself.
13. If it was a really respectable and logical law like murder, then no. If it was stealing I would, but I would probably spend the rest of my life anonymously paying them back. If I had no way of ever paying them back, then I would, if a person’s life outweighed the law I was breaking.
17. I really want to spend a day without sight, just blindfold myself or something. Or maybe spend an entire day and night outsight, like hardcore camping. Live a day like I was stranded in the woods with no technology. Both are pretty inconvenient and don’t fit well into my schedule. Also, I feel as though my mother wouldn’t approve.
18. I won’t say there aren’t things that I don’t really need to be holding on to, but nothing that’s adversely affecting my life. Things that hurt me I seem to let go of all too easily. Some grudges I would like to let go of, but it’s hardly even the event I hold onto. It’s more the temperament of the person. Letting go of a grudge would only renew itself in a short amount of time.
23. I’m on the fence about this one. I’m fairly positive at one point in my life this was the opposite, but I’m the dominant personality in my relationship with my best friend. There’s not even a doubt in my mind about it. She’s not as ambitious in a sense. I care more about the future, where she is much more nonchalant. One isn’t necessarily better. She’s so utterly nice that she’s incapable of defending herself. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve seen her cry or complain about whomever, but she’ll never say a word to them. That’s not to say I won’t for her. As much as I wish and hope and pray and scream for her to say something for herself, I’m not sure I would like it if she did.
26. Well this question just makes me want to cry. I guess in a way I would want a clean start. I almost interpret this question as, are you happy with yourself right now, or would you like to start all over again? If you could never make another memory, you’d be virtually stuck in the exact same mentality that you’re in right now. If you were to forget everything that’s ever happened, you would basically have to start over. Also, would you prefer to forget everybody who has died in your lifetime or left you, or to never remember anybody new who has impacted your life again? Do you want to be the girl from Fifty First Dates, or the girl from the Vow? Personally, as much as it completely kills me to say it, I would rather lose all of my old memories, even though they’re infinitely precious to me.
34. I’m pretty sure I have, but I can only think of a poor example or two. Something like that apparently doesn’t stick with me, or it doesn’t come to mind when asked.
36. I actually do kind of believe there is a, based on the laws of the universe, definite good and evil. However, I don’t really think any one person would ever be sure if they’re right, and in a way has no way to force their version of right and wrong on anybody else.
I enjoyed what you had to say in regards to number 8. It speaks to what I was saying about how the normal life expectancy was 40 for most but in a slightly different way. By that I mean I liked that you included that you live life to he fullest in nearly every cicumstance and that shouldn't or wouldn't change your life if shortened.Also to number 46, I know what you mean about being a naturally quiet person...but really, forks again? Haha.
Delete41. If I was also going to die tomorrow, I wouldn’t visit anybody. I would just do every awfully awesome life threatening thing possible. If I had to live through it, I would spend it with my parents. My best friend. A giant Skype call with all of my other friends simultaneously.
ReplyDelete46. NO MORE FORKS EVER. And you know, talk in class more. I’d probably be more outgoing in general, but I’m still more of a naturally quiet person. Less so than before, but still quiet.
Nyamekye: I was just having this conversation with my mom last night. Lately, I’ve been getting too good at expressing exactly how I feel to people. It’s like I’ve pretty much mastered the advice you would give to a baby. I told off two people this weekend. One person is an asshole who I’m pretty sure everybody secretly hates and I’m just about the only person who is willing (and has been willing for about four times now… in the past year) to tell him exactly how it is. The other is just a selfish jerk, who, though he may have had seemingly good intentions, clearly has no ability to comprehend the effect he’s going to have on my friend. So, since I don’t like being stepped on, I told them both off within a day of each other. I can’t say I feel empowered. I don’t like to think that I’m unconditionally right in how I felt. And seeing how crappy I feel after I do it, I can’t say it’s the best thing to tell people EXACTLY how you feel. I’m still debating whether the ability to talk is a good one.
Schuyler: I was reading what you put for 36 and I pretty much put the exact same thing and was silently agreeing in my head when suddenly I come across “all intents and purposes” and then my head is just about blown up (like water from a geezer -_-) of my many malapropisms. Then I became sad at the thought of not remembering our fictional world where energy comes in the form of geezer souls that you ride up to heaven. And sit on waiting for them to die. But you have to admit, “Hannibal’s Codes” have to be about twenty times more awesome than Hammurabi’s Codes. You didn’t know it back then, but you have to now.
1. Never test Hannibal
2. Fava beans and liver are best served with a nice chianti
3. Make wickedly creepy mouth noises whenever possible
4. Blink as rarely as possible
5. When murdering, listen to classical music
6. If you’re going to escape, you have to escape in the most amazing way possible
7. If you can follow the first 6 rules, your reward is that when you say, “I’m having an old friend for dinner,” you get to sound ambiguous.
Rachel: My favorite words: “Get out now.” I think that’s what my speech was about. I’m not positive though. I’m pretty sure I said that several times. It may have been the title too. Let me check. Seriously, I just spent five minutes derping around my ridiculously organized Microsoft word only to find that it’s one of the 7 documents I never placed in a folder. Lovely. WELL it’s called “Get out” and then it’s actually called, “Get out, get out, wherever you are.” So yeah. Agreement has been achieved.
This is creepy, but I love and am extremely jealous of the dynamic I observe of your and Schuyler's friendship. Makes me happy.
Delete1.How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? (I love this one!)
ReplyDeleteI’ve always been young at heart, so I’d be 9 or so. But if I had to guess my own age from my appearance and personality, I’d probably be 12.
2.Which is worse, failing or never trying?
Of course, never trying is worse. When you try, there’s always that chance of something great happening. When you don’t, you may have just missed one of the biggest opportunities ever. When you fail, you learn from your mistakes, as cliche as it sounds. You should not fear failure, even though admittedly, I often do. Failure is not all that bad, unless you like.. die or something. But never trying is one of the worse things you could do. Now if only I followed my own advice more often..
3.If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
We do things we don’t like because we practically have to. We know we need to do certain things if we want our life to not suck. For example, many people would much rather sit on their couch all day, but instead, they go to work. They don’t like their job, but they go because if they didn’t they would end up homeless. (Moral: Get a job you like.) Similarly, people clean their house because if they didn’t, it would get pretty disgusting. I don’t really understand the “like so many things we don’t do” part. But I suppose it’s because we’re often too lazy to put the effort in to do those things we like, as getting to do them is often a difficult process.
5.What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
Uhh... I guess I would stop racism. It appalls me how many racists surround me on a daily basis, and I’m sure discrimination is far far worse in many other areas of the country and world. It’s so pointless to judge people by characteristics of their appearance that are unchangeable. Racists suck!
6.If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
You see, I don’t exactly know. Currently, I’m aiming to be an optometrist, and I feel like that would make me somewhat wealthy with happiness. However, I have no idea what would make me “rich.”
8.If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
Oh geeze. I feel like I would have quit school a long time ago and maybe I’d be beginning my adventure around the world now. (If I have the money for it.) Education is important, and I would continue learning by myself, but I would never want to spend half of my life in school.
9.To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
I’ve had a decent amount of control in my life. My parents have chosen where I live, where I go to school, what food I eat (usually), and such. They have also controlled my grades in a sense, since my dad would probably murder me if I ever had more B’s than A’s. (This reminds me of that meme that says “You are A-sian, not B-sian or C-sian!”) But I still have controlled how well I do in school, I suppose. I chose to aim high myself, as my parents don’t really even understand what AP is, or honors classes or SATs. (“When are you taking your ‘ASTs’ again?”, my dad asked me tonight during dinner.) They haven’t controlled what activities I’ve participated in, as they don’t care much about my drawings or about stage crew, Latin Club, Asian Awareness, student council, or NHS. And I have chosen who I have become friends with and what decisions I make. Since my parents don’t really pay that much attention to me, I could probably be running around doing illegal things right now. But well, I’m not. When I actually first answered this question I wrote “I have a very very tiny amount of control.” But as I wrote I realized that I actually have had a lot of control and had to go back and change it.
10.Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
Doing the right things. You should always do the right thing over anything.
12.If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
ReplyDeleteBe happy to be alive. Try your best to enjoy everything in life.
13.Would you break the law to save a loved one?
Yes yes! Jail will be worth it if I’ve saved someone from incredible harm. However, if you mean my “loved one” broke the law themselves and you’re asking if I’d become their accomplice or something, hell no! People should take repercussions for their own actions.
17.What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
Talk to this person more and become better friends with them. The fact that I feel like I’m annoying holds me back.
18.Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
I want to say yes, but I can’t think of anything which fits the criteria. So no...?
23.Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
Well, I consider a lot of people friends. But I have not been the kind of friend I would want as a CLOSE friend. I feel like I’m such a distant person. Pretty much no one ever turns to me in their times of distress and need. I’d like there to be someone I could tell anything to. But there isn’t, and I am not this person to anyone, either.
26.Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
I would rather lose all of my old memories. Seriously, if I never was able to make new ones, I’d be stuck with the same memories for the rest of my life. That’s boring.
34.Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
Nope. I’ve had conversations like that, but they weren’t any of the best ever. I like conversations where both people talk, and talk a lot.
36.Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
No. That’s not possible. I don’t know how it would be..
41.If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
I would get together with my closest friends for one last time.
46.What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
I’d do whatever the heck I wanted! The most judgemental people in my life are my parents. I’d be a much freer person with everything if I wasn’t judged.
Schuyler: Wow, I haven’t commented on one of your posts in a long time...I think. Your #5 (though I think it was actually supposed to be an answer for question #6) was very sweet. I was kind of surprised, as I always thought of you as more introverted. Also, I got mentioned in Schuyler’s blog! Wooo, I feel so special now.
Dan: “The work that would make me rich would be hanging out with my best buddies.” D’aww! That sounds grand. I kind of took the “work” part much more literally in my answer. But I think I’d get rich off of being with my friends too. Also, I could relate when you said “I’m held to certain standards as an AP student and I don’t want people to think I’m as dumb as I really am.” Everyone laughs when someone has a “stupid” question, while in my mind, I often have equally as stupid questions.
Matt: I really like your #17. That sounds like an amazing journey. It sucks that things like age hold people back from their explorations. (The fact that I look like a twelve year old probably holds me back especially.) But I wish you luck on your future adventures, Matt!
Nyamekye: Your response to number 5 was interesting, but I found it to be a bit cynical. And in response to your response, yeah it’s probably the only downfall of still being 18. Haha. But that’s the age I feel now. However, if I were a vampire and I had to choose what age I would stay at forever, I would say 21 or 22!
ReplyDeleteMike: Your responses to 6 and 8 made me sad. I don’t like hearing about the fact that you don’t picture yourself enjoying being a brain surgeon. I guess being a brain surgeon is more accessible than being a director (well, I guess it depends on what kind of stuff you want to direct.) But you never know what the future holds!
Amber: Botany? Hmm…that’s new. Tree Hugger! But plants seem like a pretty cool realm of science to go into. You should talk to Matlack! Haha.
1.How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? (I love this one!)
ReplyDeleteProbably about 12, because that's about where my sense of humor is. Mildly ribald, but still infatuated with puns and simple wordplay.
2.Which is worse, failing or never trying?
This is not a black and white distinction, there are millions of reasons not to try. Trying is often futile, so never trying can be good for our egos and save us time. But futility is just about the only acceptable reason for not trying of those millions, because fear of failure, or fear of new things is not the same as certainty of failure. Basically, don't be an idiot, but don't be afraid to take a one-in-a-million shot every now and then.
3.If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
Most of the time, because we have to, because we it's healthy to, or just because someone else needs us to. Besides, people who justify their actions by referencing the shortness of life are often people likely to make their lives shorter. Which is why most of the time, I punch people who say “life is short,” in the face, because if the you're so terrified of your own mortality that you need to be constantly living every moment to its fullest, you need a less morbid worldview. Life is life, trying to force as much happiness as you can into it is a ridiculous concept.
5.What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
People. People suck, and they need to stop sucking. All that really takes is the courtesy to respect one another despite differences in faith (or lack thereof), race, or world view. People also need to base the decisions they make on on concrete evidence rather than feelings or religious rules.
6.If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
Anything involving baseball. Next question.
8.If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
I'd want to finish learning earlier and start doing earlier, otherwise I wouldn't change much, for all the same reasons I mentioned earlier.
9.To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
Somewhat. I see my life so far as a series of opportunities being presented to me, and my main control has been taking or refusing those opportunities. Most of my education has not been my choice, mostly because there isn't that wide a variety of courses I could take to maximize my chances of attending my choice colleges.
10.Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
Those really aren't mutually exclusive, so I'm going to cop out and say they're about equal. There are many occasions where “doing things right,” is just unimportant to me, I don't always value the quality of my work. “Doing the right things,” is something so ambiguously defined that I don't spend an enormous amount of time laboring over such decisions unless consequences are likely forthcoming.
12.If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
Stop pooping your pants. Not that the baby would understand that, or anything for that matter. Next question.
James, I don't know if you can pass as 12 with that facial hair you've got going...
Delete13.Would you break the law to save a loved one?
ReplyDeleteDepends on the law depends on the loved one. I probably wouldn't kill anyone to save anybody but my Mom.
17.What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
I really wish I could spend more time with my friends, but my schedule and some of my parent's more stringent rules make that either impossible or incredibly difficult to do.
18.Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
I just recently let go of it, actually. There's a void there, but I feel better for having let it go.
23.Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
Probably not, I don't hang out much and I'm not exactly there for every crisis. I'm a good acquaintance but I'm not sure I'd want me as a friend.
26.Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
The phrase “making memories,” always made me laugh. I think it's funny that the thing people most value about the good times they have is that they will be able to feel nostalgic about them in the future. Memory is good for some things, but assuming you mean memories in the sense of nonessential information like remembering past fun times, I'd probably be fine without any memories at all, it would make every experience new, nothing would be repeated.
34.Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
Most of the time I don't shut up, so no.
36.Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
If it were, would everyone have so much trouble figuring it out? There are always shades of gray, always.
41.If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
I'd spend the day with my Mom, because there's a lot I'd need to tell her that I've never had the chance to say. I'd thank her and try to make her understand the difference in our beliefs, something I may never get the chance to really reconcile.
46.What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
Very little. I would probably dress more comfortably and dance in public more often. I'm a bad dancer. Shame can be a good thing.
Tom- Same mental age! I searched for someone else who put twelve, and I guess I'm not surprised it's you. I'm actually more surprised at how many people put themselves as older than they really are, I guess I expected more people to be as childlike as I am.
Nyamekye- You also felt like you were a sucky friend, and I can relate. I definitely feel like sometimes my friends are just an earpiece for me to talk into, not that I don't listen too, but I wouldn't want to be friends with me because I know how much I use my friends to do exactly what you said, “rant, whine and ignore them.” Maybe we're just both neurotic about friendships, who knows.
Ted- I agree that for the most part, we are trapped by our AP mentalities, our course choices to our social lives are dominated by the our drive to succeed in school rather than our own desires.
Dan: I'm not so much concerned with falling in love with these people. I'm not out to make lasting relationships the day before I die. However, I would like to hear what they have to say about life, is all.
ReplyDeleteBobby:YOLO
Kendall: I remember asking you what you wanted to do today, and you told me you wanted to go into social work. I don't know why, but it made me smile the whole way down to my study hall. You'll do great. You're personality is so caring, good luck out there.
1. How old would you be you didn’t know if how old you?
ReplyDeleteI’ve always felt that I am a little kid. The way that I think and the things that I do make me feel like I’m just a really big kid. I still like watching kid shows like Super Why or Curious George. When I walk into Toys R US, I have to be forced out because I am just hypnotized by all of the toys. So I think I would be about 8 years old.
2. Which is worse failing or never trying?
Failing. Let’s be honest we are all afraid of failing, well at least I am. I would rather never try and not know the outcome rather than try and fail. Failing is just not a good feeling.
3.If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
I think that because we are so worried about doing what is the “right” thing to do, we forget to ask ourselves if we truly enjoy what we are doing. Society provides a great deal of stress and we spend our lives trying to find relief from that stress. That is why we don’t have time to search for happiness.
5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
I would like to change the world’s standards. I want to change the standards of every society. I want everyone to live their lives the way they would want to and not based on their culture, society or family. I guess I would eliminate standards, maybe that way people could live in happiness.
6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
I never really thought about this one. I always think sensibly and think what is best for my future. But I think something that I would really enjoy being a comedian. I obviously know I am not a very funny person but I like the job, it’s great. They spend their lives thinking about how to make people smile. I would love to know that I made someone’s day by just a simple smile.
8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
I would LIVE. I wouldn’t spend my time worrying about silly things like what is going to happen to me when I grow up, I would worry about what makes me happy and what I actually want to do with my life. I guess I would live for myself and no one else.
9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
Somewhat. I mean most of the decisions that I have been made are decisions made by other people in my life telling me what I need to do or what is good for me. But choices like what sport to do in high school. That is one I made for myself maybe that is why I like it so much. It’s something that I have controlled. Also going into honors and AP classes was a decision I made
for myself. I think those two were the most important decisions in my life so far that I have controlled.
ReplyDelete10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
I am never really worried about doing things right. Maybe I should be more worried about it but I mostly care about doing the right things. I feel like if you tried your best, you did it right. Doing the right things is more important to me because it is what is important. It is what you will look back on and feel proud of.
12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
Don’t listen to anyone. If that child didn’t listen to anyone or was not influenced by decisions of others it would be easier for that child to grow into a happy adult that does everything that he or she wants.
13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?
Yes, without a doubt. I feel very strongly about the ones that I love and I would risk my life for them not only break the law.
17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
I feel like at one point I have tried everything that I have wanted to do. I do not think that there is anything that is holding me back from anything because I have gotten to do everything.
18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
Oh yes. I hold onto many memories that I need to just forget but I just can’t. It’s not very easy to just let go of memories and problems that you have with people. But I order to move on in my life I have to stop thinking about the past.
23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
I don’t think that I am the ideal friend but I try to be the best one I can be. I try to be there for my friends when they need me and help out with anything they need but one thing I just can’t do is trust people. So although I hear all of their problems and all of their secrets, I do not share my own. I wouldn’t want a friend that couldn’t trust me. So no I have not been the kind of friend that I would want as a friend.
26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
Never make new ones. My memories and my past have made me into the person I am. I would never want to lose them. I guess if I lost them I would lose a little bit of myself too.
34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
All the time. I mostly have this feeling when I am around my sister. With us we don’t even have to use words to express how we feel. We are so in sync that just with a look we know exactly how the other feels.
ReplyDelete36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
There are so many different circumstances and so many different choices to make in life that sometimes it is hard to differentiate between what is without a doubt good or bad. So no I do not think that it is that easy to tell between the two.
41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
I would want to see everyone. Family, friends and even people that I do not know that well. I would never see these people again so naturally I would want to tie up any lose ends or say anything that has ever needed to be said.
46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
I think I would voice my opinion more. I feel like everyone stares and makes opinions about me when I open my mouth. I’m sure no one really does and I’m probably just being my paranoid self but it’s a feeling I can’t shake off.
1. If I didn’t know I’m seventeen, I – along with most adults I know – would say I’m probably twenty-three or twenty-four. I’m told rather often that, despite my twelve-year-old appearance, I’m rather mature for my age.
ReplyDelete2. It’s far worse to never try than to fail. I understand that failure and rejection are intimidating and certainly can be incentives to not try, but the potential will always outweigh the risk. In the wise words of Coldplay, “if you never try, you’ll never know.”
5. Of all the serious issues I would like to see change on this planet, I think that I’d most love to see the ignorance of the world disappear. All the blatant stupidity, the lack of consideration, the outright obliviousness to everything – I wish it’d all just vanish.
6. Designing. Definitely designing. My mom makes cards as a hobby – every birthday, anniversary, holiday, whatever – and her work is truly inspiring. She’s so creative, it honestly makes me jealous. Recently, I’ve been picking up some of her slack in that I design certain cards and construct them all on my own. I love it. Designing, maybe not specifically cards, maybe architectural design or interior design, is a release. It’s so calming and it allows me to show my creativity. Although, I feel as if doing something that’s intended to be calming for a living is counterproductive. On several occasions I’ve asked my mom why she doesn’t sell her cards, and she said, “because then it’d be a job. I do this because I love doing it and once money’s involved, so is stress, and the love for it just disappears.”
10. Whenever I mull over a decision or think about how I should conduct myself, seldom do I consider doing the “right thing” simply because the right thing doesn’t always turn out the way you hope, but when you do things right, you can ensure that they’re done in a manner that you approve of, so it’s not often that things turn out opposite of how you want.
23. I’m probably one of the worst friends ever. I’m forgetful and moody and uncontrollable and inconsolable at times – if I were anyone else, I wouldn’t want to be my own friend. One person who I claim to be my “best friend,” I can’t even stand to be around at times. She’s a sweet girl, don’t get me wrong, but she’s so DITZY. I think I’m allergic to that type of person or something, because I have absolutely no tolerance. If she asks me more than one (academic) question per day, I completely shut down around her. I won’t make direct eye contact, I’ll give her short answers, I’ll roll my eyes A LOT, and sometimes, when she really gets under my skin, I’ll completely undermine her and (inadvertently) make her feel like an idiot. I know I’m not the smartest person in the world, and I feel like I’m that ditzy person to the rest of the AP community, so it’s rather hypocritical of me to act so demeaning around her, but I can’t control myself. I just cannot do it. I’m a horrible, unsupportive, contradictory friend, so no, I would not want myself as a friend.
46. If I knew I wasn’t going to be judged, I probably would speak my mind more often. The main reason I tend to keep half of my thoughts and opinions to myself (shocking, given how much I talk) is because I have a MASSIVE problem articulating my thoughts. Each time I try, I either stutter, stammer, or blank out completely. I’ll have a thought in my head that I want to share, but I’ll hold it back either because I can’t get it out, or I feel like it’s stupid. That’s another thing: I hate feeling stupid. Just this year I started asking questions in class, and I’ve regretted it since. Teachers always say, “There’s no such thing as a dumb question; you don’t need to feel embarrassed; ask us anything!” But, what they leave out is that your peers will ridicule you for asking a “dumb question,” so you will feel embarrassed. In Calc a few weeks ago, Mrs. Baird was doing something with revolving cylinders around an axis or area of intersections or WHATEVER, and I didn’t understand WHY to do something. If you give me a Calc problem, I can more than likely do it; but I can’t tell you why. On this particular day, however, I was feeling rather inquisitive and decided to ask WHY? Between Mrs. Baird not understanding my question and my frustration as she explained something completely unrelated to my question, the snickering coming from the corner of the room (*cough cough Bobby Kelly and Zack Massey cough cough*) certainly did not lighten my mood. When I asked after class what was so funny, Bobby decided to be the asshole of the year by saying something stupid (while continuing to snicker, might I add) like, “HA, you’re the only one in class that didn’t get it!” Naturally, I got pissed off and stormed away; SO, the bottom line is, if I could do anything without getting judged, I’d speak my mind and ask questions more often.
ReplyDeleteI don't even know how to answer these many questions, I usually avoid things like these, but here we go.
ReplyDelete1)Based off the fact that I look like a teenager, I can't be any younger than 13, even that is somewhat of a stretch. But, my maturity is questionable and I still enjoy having fun and just being stupid with my friends, so I'd say based off everything that encompasses a 14 year old, I'd go with that.
2)I think it's safer to say that failing is better than never trying, but I'm going to be realistic. Nobody likes failing, or at least I know I don't, and if I never do something, then at least I know I can't fail at it, which is why I tend to gravitate to things I won't fail at. (other than Lang of course)
3)We do so many things we don't like because you have to go through the rough patches to get to where you eventually want to be. So, basically you do what you don't like so eventually you can do what you like. Seems backwards to me. So many things that we don't do, we tend to like, because of that reason exactly; we don't do them. Things that are uncommon in everyday situations are the things we strive to do and look forward to doing. If we had a rainforest zipline in our town, that would get old eventually, but if we didn't have a movie theater, we would travel miles and miles to go see a movie! It really is based off the normal that you're used to.
5) The one thing I would change about the world if I could is all the hate. Now I'm not saying world peace is going to be achieved in one day, but I can say that if people would just learn to accept others for who they were, we would have a lot less problems in society.
6)My ideal job would be anything in the world of sports. Anything from a reporter to a coach to a player to an announcer. I don't even care, I'll take any of them. That's undoubtedly be where I'd be my happiest.
8)I would live my life a little differently, I'd stop living to achieve a goal later in life and just live life with little goals, one at a time. I wouldn't say, oh well with this plan I should be rich by 45, because frankly I don't have that time.
9)I've done the best I can to shape the course of my life with what I've been given. Of course there have been a lot of things in my life that I had no control over and with what I've been presented I think I've made a great life for myself.
10)I'm more concerned with doing the right things because as a teenager I'm so prone to making bad decisions, it almost comes with being a teen. With so much pressure it's easy to mess up, and that's my worst nightmare, messing up in life.
12)My one piece of advice would be: Live life however you want to live it and don't listen to anybody else, especially these pieces of advice from stressed out Lang kids.
13)I would absolutely break the law to save a loved one, that's almost a stupid question. You've got to put yourself before your family.
17)I've really wanted to travel around the world and it's safe to say that money has been holding me back.
18)I hold onto a lot of things that probably need to be let out, but I guess that's why they're being held in.
23)I have the greatest group of friends in the entire world and I wouldn't even be the same person I am today, without them. Based off this fact alone, I hope I'm the same friend to them as they are to me, because they truly deserve what I receive from each and every one of them everyday.
ReplyDelete26)I think I'd rather lose all my old memories, because I've still got so much life ahead of me, and although I do have great memories, there were a few years that I don't remember just because I was too young anyway.
34)I can't say this has happened to me yet, but maybe when I find my first true love, I'll know it right away as this happens.
36)There is secretly a bit of good and evil in everything, so I don't think it's ever black and white, but always a little gray.
41)I really don't want to think about this question, as I'm a very emotional guy when it comes to death, especially of loved ones, this is a toughie. I'd try and spend time with all of my family members and probably my inner core of friends. But, hopefully this doesn't happen to me.
46)Nothing, I am who I am and I love it. Wouldn't change a thing.
Nyamekye: 62? Haha I can totally see that! If you asked me, I might have guessed an age that old too! The things you do make me realize it now though. You do act like an old woman.
ReplyDeleteSchuyler: I could see you as 30 year old because of how wise you are. I feel like you just have everything together in your life. (I am not saying that you do) And you seem just…I don’t know confident?
Kendall: I understand how you feel about Kayla. I feel the same way about my sisters. I would do anything for them without even thinking about it. I would always want to protect them and help them.
Emily: Hehe, I look like I'm twelve too! :3 But if the average life span were 40, I think I'd have to agree with you in that I don't want to spend half my life in school, I want to go off adventuring in some foreign country, meeting new people, doing new things, etc.
ReplyDeleteHira: Woowoo! Voicing our opinions more! :)
Rachel: I adore your #3, chiquita! I know we're all still young, but I feel like when we were children, we all laughed and took for granted our parents and aunts and uncles and grandparents who all said, "Enjoy your childhood while you still have it, it doesn't last long!" Little did we know, they were right. I wish I could go back to the good ol' days playing with Barbie dolls and sitting down and doing my homework in ten minutes... Sigh. /:
1.How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? (I love this one!)
ReplyDeleteI would probably be mid twenties (gah Bunje, I feel stupid writing this answer now, but thinking about it, you were right). Maybe 24, which is an even number and I don’t like even numbers that much, but oh well. I say 24 because I feel as if I know what I want to do with my life, I wish I could fast forward through the rest of my schooling and have a career. I like the idea of family, and find myself wanting to start one more and more. I also think long term when it comes to my relationships with everyone in my life.
2.Which is worse, failing or never trying?
Never trying, hands down. It’s like, how muscles need to be worked out continuously to become stronger. We as people, need to constantly be working in order to become stronger. If we never try anything, we can never grow or learn. “Failing” is a relative term.
3.If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
SOCIETY. I have been trying to make a conscious effort to get away from this, and it’s hard, because I feel guilty for doing so. But then I realize I feel guilty for not conforming to the standards of others, and that’s silly.
5.What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
I’m assuming people are considered part of the world, and in that case I would definitely heighten tolerance and respect. When I really think about it, and all the hardships, and mass groups of people murdered for asinine reasons, it upsets me tremendously. Mutual respect, I believe, is the best way to coexist peacefully.
6.If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
Talking to people. Laughing. Roller coaster riding and early morning runs and long drives.
Okay, that isn’t what the question is asking, is it. Uhm, to be a colorguard instructor, or teacher in general.
8.If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
I’d dub myself a super awesome name, on par with Alex Supertramp, and live off the land, scouring the world for whatever interests me. I’d become educated in only the things I found relevant and necessary to my own life (basically, what I’m saying is screw calculus, I’m reading Throreau instead.) and not compromise who I am for anything. If I only had 40 years to live, there’s no time to waste in conforming and making others happy at my own detriment.
9.To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
I’ve controlled a lot of my life by giving up control, if that makes sense. There have been a lot of times were I said “Screw it” and in letting others dictate my life, the course of my life has changed. My parents have not been as “hands on” though, so I may not have been forced into doing activities as much as my peers. Anything I started or have become involved in was because I wanted to.
10.Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
Doing the right things. If you’re doing what’s right, how can you be wrong?
12.If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
You are an individual, honor that and achieve happiness on your own terms.
13.Would you break the law to save a loved one?
Yes. I doubt I would even be thinking of the law.
17.What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
ReplyDeleteI have not taken a road trip to Boston. This has to do with time and money and obligations going on in aspects of life that are more immediately important. It will happen though, hopefully this summer. There is no doubt in my mind.
18.Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
I’m still angry at people for certain things, but I think holding on to that anger ensures those particular people won’t hurt me again. If I let go of my animosities, I would probably find my way back into these people’s lives, and set myself up for failure once more, because it has happened multiple times before.
23.Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
I try to be, but then sometimes I feel as if I’m such a terrible friend compared to everyone else and I hate myself for it. I will always be there for anyone when they’re upset or need something, but I’m scared that I’m not there for them even when something isn’t wrong, and that’s the best kind of friend.
26.Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
I dwell in the past so much, I don’t know how I’d be able to live without my old memories. Then again, much of my sorrow stems from the past, so I guess let’s just throw those out.
34.Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
My (current) (boy)friend and I were driving, and he was whistling and and I was looking out the window and there was a rainbow, and I motioned to him and he looked over and smiled. The rest of the ride continued in silence. It was still the best conversation ever.
36.Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
Not at all. All of that is based on morals and feelings and ideas, which are all relative. There is no possible way as long as we are human.
41.If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
My friends that I met on a trip to Boston a couple years ago (They live in Texas and Virginia), Olivia, Cole, Nyamekye, and Justin. I’d want to be with all of them and go to a super awesome theme park. Wait, I feel like Nyamekye doesn’t like roller coasters... whatever, she’s coming. And we’ll laugh and spend all our money because who needs money when you’re about to die? We’ll spend it on matching t shirts and cotton candy and the stupid souvenir pictures they take on every ride. We’ll take those pictures onto the rides with us and let them go as we fly through the air, littering the world around us with snapshots of our soon to be deceased memories.
46.What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
I act without thought the majority of the time already. I’m never that worried about people judging me, honestly. It’s not other people’s perceptions that make me uncomfortable, but my own.
1.If I didn’t know how old I was, I think I’d probably be in my 20’s. I like to have a good time, but I’m also really independent.
ReplyDelete2. No doubt-it sucks to fail. But it’s better than never trying at all and being left to wonder “what if”.
3. This is an intriguing question. Honestly, I’d like to know the answer myself! If I had to answer, however, I’d say that mankind has become focused on the idea of being a “proper and productive” member of society. Instead of spending our lives fulfilling what society calls selfish desires, we focus instead on becoming a proper and productive society member. Just another way that everyone tries to deal with the judgments made on them by everyone else.
5. This is a loaded question. There are tons of things I’d love to change about the world, both realistic and non. I don’t pretend to know everything that goes on in this world (or even most of it), so it’s a little hard to pick just one thing that I’d change. I think I’d like to get rid of greed. All it does is create problems. Without it, crime would go down, and things like third world countries without clean water wouldn’t be an issue, because people with money would have no problem helping them out. (At least, I would hope).
6. If happiness was the national currency, that would be awesome. Anyways, I’d say the kind of work that would make me rich would be either something with kids (maybe daycare) or a job where I could read or watch movies all day (because, really, who wouldn’t want to get paid to have fun?)
8. If the average human life span was 40 years, I’d probably be less reserved. Less focused on school for sure. I’d rather spend these years with family and having fun, knowing that I wouldn’t have the 70 some odd years we have now. Maybe I’d be a little more selfish, knowing that I’d have to fit 30 extra years of worthwhile years into my life.
9. I guess I’ve controlled the course my life has taken to the same degree everyone has. Free will and all that. If the concept that every decision we make effects us in often irreversible ways, then I’ve chosen the exact course my life has taken, actively or not. I take full responsibility for my grades and my behavior. Given that most of my life has taken place in school, I’d say I’ve had a pretty active roll in where my life has gone thus far.
10.Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
ReplyDeleteI think I’m more worried about doing the right things; it’s one of those things I’m paranoid about doing. However if I am doing the right thing, I’m also focused on doing it right.
12.If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
Hmm…I would offer a newborn child the advice not to grow up too soon. Everything else they can (and should) learn from their parents and own experiences. You can’t learn not to grow up too fast from experience without it being too late to take the advice, so that’s the advice I’d give.
13.Would you break the law to save a loved one?
As much as this seems to go against doing the right thing (depending who you are I guess) I would most definitely break the law to save a loved one, given a serious enough situation.
17.What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
I’d really love to go to a foreign country. Mostly the fact that I’m broke and underage has held me back so far, but there is also the thoughts of all the things that can go wrong in a foreign country (anyone seen Taken?) and the fact that I’d need to find people that I trust to go with.
18.Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
I think most people are holding onto one thing or another that they should really let go of, and I’m no exception. There are probably multiple somethings actually. Probably lots of stuff from childhood and words said in anger; things that have already been apologized for.
23.Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
I’d like to think that I’ve been the kind of friend that I’d want as a friend, although maybe I’m not the best judge…
26.Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
This is one of those impossible questions. If I lose all my old memories, I wouldn’t be who I am right now, and the ability to only make new memories would mean the promise of a completely new person. Given that the me that is present right now would cease to exist in that situation, I’ll have to go with never being able to make new memories (even if that would make both a boring and somewhat unsatisfactory life given I only have about 14 years of sporadic memories residing in my mind at the moment.)
34.Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
ReplyDeleteI can’t say that I’ve ever walked away from a person without a word and felt like I’ve had an awesome conversation. However, it sounds like something I’d like to experience before I die (hopefully long before then.) Something like this is what I always imagined would be present in the perfect relationship.
36.Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
I think it is, but only in certain situations when you have all of the unbiased facts (which is a rarity that hardly ever happens, if ever). But the possibility is still there.
41.If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
If everyone I knew was going to die tomorrow, I’d make the time to visit my best friends and my extended family. Although I’m pretty sure that’s who everyone would visit…
46.What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
Honestly, I wouldn’t do too much differently. Maybe I’d be more free with my opinions and ideas if there wasn’t any judgment to go along with it. Otherwise, most of the things I do, I do for myself.
Dom: I understand where you're coming from with the whole looking forward to the future and wanting to remember everything that will happen, but I still stand by the fact that without our old memories, the people we are right now would no longer be here. The new memories would make a totally different person than you are right now. I'm not quite ready to let myself go yet--I've grown pretty attached over these last 17 years.
Mimi: your advice for the newborn was...strongly worded for such sensitive ears! No but really, I can definitely see you giving that advice. I can't argue with it either, though I rarely follow it. Maybe if someone had given me that advice at a younger age, I'd be a different type of perosn now.
Dan: I like what you said about how we all think that we have some sort of unlimited amount of time in life while we're young. I think that is definitely one of the contributing factors to our tendency to do things that we don't like, rather than the things we really enjoy despite life's length (or lack of).
Nyame:
ReplyDeleteStill lovin’ the island of geniuses thing. One day when we’re older we should collaborate and expound that idea into a sci-fi TV series or something. Yeah, that’s what we’ll do! Anyway, although your quote of me wasn’t word-for-word accurate, it’s true: take away the negative and the positive will soon vanish.
Becca:
I have the same problem with articulation. Sometimes it’s so difficult to say what we really mean because we just can’t find the right words. (On a side note, I totally forgot about the Chiquita sticker today, and when I got home my mom asked me if I was a banana. I was confused at first. Then amused. Then slightly embarrassed.)
Amber:
Yay agreement! But I don’t fully understand your answer to 13. What if it’s a victimless crime, like stealing from the federal government? Is the same guilt attached to actions that don’t directly harm others, even if they clearly violate the law? What if you pull a Robin Hood and steal from someone who has more than enough to get by, or someone who you feel doesn’t deserve so much wealth in the first place?
1. This is an interesting question. Looks wise, I think I'm right where I need to be, especially with half a goatee. Personality wise, I feel as if I'm older than 17. Personally, I think I'm more mature than a lot of people I know , and whether that's good or bad, I'm not really sure. I love having fun and laughing, but I also know when it's time to be serious. If I had to pick an age for my personality, it'd be about 20 or so. Although, most people that age aren't really all that mature.
ReplyDelete2. A long time ago, the best hockey player of all time, Wayne Gretzky said something like, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take". This about sums up my own view of trying. You can't be successful unless you take risks in life, and if you fail, you have to realize that there's a future ahead of you. Failing isn't the end of the world, and "you'll never know unless you try".
3. I have a simple answer for this question. Fear. Fear doesn't allow us to try new things; we are afraid of being different. We're constantly stuck in the same routine ways and are afraid of the result that may lie ahead.
5. If there was one thing I could change about the world, it'd be the past history that some people have endured. Watching some of the horrific videos in history class has made me realize the true nature of certain events. I never knew the Nanking Massacre was as bad as I had read. Watching a video on it changed my perspective and made me regret even thinking the I did. I wish that these horrible events had never happened.
6. When I was about 6 or 7, my goal was to be a professional baseball player, not knowing the difficulties required to get there. Today, playing hours of baseball and hockey videos games, the "Be a General Manager" mode is my favorite. My dream job would involve being the general manager of a baseball or hockey team. Of course it's much harder in real life compared to a baseball game, but it's still something that I dream of doing. My ultimate desire (this is almost even more impossible) is actually owning a hockey team. Having to be incredibly rich, owning a team would make my life complete.
8. If the average life span were 40 years, I guess I'd probably be married by now. I'd be closing in on the half-way point of my life. Honestly, I probably wouldn't change much, if anything at all. I love living life and I regret nothing.
9. I've been able to enjoy the majority of things in my life. There have been plenty of things that I haven't been able to control, but they're irrelevant or else I would've changed the outcome. However, all of my poor decisions have been my own fault and no one else's.
10. I'd have to say that I'd rather do the right things, rather than do things the right way. I'm too tired to explain why, it's too much of a deep thought right now, unfortunately.
12. The one thing I'd tell a new-born, is to live your own life. You can't allow people to influence your decisions because in the end, you may be doing the right thing. Multiple times this year, I've been influenced with certain things, and I've gotten in trouble for my actions. However, I have no one to blame but myself.
13. This is a pretty easy question. Of course I would, but it also depends on the law.
17. I don't really have an answer for this question. I guess this doesn't answer the question, but I would love having season tickets to Flyers' games. However, they're ridiculously expensive, so, unless I become "rich" when I'm older, I don't see it happening any time soon.
18. Off of the top of my head, I don't have any deep secrets or thoughts or anything that are being held onto.
23. The past couple of years have been some of the best with my group of friends. I couldn't ask for better friends and I hope that my friends feel the same way about me.
ReplyDelete26. I'd much rather be able to create new memories because I'm not even an adult left and have so much life ahead of me. I have some amazing past memories, but to never have a memory again would be tragic.
34. I can't say that this has ever happened to me. I feel extremely awkward when a conversation isn't really a conversation, rather, it's just silence. I hate silence while with other people because you have nothing to do but give that fake awkward chuckle.
36. Can anyone answer this question? I don't really think so. I certainly can't and you can't judge a book by it's cover.
41. I would certainly visit every one of my family members. Next I would visit my close friends and my girlfriend!
46. Well, I would certainly be more out-going. Other than that, I like me exactly the way I am.
George: Well put for #46. I'm right there with you. I could definitely be more out-going than I am, and it probably hurts the amount of fun I could have.
Garret: This is probably the best blog you have ever written. Solid vocab, nice sentence structure, and your style is very noticeable. (jk)
Bobby: I'm sure meeting Mac Miller is very high up on your list of people you need to meet, but I don't know your life.
Nyamekye: I totally feel you on the low maintenance friendship thing. If you didn't notice, I listed you in my people I would visit because, even though we don't do "Friendly" things, and aren't that close, there is an effortless relationship between us where I like to listen to you talk and I rant to you and it's all good.
ReplyDeleteAmber: So, any relationship I'm in I always think extremely long term. Reading your first answer, however, made me question myself. Everything you said makes sense, even if I don't naturally have the same viewpoint.
Connie: I love the the effect your response has to number 13. Like, it's an immediate reaction, and I kind of wished everyone felt that instinctual "yes".
Cole: So our answer for the 40 years thing was the same apparently, so I say we just pretend we're going to live until we're 40 and start now and when we live past 40 we can be like "omg it's a miracle" and this is a terrible idea...
ReplyDelete