Why don't people just stop for a minute and appreciate life more?

Last night I freaked out my neighbor because he saw me staring up at the night sky. He must have thought I was high or something because he asked me if I was alright. This made me realize that most people don't really appreciate the small things in life, the fact that me staring up at the night sky and watching all those beautiful stars seemed so alien to him depressed me a bit. Those stars could possibly have planets around them and those planets could potentially be home to an alien species far more advanced than ours. That to me sounds a billion times more interesting than the latest episode of whatever is popular on TV right now.

As I'm sitting here listening to Robert Palmer's "Simply Irresistible", I'm thinking to myself how most people take everything for granted. You know, like computers and cars etc. I'm amazed at all these things, car engines in particular are very interesting like how the heck did they get all those parts to work in synchronicity to get those four wheels moving? The radiator, the car starter, ignition switch, pistons, etc all those things working in perfect harmony to get the car moving. I won't even get started on smartphones, sometimes I stare at my iphone for hours wondering how they got the touchscreen to work. Yet most people take these things for granted. But in reality all of the technology we have now took centuries of experimentation, and research to make all these things come true.

I'm 23 years old so I grew up with this stuff, it's not like I grew up in the 50s or 60's but I'm still amazed nonetheless. Human ingenuity can be amazing. A few weeks ago some scientists landed a probe on a comet...How were they able to navigate through space to land on a piece of rock just a few miles across. That would be like me landing a drone on a piece of land just 2 inches across floating in the middle of the pacific ocean, but just multiply the size of the pacific ocean times infinity.

Perhaps this should have gone in the rants forum or not, but yeah why are people not more appreciative?

a reply to: muse7

i think some people dont care. some are too busy.
lots of reasons i guess.

i do something like what you mentioned all the time...not as much in the winter. i have a pretty big back yard and at the end of it i have a massive picnic table. several night a week i go out and lay on it and just look up.
i like to get lost in my own head...sometimes i think about space. sometimes it music...a book i read.
anything really.
just some alone time. i have a 2 year old so the house is always popping. tv is always on or the radio is always on. she is talking and my wife is talking...i love all that too but i like to just decompress and think/reflect

its nice.

I think people just get into the groove of an everyday life routine. People get caught up in the day to day routine...Human Error. I think we all are guilty of this at some point. With my job I have to see people everyday have to face the fact that life may seem like an everyday routine, but it can suddenly halt. I am blessed to experience this! It has made me a much better spouse and father. Everytime I come home from a 24 hour shift, I grab my little boy and hold him for as long as he allows lol. I took him with me to get ice cream the other day. Afterward I was supposed to let him go pick out toys for xmas. I ended up getting scolded after letting him keep and open everything he picked out.

I know it seems like I am rambling lol. I just got back from a car accident which involved a child. It made me want to grab my little buddy again. Then I checked your post and it made me remember how oblivious I used to be to the small things in life. Again, I think about my little boy. Thank you.

Good on you for realizing this at age 23.
I'm only (almost) 16 years your senior and can say people are and always have been uptight. No one wants their neighbors to be happier than themselves. And if they dare to be, well, then, something isn't right. They're "taking the pot", or smoking bath salts. If not that, than monetary and social status of profession occurs. If not that than race, religion, something...anything to be Better than someone else.

Why?

I don't know.

I'm one of the lucky ones that can watch from the outside.

originally posted by: LoverBoy
I think people just get into the groove of an everyday life routine. People get caught up in the day to day routine...Human Error. I think we all are guilty of this at some point. With my job I have to see people everyday have to face the fact that life may seem like an everyday routine, but it can suddenly halt. I am blessed to experience this! It has made me a much better spouse and father. Everytime I come home from a 24 hour shift, I grab my little boy and hold him for as long as he allows lol. I took him with me to get ice cream thr other day. Afterward I was supposed to let him go pick out toys for xmas. I ended up getting scolded after letting him keep and open everything he picked out.

I know it seems like I am rambling lol. I just got back from a car accident which involved a child. It made me want to grab my little buddy again. Then I checked your post and it made me remember how obvlivious I used to be to the small things in life. Again, I think about my little boy. Thank you.

I'm glad that you're enjoying spending time with your son. I have a 9 year old sister and it's amazing how fast they grow up. Enjoy these times man!

originally posted by: the owlbear
Good on you for realizing this at age 23.
I'm only (almost) 16 years your senior and can say people are and always have been uptight. No one wants their neighbors to be happier than themselves. And if they dare to be, well, then, something isn't right. They're "taking the pot", or smoking bath salts. If not that, than monetary and social status of profession occurs. If not that than race, religion, something...anything to be Better than someone else.

Why?

I don't know.

I'm one of the lucky ones that can watch from the outside.

That's a good way to put it I also too spend a lot of time looking at everything from outside the bubble. I like to simplify things. All of the worries of life could be solved quickly and effectively if you simply step outside of the bubble for a moment and clear your mind, then everything starts to seem so simple. Every problem that's facing you seems so insignificant.

I'm a bit older than you but sometimes I use the phrase are you alright as an opener.

I am not saying your neighbour was hitting on you, when I say that I am am usually encouraging someone to open up in an incitefull manner.

When looking at the stars any opening question is good in my opinion.

a reply to: muse7

a reply to: muse7
Definitely man. They always say you never experience such a strong love until you have a child. I agree! I wish I could spend every second with him.

originally posted by: LoverBoy
I grab my little boy and hold him for as long as he allows lol. I took him with me to get ice cream the other day. Afterward I was supposed to let him go pick out toys for xmas. I ended up getting scolded after letting him keep and open everything he picked out.

i take my daughter for ice cream a lot. she is only 2 and she gets the smallest soft serve with chocolate and sprinkles.
yesterday when i asked if she wanted to go she jumped up and went yep and then led me into the bedroom so i could change. as i was changing she was waving her hands going 'mon' 'mon'(come on) and then ran to the front door and started pulling on it.....we had fun

i also get in trouble for the early presents.
ive had her presents in the closet for some time now and it is getting to be the time where i start to cave and give her some...

a reply to: Grovit
Hahaha completely understandable!! I cave everytime he wants something. Its funny I figured hed be a mommas boy. I was wrong, all he says is DA!

a reply to: muse7

You answered your own question here! Very astute observation for a 20-something year old! They are too busy LIVING like hell-be-damned...to stop and smell the roses (or look at the sky as you say).

To add to your opinion....just look at how many people in a day we see with coffee perpetually in their hands!?

I think the trick is to slow down and learn to enjoy life....before its gone for good and we cant anymore.

originally posted by: mysterioustranger
a reply to: muse7

You answered your own question here! Very astute observation for a 20-something year old! They are too busy LIVING like hell-be-damned...to stop and smell the roses (or look at the sky as you say).

To add to your opinion....just look at how many people in a day we see with coffee perpetually in their hands!?

I think the trick is to slow down and learn to enjoy life....before its gone for good and we cant anymore.

The thing that is the most interesting to me is that most people are totally unaware that there's like other worlds and galaxies with an infinite amount of possibilities. Like all they think about is going to work and coming home and repeat this is all they know, they don't stop and think about space and the origins of humanity and what will happen to the planet in a billion years.

I mean most people don't realize that the Human race and all trace of it will be erased and gone for eternity once the sun swallows the earth. That fact alone should be enough for people to just stop for a minute and enjoy life some more.

I too love looking at the night sky. I never take anything for granted and appreciate all that I have and all of nature and its beauty and animals and whatever. Sometimes it is the little things in life that mean the most. To me, the stars, a flower etc. are just magical.

originally posted by: LoverBoy
a reply to: Grovit
Hahaha completely understandable!! I cave everytime he wants something. Its funny I figured hed be a mommas boy. I was wrong, all he says is DA!

my daughter is a daddy's girl unless she is pissed off or sick or something. then she only wants her mom. other than that she is all over me all the time.....she is so sweet to me.
sometimes she just comes up to me out of nowhere and starts rubbing her forehead on my beard and says 'daddy my daddy' a bunch of times....
or i will be cooking and ill way 'what are you doing zo' and she says 'nothin...love you dad'

every day she reminds me that we have to do our weather check..she will say weather check and when i open the door she says check it out.

its awesome isnt it?

a reply to: Grovit
Gotta love it man. Whatever difference weve had here, if any....all that aside, you sound like a great father.

One of the biggest turn offs a person can say to me is "I'm bored." As if it is my responsibility to entertain them. A person who can be bored on this planet, with its myriad of wonders, has a major malfunction of the brain, by my reckoning.
There is vast beauty and complexity to observe and interact with. Far more than we can even scratch the surface of in our brief lifetime. I want to take in as much as possible and there is not a moment to waste.
Always remember, life is good.

a reply to: muse7

Hi Muse7...you're so right....what a fantastic and huge universe of universes out there....it sad today's society and youth...the hope for our future...believes it all contained in I phones iPads comps and sat TV...and if they don't like whats going on...they just change things by a click

Progress isn`t always a good thing, people have all their basic needs and necessities handed to them which leaves them too much free time to nit pick and fuss about unimportant things.

Think about how people lived even just 150 years ago, they didn`t have the "luxury" of free time to stick their nose into other peoples business, they had to do most things for themselves, there was no Wal-Mart. if they wanted food they had to grow it or make it themselves. They spent most of their time taking care of the necessities of surviving with little free time to be making mountains out of mole hills.

automobiles are truly amazing,all those moving parts hold up extremely well considering how much force they are put under.from the coldest places on earth to the hottest those parts all do what they suppose to do and they do it for years and thousands of hours of operation. I have a 21 year old car and other than replacing the usual parts that wear out it still runs great without any major repairs.we can send a man to the moon and make automobiles but we can`t make a TV remote that lasts for more than a few years?

Beaches have always been a great place to just sit and reflect and observe some of the marvels of our planet.I believe it`s true, the best things in life are free.
It`s humbling to realize that long after we are gone the tides will still be rising and falling the trees in a forest will still be here,the seasons will still change 4 times a year.

It always makes me smile when someone says they "own" land, or "own" a house, how can you own something that will be here longer than you will be? you don`t own it,you`re just using it while you are here and when you`re gone it will still be here and someone else will use it.

people who have never lived outside of a big city or large community really are missing out on some of the best things in life.