I really don't understand.

I'm not sure where to put this thread. Move it if needed.


I just want to get something off my chest and get all your inputs on this.

I am young. I do alot of community service just for the hell of it. It makes me feel good, and doing good for others is great.

But it feels like I am the only one. I know I'm not. It just feels like it.

It pisses me off when I see people walking around in these designers clothing, pants costing 80 dollars. Sixty of those dollars could go to donations for people that are starving. They can take that money to theSalvation Army, or the Red Cross. People are so cought up in what they want and only pleasing themselves. It makes me so sad. I don't like how everyone is today. Do people not have hearts? I walk around in the mall and everyone looks the same because they all are wearing the same clothing, they all have to look like they are top notch when actually they are top notch D-bags. I see people around walking that are my age, cought up in what is hot and new, and I feel all old fashion because I care more about other peoples needs.
Ok, I don't know where I am getting at with this. I just feel hopeless the way this world is today. All I do is worry about what is going to happen next, and I try not too. I meditate which seems to be helping. I lay in bed at night wondering if the family I saw that day that I helped to get food for and clothes are able to sleep warm at night, yet my friends lay in bed and wonder when they are goin to get that money so they can buy this and that. I am very patriotic, I care for others greatly, and i do this for what? I get ridiculed for it. I don't wear the designers jeans and tshirts so I am not cool, I'm not good enough for anyone. That is really how I feel. Sometimes I just don't want to go on with anything anymore and give in.

I just don't know what to do anymore. I do what makes me happy but someone is there to take that happiness away. No one agrees with anything anymore. Its always argue argue nag nag. I understand everyone will disagree, but it is just ridiculous how much putting down I see everywhere.

I think I need to stop before I ramble on TOO much.

Well does anyone feel the same way I do? I am bad with words so I tried my best.

Thanks for listening

[edit on 13-1-2010 by capgirl]

Please !!

Do not stop doing what others seemingly won't !

Your kind is what are species needs more of. He and it even makes you feel good about yourself !!

You and people like you will be admired. Maybe by just a few but do you really care ? It makes you feel good.

Don't stop !! You're doing great.

Well if you are for real anyway.

Maybe you should stop thinking about what others say and start thinking about what people think when you make their lives just a little bit easier or better ho knows.

Keep it up !!

reply to post by capgirl



First off - thank you for adding to our ever meager piggy bank of Social Capital...


And yes, the term 'civic duty' no longer seems to exist in any paradigm these days - and if so, it's watered down...




Keep on keepin', and remember your actions...it may be the memory that serves you best.

reply to post by capgirl

It pisses me off when I see people walking around in these designers clothing, pants costing 80 dollars. Sixty of those dollars could go to donations for people that are starving. They can take that money to theSalvation Army, or the Red Cross. People are so cought up in what they want and only pleasing themselves. It makes me so sad.

A salute to your honesty and humanity.

What really gets me is the TV poker games where high rollers lose tens... sometimes hundreds of thousands in a card game while people are starving elsewhere/

It is, of course a personal choice. It is their money and they can do as they please with it. But still and all... if you can gamble away such sums for nothing more than a self-serving bourgeois pastime, it seems that there is something missing in the place where a soul should be found.



[edit on 13-1-2010 by redoubt]

Well hi ! again.

I wanted to say, i'm usually not such an a*s kisser. You absolutely amazed me !!

I for one, do not really care about designer outfits or whatever. As long as it's fashionable, i don't care. I even wear everything until it falls apart.

This is how i use every luxury.
I don't really do what you do. I work 50 to 60 hours a week. Just to keep my boss and his family into designer outfits : )

reply to post by capgirl


Keep up the good fight and know you are not alone.

I am sorry the "X" generation birthed the "me" generation.

I remember you had to do community service in high school to get excepted in to college. People find it easy to commit crimes and do nothing because they have no connection with their community.

The standard of living has increased as our standards have decreased.

reply to post by capgirl


I think that it is the 'joy' or 'enjoyment' that where it all boils down. Some people gets feeling of joy from helping the community. Others get it by helping themselves, perhaps wearing those new design clothes or driving in a fancy car.

I appreciate what you are doing, and surely many others do so as well. But in the end, it all is very egocentric, whether you get the feeling of personal joy from helping others or yourself; alltogether it is all for yourself, wouldn't you agree?

It is our ego that wants the satisfaction; if you get that feeling from helping others or massing design clothes, it isn't very distinct in the end, for it is all for your pleasure. Please understand, my intention is not to insult! I may not know your motives for your service, you may as well be doing that solely for the community and for "the greater good"; and I damn sure hope that is your motivation for it! All I wanted was to point out, that in the end, if the motivation for one's activities (whatever those are), roots from personal satisfaction, the underlying cause is the same: the ego, self, I. It is just that some of those actions may be regarded to be more socially appreciated.

But if you do your public service without a reward, even without the feeling of personal satisfaction due the knowledge, that you may have helped someone, you truly have a heart of gold.

The appreciation in modern societies can be earned by many ways. Even the habit of dressing properly can be one of them. But as long as one does it for personal gain, the emotions of pleasure at it's base, it is all the same: selfishness.

-v

[edit on 13-1-2010 by v01i0]

reply to post by capgirl

People are so cought up in what they want and only pleasing themselves.

do alot of community service

It makes me feel good

I do what makes me happy

I see.

Would you do community service it didn't make you feel good?

i do this for what? I get ridiculed for it.

...but wait...I thought you were doing this to benefit others? Are you now saying that you don't feel you're getting the reward you were expecting? You're not getting respect and admiration for your actions?

Sometimes I just don't want to go on with anything anymore and give in.

...and because you're not getting those "feel good" goodies from people around you, you sometimes don't want to keep up with your service?

So then what are your true motivations?

It pisses me off when I see people walking around in these
designers clothing, pants costing 80 dollars. Sixty of those
dollars could go to donations for people that are starving.

Yes, they could. But why do you feel angry at people who have made decisions that bring them happiness? Isn't that what you are doing? You choose help because it makes you happy to help, right? So these other people are also choosing to do what makes them happy. What's the problem?

Or are you really angry and bitter because these people who piss you off are doing what you really want to be doing?




[edit on 13-1-2010 by LordBucket]

I agree, everyone else can be complete idiots. you, you are on your way somewhere great. my advice, stop caring on what other people do or think. Don't look at yourself as above or below them, but complete equal.


I'm young too, still a teen, and when it comes to people in my community, they cant understand my motives or why i do things. your slowly turing your intention from wanting to giving, the hardest thing to do upon this planet. the religions call it fighting the devil, or the ego, and once completeed youll see "The kingdom of heaven" which really isn't a kingdom, just a place of complete happiness. Im not religious, if you are, this is a good way to look at what you are donig.

Change your intentions from want, to give, in order to rid of the ego. when done, life will be a lovely breeze.(and youll know the answer to "what happens afer we die?" because you will experience it once done this task.)

[edit on 13-1-2010 by gandhi]

reply to post by v01i0


reply to post by LordBucket


Lol. It looks like two somebodies have been reading Kant. (Or just coming to the same conclusions on their own)

Its a good point, however, that if you are only doing it for the "high" doing "good" produces, or the "good will" from others it garners you, it is not substantively different from the motivations of those who pursue more materialistic things to produce their high or gain approval.

I think that it does benefit society more if we get our high and our approval from performing "selfless" selfish actions, rather than "selfish" selfish actions. So by no means am I criticizing it as a tendency, keep doing what you are doing. Maybe just recognize that you have a motive, (to feel good and gain the approval and high regard of others) and maybe that will make you a little less judgmental of those who are doing the exact same thing, only with clothes and other stuff. And, maybe if you want to convert others to your way of feeling good and gaining approval, you could use that knowledge as a sales technique. Emphasize how much better it feels than clothes, for instance.

reply to post by capgirl


There is a saying " By doing things that others don't you will achieve things that others won't"

If your happy doing what your doing then keep doing it, let bitter old twisted people like me do the complaining about the arseholes spending squillions on silly clothes and poker while people starve.

I have a black belt in moaning and whinging and shaking my fist at the sky, keep your smile dude be happy and don't concern yourself with nobheads or you will get old quickly.

reply to post by gandhi

Change your intentions from want, to give, in order to rid of the ego.

...so, "give, give, give" until your very being is gone?

How are these not the words of a greedy viper, intent on draining you to death?

.(and youll know the answer to "what happens afer we die?"
because you will experience it once done this task.)

You even come right out and say it: give and give and give until you DIE from it.

...

I see things in another way: we are all part of one being. We're all in this together. We're all one. That means that the self is part of all. What benefit is there in helping others to be happy? Well, it helps them to be happy. So...being happy is a desireable end result, right?

So then isn't your happiness also a resireable end result?

Why is it only ok to help other people to be happy, but it's "wrong and selfish" to enjoy happiness of your own?

If you do something for purely selfish reasons that gives you joy and harms no one, I say that act makes all of the whole of the universe a nicer place. If this were not so...what benefit would there be to helping others? Why is there any benefit to helping others if there is no beneift to helping your self?

When you act out of delusion of "helping others" and destroy yourself in the process...you are hurting everyone. We love you. You are worthy.

It's ok for you to have and be and do the things you want.




[edit on 13-1-2010 by LordBucket]

You know sometimes I don't want to go and do the soup kitchens and stuff. Sometimes I just wantto stay home and sleep, or do what I wanna do. But I do it anyways. You know why? Cus it benefits other people. Yeah it makes me feel good but sometimes like I said I don't want to but do it anyways. Whatever makes someones day I will do it.

Hope that clears up a thing thing or two.

=)

reply to post by LordBucket

Or are you really angry and bitter because these people who piss you off are doing what you really want to be doing?

That was always the excuse of nobility and royalty... that the peasantry wasn't really suffering, but just jealous. So, excesses were explained away to be not excessive at all.

The whole thing is to divert attention from abuse by way of an ally to excuse that then places blame back on the victim.

reply to post by Illusionsaregrander


Again some valid points!

I see what you mean. The selfless selfish actions - as you put it - are far better than the others, purely and unilaterally selfish actions; after all, they profit the society. Besides of that, I am not sure if selfishness is a bad thing, or that the feelings of satisfaction are not necessary:

I am not exactly an expert on bee's psychology, but I would imagine that a simple bee could get satisfaction of making love with flowers, while in the end, it's selfish action contribute to the society.

So definitely your post has a point!

-v

reply to post by capgirl

Originally posted by capgirl
But I do it anyways. You know why? Cus it benefits other people. Yeah it makes me feel good but sometimes like I said I don't want to but do it anyways. Whatever makes someones day I will do it.

Hope that clears up a thing thing or two.

=)

It did. And as concluded, whatever the reasons are, have courage and strength to carry on with that what brings happiness to you and others

-v

I must admit I only skimmed the responses so hopefully this hasn't been mentioned.

I think the reason for all of this is the way America is run. The big corporations (IE designer jeans companies, media outlets) have such a hold over most of the people in America that is all they think about. People are constantly bombarded with advertisements, signs and celebrities telling them what they should do and how they should look. This all leads back to who is really in charge. The people behind these companies (and the ones who REALLY run the government) keep people worried about the things that don't matter so that they can do what they please.

Don't give up on people. There are many of us out here that see what is really going on. It seems like there are more all the time. I live in Kansas and have met VERY few people that have any idea what really is going on in the world around them, they don't see their freedoms being taken away.

Also there is a VERY simple way to feed the hungry in this country if not throughout the world.... take a quick glance at what your senators and others in Washington spend every day just buying and selling votes and it would feed everyone. It's impossible to fathom how there is a deficit and hungry people in the world when you look at what the people running the show are spending.

reply to post by capgirl

But I do it anyways. You know why? Cus it benefits other people.

If you were to cut up your body and throw the meat into the soup at the kitchen, that would benefit them too. And while you're at it, I'm sure some of them could probably use some good sex. So why not whore yourself out to all of them first before you cut yourself up and jump into the soup?

At what point do you draw the line?

very good piece, I feel the same way though I am in a completely different situation.

I have a well paid leading function in the warehouse of a multinational.

But I keep hitting the walls called pride and ego in the managers office, unto the point that I wil quit my job.

My knowledge makes me as good as inexpendable and he knows well but won't put aside his ego and pride to talk about the core problem, the brick wall he puts around himself.

My job destroyed my peronal life til the point I can say that I have no real friends anymore.

I don't understand people, even if you know them for years they can still stab a knife in your back.

keep doing what makes YOU happy, I am learning to play electric guitar at the moment and will take a vacation to the Scottish Highlands this year.

If you are 100% behind your own decissions, they are the right ones.

reply to post by redoubt

That was always the excuse of nobility and royalty... that the peasantry wasn't really suffering, but just jealous. So, excesses were explained away to be not excessive at all.

The whole thing is to divert attention from abuse by way of an ally to excuse that then places blame back on the victim.

...except that we're not talking about abuse and victimization at all. We're talking about confusing serving others with self denial.

If I have a $20,000 watch and filet mignon that does not detract from the person next door who is starving. It's a very different situation if a kick in their door and take their things from them and insist that it's their fault for having been born peasants.

Guilt is a tool of manipulation. Being told that you should feel guilty for having nice things when others don't is simply a means people use to trick you into giving up the things you have willingly rather than taking them from you themselves.