f a c e b o o k

Disingenuous bull**** doesn't work on me. I've lived through all that already from plenty of other people. I don't need it.

When I've received help in my life, it's because I put myself into a position to be helped and at least try to help someone else. If you think that's conceited...whatever. We are the sum of the people we connect ourselves with. When I changed the way I did things to focus on that, I made better connections and brought them more value in some way. All because I wanted to help my family when they were too sick to do anything else.

You guys don't want to fight for anything in your own lives anymore, so you spit on my POV. "man, capitalism sure is ****ty. Look at all those poor kids in other countries". Great. Are you going to go do something about it? If I could give every single one of those kids a better opportunity here with my own power, I certainty would..but that's not a battle I want to fight when I have other people right here that I need to take care of.

This is for you

http://pngriver.com/wp-content/uploa...-PNG-Image.png

I don't believe circumstance is irrelevant or that everything happens by choice

But you seem to be trading the inverse option, which is equally irrational: that it's all random circumstance and how you behave is irrelevant.

That's just transparently not true. You could have decided not to graduate high school or go to college, and if you did you never would've been a teacher.

Give Anteater's cookie back, Batlord!

Church.

Murphy's Law is a very real thing. My dad didn't ask for a crippling heart condition in his mid 30's when he had two young kids and a wife too sick to work. And my little brother didn't ask for a brain aneurysm before he graduated university either.

What I've been talking about just points back to that 2% of life we actually can control. And how we choose to react to **** that happens to us. Big cookies.

it's really not. This whole conversation started over a dispute over the extent to which you can change/improve your life

OH said plain and simple it's all just random circumstance, which is quite simply untrue.

So you can't do anything that will possibly make your life better?

What a nice non answer

I think everyone just needs to calm down and stop being a bitch

I mean, we all gonna die one day.

I mean it's a simple yes or no question. I'm assuming that by it's a wash you're saying no.

One time when we had this argument you said nobody is saying choice doesn't matter at all. Now, if I'm reading you right, you're saying precisely that it doesn't.

It's not just that this isn't optimistic. It's wrong. And it provides a convenient rationalization for making bad and/or lazy decisions.

Nobody consistently makes the right decisions because nobody is perfect. You can still affect your outcome by your decisions.

It's true that people are influenced in their decision making but once again there is nothing inevitable about how you are influenced. If social cues influence your decisions, then so does the importance you ascribe to decision making. So if you view them as mostly pointless, you have no incentive to make any sacrifices or abstain from any impulses.

I know my decisions matter because I know what my impulses are. Living at a half way house and trying to slowly pay off my debt to the state isn't a glamorous existence. But I know first hand that it can be much worse.

No offense but aren't you the same guy who's goal doesn't allow for him to make a B in a community college math class cause it will hurt his GPA?

You're right. The worse off you are the harder it is to do anything about it. There's no doubt about that. When you go into the realm of the third world... A lot times their only hope is to flee and try to migrate. And even that is something most can't afford or they don't want to leave their family etc.

But I'm sure that in their day to day lives their decisions also matter. I'm not saying that you can bootstrap your way out of anything. I'm saying your behavior and your decisions are the only thing you have any control over that affect your well being. And so they matter.

please... You don't need to go to an elite school to have fun at college. You clearly have a work ethic and are goal oriented. What you should be experiencing right now is called cognitive dissonance.

A drowning man could be on fire. Lucky bastard.

you can get into a university with a B on your record.

I'm sorry for whatever loss you've had and I wasn't intentionally trying to demean the position you're in.

it's like you're not even reading what I'm saying

I never said your decisions are going to determine everything and that circumstances don't exist. Just that decisions matter.

The difference between the first world and the third world is a matter of degree. There's a reason that they flee here. Cause it offers a better existence.

If someone eats all the pie and gives you an empty plate it’s his fault you ain’t got no pie. You can put on a bib. Get a nice fork. Say mmmm this is some good ****ing pie. Pat your belly like you’re full. Get a toothpick and clean your teeth. Wash the plate until it sparkles. Pretend you ain’t hungry. And starve. Murica!

So deep

It was better than anything you’ve ever written.

Ok lol

Fair enough

You ever try bumping podcasts or audiobooks at work?

Helps me through the day.

put it in one ear

Walmart let me do that much. I think the dollar tree customers will be OK. Just act like it's a work related ear piece.

Tell him you throw away all his pamphlets when he leaves.

Lay out all of the pamphlets on your mattress, then lay on it naked and send it to him. Send me a copy too. Do it flaccid obviously, wouldn't want to make it weird.

I don't think he has the guy's address or enough money to mail a mattress.

Man, Saturday went from awesome to **** once I sobered up and went to my friends to find out that I still can't spend my goddam money on this stupid card. Should be good tomorrow, but they also said it'd be ready in 3 days last Saturday.

I wish it were tax season so I could put it in your head that you're being audited.

Wouldn't work regardless.

Just like your card.

we'll see about that

I’m trying very hard not to waste my time and energy before work worrying about having to go to work. It’s very important to me to keep my emotions in check.

wut

*well