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‘I’m Broke and Mostly Friendless, and I’ve Wasted My Whole Life’

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Re: ‘I’m Broke and Mostly Friendless, and I’ve Wasted My Whole Life’

#441

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Socialism without morality leads to Stalinism. Socialism with morality requires strict (e. g. sworn) obedience to a higher authority (see the monasteries of Catholicism which are strictly speaking socialist).

But capitalism without morality ends up being America. Where people sleep in the streets at every corners and need to pay to go to college or get medical treatment.

Oliver Twist's England, surely, where children are pressed into service in dangerous factories that can severe limbs and kill, for mere pennies a day?

Otherwise, we definitely agree. We are fallen creatures and will drive earth to hell, regardless of which car we decide to drive there in. Only external help can save us from ourselves.

Re: ‘I’m Broke and Mostly Friendless, and I’ve Wasted My Whole Life’

#442
post #240

A while back I worked at a company I really liked. I made lots of good friends there and it was, I think, the best time in my life to date. A few days before I left that company, people have taken me out for farewell drinks. We hang out until late at night, having fun, drinking and eating and chatting and so on. Until it's like midnight and we all have to go home. One of my friends is the new girl. She's pretty attra…

>made miserable by the conflict between her desire for an exciting life and her desire for a stable life.

I think this perennial human conflict raises its head in this post and discussion. It seems that how it presents itself in peoples lives depends on personality, upbringing, culture of influence etc. However, I get the sense that its a real thing in most cultures but with varying degrees of mutuality between 'adventure' and 'stability'.

Re: ‘I’m Broke and Mostly Friendless, and I’ve Wasted My Whole Life’

#443

This probably won't be popular, but what the hell. I feel like, if you strip away the outward trappings and dogma, this is what religion is good for. Not in a "believe in Jesus" or "trust in God" kind of way, but in a "how to orient your life" kind of way. Which is to say, the actually useful portion of religion generally teaches that your best life is probably not focused on you. It isn't about finding yourself, or…

I think we in the west ended up replacing religion with, not an absence of it, but with a religion of the Self — where you are the god, or the only one that matters anyway. That obviously doesn’t mean a sincere belief in one’s own omniscience, more that the the aura of ‘importance’ bestowed upon things naturally emanate from the centre of the Universe, which is you. Mind that humans are already pretty much hardwired…

I'd go a step further and say that we've replaced traditional religion with consumption, or more specifically consumerism. Most of the art produced in antiquity existed within the framework of religion, now it's advertising.

I think it's important to subscribe to some kind of overall framework with a worldview and community. We're hard wired for it and if you don't choose it, then consumerism will fill that vacuum and you will find yourself ensnared in mindless consumption.

I have an 80 year old aunt who is a nun who I consider to be one of the wisest people I know. I'm not religious and I have frank and honest discussions with her about religion and philosophy, completely free from judgement. Once we were sharing a drink at a family event and I asked her something to the extent of "at what point did you find yourself?". She replied that she's still finding herself will continue as long as she's alive.

Re: ‘I’m Broke and Mostly Friendless, and I’ve Wasted My Whole Life’

#444
This is a path one can choose. Another is to rediscover the childlike wonderment by becoming a keen observer of nature. It strips away the ego.

We do not really invent anything. We mimic nature. All our Mathematics, Science and Technology already exists. Our egos are unjustified.

Just pay attention to who is actually driving your car or riding your motorcycle. You will realise that it is not the conscious you. There certainly is an autonomous supercomputer in our brains. Can we control it?

The best data storage mechanism known to us is the DNA. No SSD comes close. We haven't even really figured out how our brains really store "videos" and "images".

Also pay attention to things like premonition. I have had it. Most of us have had these experiences. Talk to people about these. There is no scientific explanation for these experiences.

We are connected to everything else. Our lives in isolation have no meaning.

Re: ‘I’m Broke and Mostly Friendless, and I’ve Wasted My Whole Life’

#445

This probably won't be popular, but what the hell. I feel like, if you strip away the outward trappings and dogma, this is what religion is good for. Not in a "believe in Jesus" or "trust in God" kind of way, but in a "how to orient your life" kind of way. Which is to say, the actually useful portion of religion generally teaches that your best life is probably not focused on you. It isn't about finding yourself, or…

I fundamentally agree with your message (and, as an atheist, try to live it as well as I can), but I don't see why you need religion to propagate it.

Then again, perhaps religion is just helpful here in the sense that people -- especially those going through emotional/existential crises -- might find it easier to climb out of a hole with dogma as a guide rather than rational thought.

Re: ‘I’m Broke and Mostly Friendless, and I’ve Wasted My Whole Life’

#446

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The West replaced God not with the self, but with shopping.

That and "Science." "Scientists" (catch-all term nobody seems to have a problem using with increasing frequency) are the new priest class.

There's definitely something to this. We HN readers see the occasional article about the crisis of reproducibility in science, which leads to some thoughtful discussion about the trustworthiness of the phrase "studies have shown," especially when it conflicts with one's own common sense.

Sadly, this reflection is quickly forgotten.

Re: ‘I’m Broke and Mostly Friendless, and I’ve Wasted My Whole Life’

#447
post #423

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is misogynist in its worldview; the woman's value is her attractiveness (which declines with age), and a man's attractiveness (which may be a function of money as well as just looks) is all she cares about. Just because it is misogynist does not mean that women don't participate in it. But whenever you reduce human relationships to something "simple", you're likely doing something offensive.

Just because somebody finds something offensive doesn’t stop it being true.

The implication that all people of a certain group behave and desire a certain thing is obviously false, especially when the group is as large as half the population.

Furthermore, even if it is true for a wide swath of the group, that does not mean it should not be criticized and torn apart for the assumptions that it rests on. A lot of people of both genders internalize negative messages about themselves and operate as though they are more fundamental truths.

Often, seeing them successfully challenged is what allows a person to grow and live a happier life.

The person in the original article believes, at least on some level, that her value as a person is tied to her attractiveness and thus her age. Clearly a lot of others in society believe that too. It's still harmful to her and often them as well and it is a misogynist belief. Simply because a lot of people believe it and operate on that assumption does not mean everyone does, and it does not mean that doing so is beneficial.

Re: ‘I’m Broke and Mostly Friendless, and I’ve Wasted My Whole Life’

#448

(Edit: see, the internet alone is part of what is wrong with the world. I share that I feel completely alone and miserable and what does the internet do? Downvote. Did you bother to comment negatively or just provide some sort of reason as to why you don't like my comment? Nah, 'here have a downvote' because you're safe and comfortable in your anonymity where you can freely show someone you don't like them because th…

Ryan,

You're intelligent, you're awake and have acknowledged the problems you face (as evidenced by the paragraph after paragraph you spent describing them), you're hardworking enough and diligent enough to retain your job for 12 years - that speaks to a certain type of strength of character. I googled you, found your blog, saw a youtube video of you and nothing about your appearance or your bearing was off-putting enough that you're incapable of making some friends.

Two of your biggest problems seem to be able to be categorized into career problems and friendship & dating problems.

As far as the career problems, I think given your intelligence and presence on this forum, you're likely already aware of many of the paths you could potentially take. My guess is your current position affords you _just_ enough comfort in life that despite your misgivings, your fears of the uncertainty of leaving it or undertaking something different is just too much of a risk for you to take. In other words, you likely have some vague ideas about alternatives you could follow, but you're afraid to take the leap. Otherwise, perhaps you'd already be studying at a university with free tuition in Germany or Argentina, teaching English in a poor enough place in Asia that even a GED is enough to get a job, working on a farm somewhere via the WWOOF program while you take stock of what you want in your future, apprenticed in a trade industry to a plumber or a carpenter or some other skilled trade, or something else people do when trying to advance from poor circumstances.

Or perhaps you really aren't aware of the paths you can take, in which case I would spend your internet cycles researching them.

The social problems are both easier and harder to solve.

Easier in the sense of - you have total control over your success or failure, there's no economic forces at work, no job market involved.

Harder in that the 'steps' to social success are not clearly laid out for us the way careers can be, because often you have no idea why a friendship fails to work out with a new acquaintance whereas at least you might have some idea what went wrong with a job application.

But the way to solve your social problems is to think of them the same way you'd think of any other skill you wanted to develop - to practice and put in work, evaluate what's working and what's not, and iterate.

Your failures are most likely due to one of a few things: 1) you're not actually putting yourself in the right places to meet people - that means on a Tuesday night you're sitting at home after work on the computer rather than going to where people are and introducing yourself or going to some sort of event where people work together or suffer together, or 2) you're at these types of places you might meet people but you're not taking some 'next step' - it could be the 'say hello' step, it could be the 'have a conversation trying to find mutual interests and if you do have a mutual interest engage them about it', it could be the 'ask to exchange contact info' step, it could be the 'follow up next week and invite them to another event or meal or for a drink or whatever else' step, etc, but at some point you may be dropping the ball, or 3) you could have some social tic you're not aware of that's off-putting and you're not iterating and experimenting with the way you portray yourself, the way you interact with people, the amount you smile or compliment people or make jokes or share something vulnerable or take it easy and be less aggressive - there's no way to know what it could be but you might not be modifying these variables and evaluating how they help or hurt.

But at a basic level, if you treat making friends or finding a person to date as a series of steps, and you spend your evenings actually taking those shots, and you change your approach, and you don't give up, and you lower your standards if it's not working, then you're almost inevitably going to succeed socially.

But the hard thing is, all of us already know all of this - but we don't do it because it's hard. At least, when I'm in a position where I'm single and alone, or in a new city or a situation where I've gone from having several friends to none, or a few close friends to none, it's only through intense, really agonizing struggle that I slowly build back up the social life I want. And as we get older it becomes more and more difficult.

But it's possible. Many of us who were incredibly weird, or were very shy, or had a stutter, or who were too unattractive, or were awkward, or were virgins, or were friendless - at various points in our lives - we've overcome these things and still gone on to succeed.

Going back to the point about how having just enough comfort in our lives actually paralyses us from taking concrete steps - if you find yourself encountering these same problems, identifying them, coming up with tons of ideas about how to solve them, but then procrastinating on those next steps - then do this - start right now. Get online and RSVP for a meetup tomorrow or in the next few days, or go to a bar, sit down next to someone at the bar - not to hit on them but just to engage a fellow human - and start a conversation. Mention the weather, ask them about what they do, whatever. The point is, don't wait. Because if you wait, you will do nothing. And it will be November 29, 2019 before you know it and you'll be posting the same comment.

Re: ‘I’m Broke and Mostly Friendless, and I’ve Wasted My Whole Life’

#449
post #252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Remember this piece before you argue with someone that they should move away from their friends, family, their support systems for work or other development opportunities. Blood is certainly thicker than water as they say, for good and for evil. I used to think exactly as you stated the above and I don't mean to suggest how rigid you are but my recent experience with family is that relationships must go both ways, a…

> your attempts at expressing yourself go unheard or ignored then perhaps cutting ties is the right approach. Sometimes they are actively used against you. In that case the right course of action should even be clearer.

>Sometimes they are actively used against you

Absolutely. I've termed this emotional gaslighting, where I'm frustrated about something and bring it up and the family member I'm frustrated with deflects or points the finger right back at me as if they're the ones that were frustrated all along. This leaves me doubting my frustration as if my feelings weren't ever valid at all, which I suspect had a huge hand in my intense anxiety that I've fortunately largely overcome.

Re: ‘I’m Broke and Mostly Friendless, and I’ve Wasted My Whole Life’

#450
post #265
post #124

It’s politically incorrect, but I feel like feminism has sold a massive lie to women like this. Admittedly much of what she describes could apply to either gender, but it’s women who are hit hardest by fading looks and declining fertility. It used to be accepted cultural knowledge that if a woman desired marriage and children, she should probably spend her ‘best years’ looking for and committing to a husband. Now you…

As other posters mention, no path in life is guaranteed to be fulfilling for all individuals. Given that, you shouldn't feel sorry for anyone who has had the opportunity to lead their life according to their own principles. And that is all "feminists" want, the ability for women/all people to be considered equal, responsible agents.

This is very incisive comment. Indeed the woman in the article has had the opportunity to live her life according to her own agency, and it’s perhaps condescending of me to feel sorry for her.

But on the other hand, I still think it’s ok to feel pity for someone who has been misled by a social movement that claimed to have all the answers, when it really didn’t.

And most importantly, we should be free to criticise that social movement and point out its shortcomings.

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