The lost generation?

My entire life, I've been told that I was "above average", or even "genius". I say this not to brag, but to set the stage for what I'm about to say. I was always told that hard work and study would land me a good job. I was told that intelligence was a large factor in most jobs.

Then, I grew up. I found myself surrounded by factories, and fast food. I found myself doing jobs that only required memorization of routine. I also realised that there are loads of people my age or younger that make my intelligence seem laughable.

It finally hit me, though. We're a generation of americans with more access to information than any before us. We produce some truly gifted individuals, but to what end? We stick them in factories. We stick 'em in Wal-marts, and Burger Kings.

And with so many bright, gifted people...where are our causes? Where is our Vietnam? Where is our "dare to be great" situation?

We don't have one. There are so many of us, that we all seem to focus on different issues - if we focus at all. We can't get behind anything, as a whole. We're too worried about us, me, I. We don't bother with something, unless it affects us.

We worry about trivialities, because nothing else matters. We can't change anything, so why bother?

I was reading "The Armageddon Rag" by George RR Martin, and the main character was talking about the 60's/70's. He talked about how he knew the exact moment that his spirit was crushed. The moment that made him give up hope, and his youthful idealism.

When did that happen to us? Were we ever idealistic? Did we ever care? I think about all of these things; I think about our future...and I feel completely lost. Are we striving for something greater than ourselves? If not...what's the point?

We have to do something. We have to make an impact on our world. If a tree falls, and no one hears it...did it fall? On that same note, if we're alive, but we make no impression on the world...were we ever really here?

 

yeah i really feel like shit.
the other day some psychologist wanted to ask me some questions for whatever he was doing. and he asked me if i was trying my hardest in college. and i said no.
i feel. like i like to meet the line. but never go past it....you know what i mean?

 

Go to college.

 

your great mission could be ....to create viable alternatives to profit and athority in small appropriate tecnology - permaculture systems , that will help a few peeps survive civilizations-capitolisms noisy collapse , thats no doubt comming soon .

 

I know. I'm in the same situation, more or less. I'm in college, but I just do what I need to, to pass. I don't feel like there is any great goal on the horizon. I'm just making it through the day-by-day, and waiting for something meaningful to come along.

Or, I could come up with something that might have helped people, but my money-hungry corporate parents would charge too much for it. I'm not looking for some global panacea. I'm looking to work towards something better.

 

If you have the smarts go for a goverment job. If you get in the inside you can really change stuff in a good way. All the people in goverment today are making the world worse daily.

 

Timothy Leary will explain your questions perfectly I bet, if you're serious about finding out, take a look at either "Turn on Tune in Drop out" Exo-Psychology" or "Chaos in Cyber Culture" The thoughts you and I are having aren't unique or individually special, that seems to me to be the first thing we must find out before we can really use our genius born within us. I mean you don't want to be living in 60's intelligence do you, of course not.
Peace,
Alex

 

invent hyper-space drive... dude, i mean you know warp 3 and things... i wanna go to pluton

 

elbert anstain failed school.......he was one of the most amazing thinker's pf the world

 

To the original poster:

You're not special, or more precisely. We're not special.

 

screw you

 

It's funny that we have the greatest access; yet we are the most unappreciative and slothly. Don't you just love the enthusiasm to learn when we try to fake sick? We are ungreatful terds who need to appriciate education.

 

I'm already going to college. Though, I don't think that one more IT major will change the world, for the better.

True enough.

Nobody is special. That's a moot point, though. You don't have to be special to change things. You just have to be proactive.

We're "unappreciative" because we have the greatest access, as you said. We grew up with it. We're used to it. If you want to know something in this day/age, you can - easily. If you want to learn? Easy. I'm not talking about being lazy, though. I already know how to do that, well enough. I want to know how to change things.

 

we need more thinkers like Ryot in this world. dude, just figure out what your true passion is and go with it.

my dad expects a cultural revolution backlash in about 10 years. i hope he's right and that some kind of movement comes along.

but BELIEVE me, there's no fucking way life is always going to be this dull. we'll have our own 1960s otherwise our country will implode.

 

yeh i think somethings comming

I liken the nowadays to the 1920 and the 1950

terribly conservative.........

then you had the depression and the 60's

i sense a change in the wind.....and im not just saying that........

Even though most people here, including myself, look at people like emos as being tryhards and idiots. That is where the movement is coming from, thats the popular movement, we need to allie ourselves with them, jsut as many alterative movements allied themselves in the 60's, i.e. black civil rights, feminists, hippies, stoners, they are our brethren.

I sense a change.

 

Wow. With wit like that, I can see why you don't feel you'd benefit from an education.

 

Major in something you care about.

 

i sure hope for a cultural revolution... here in france we're all protesting against a new jobs law, but some want to make it more then that, they want to change the world

 

yeh, socialist appeal is sending people over to france to try and help the tendanyc over there with the situation, but my prediction is that it will all fizzle out due to a lack of leadership.


also, when talking of cultural revolution, be careful, as it Brings Mao's crazy purge of 'counter revolutionarues' to mind.

 

yeah, that's exactly what seem's to be happening, this kind of happened last year also ( us french always have something to protest against), the goverment just didn't listen and just ignored us and the marches got smaller and smaller, until everyone kind of forgot about it and stoped fighting.