See no evil.
Well, I must say events from the past few days have gotten me thinking... now there's a surprise, eh? And I am sufficiently distracted from doing my homework that maybe i just need to write it down. So here are my thoughts, read them or not, comment or not, this isn't so much for you as for me.
So I've been thinking about people. About the impact they can have on our lives whether or not we meant for it to happen, or were even aware of it at the time.
Now in general, I would say I have an optimistic if not extremely naive trust in the human race. I see the best in people, will always give them the benefit of the doubt, and will give them my trust and respect until they prove unworthy of it. And I will say that until recently, I have had the remarkable opportunity to be right 90% of the time.
Lately, or perhaps more accurately the past half year or so, I've been thinking maybe i'm wrong. Maybe people are inherently bad. Maybe they are far more likely to hurt us than to help us. Maybe we are wrong to put our trust in them, to share our secrets, to give them pieces of ourselves. Maybe the whole world is out to get as much as they can as fast as they can, for as little as they can...
Welcome to college life. In addition to a degree, here is what we teach our young adults in the glorious world of post-secondary education...
- it's perfectly fine to re-use previous work from another class to hand in to your current class. Or someone else's. Actually doing the assignment is a waste of time. You need time to go out with your friends. To experiment. To find yourself. School just gets in the way.
- any professor can be talked into giving you any extension, extra credit, grade change, or excused absence you want. You just have to make up a good enough story.
- actually reading the textbook is also a waste of time. Why study when you could be drinking?
- a hangover is a perfectly good excuse not to go to class. So is not liking the professor, the class, or the current topic, going out to lunch instead, bad weather, avoiding traffic, sitting in the cafe with friends, "not feeling like it"...in fact, there is no reason you can't pass the class without ever going. Someone else will give you their notes and test answers.
- a rumor is a terrible thing to waste. If you hear one, pass it on to as many people as possible. If you haven't heard one in a while, make one up. Knowing as much as possible about other people's personal lives is key to having power/influence.
- members of the opposite sex only talk to you because they want A)to figure out why you are better at _____ than them and how to beat you or get you to do it for them, B)your notes/previous assignments/test answers, C)your hot friends' number, or D)to sleep with you.
- no relationship is permanent. Better not treat them like they might be. In fact, date more than one person at a time, that will better your odds. Actually, don't date at all. Just hook up with the hottest guy/as many girls as possible. Then tell everyone you know about it.
- the only reason to know the rules is so you can learn how best to break them.
- when you are under 21, they will charge you for drinking underage. When you finally turn 21, they will charge you with getting the minors drunk. You can't win whether you follow rules or not, so don't bother.
- never trust anyone. Anything you say/do can and will be used either against you or for the other person's personal gain at the first opportunity. You might want to do the same, just to be even.
- anything you do will be done better and faster by somebody else, soon. Average is just safer.
AND MY PERSONAL FAVORITE:
- when you get to the "real world", it will be nothing like college. The things you did and the habits you learned while IN college will have no bearing on real life if you don't want them to. Life will make sense because you will have "arrived".
These and other useful life lessons brought to you by a college or university near you.
So this is to all my friends who have been ditched by a friend cause she wanted to hang out with some guy instead, to those of you who have been the victims of false rumors, backstabbing, boy/girlfriend stealing, nights of drinking you regretted, and sticky situations that could have been avoided. To my friends who are STILL heartbroken over that last relationship. Who are still trying to figure out how to pay for the education the world says you need. To you who are grieving the loss of that person who just couldn't stand life anymore.
You cannot control life, only how you react to it. Don't learn the lessons everyone else is trying to teach you. Be the exception. Prove that sometimes, i'm right to give people the benefit of the doubt.
So I've been thinking about people. About the impact they can have on our lives whether or not we meant for it to happen, or were even aware of it at the time.
Now in general, I would say I have an optimistic if not extremely naive trust in the human race. I see the best in people, will always give them the benefit of the doubt, and will give them my trust and respect until they prove unworthy of it. And I will say that until recently, I have had the remarkable opportunity to be right 90% of the time.
Lately, or perhaps more accurately the past half year or so, I've been thinking maybe i'm wrong. Maybe people are inherently bad. Maybe they are far more likely to hurt us than to help us. Maybe we are wrong to put our trust in them, to share our secrets, to give them pieces of ourselves. Maybe the whole world is out to get as much as they can as fast as they can, for as little as they can...
Welcome to college life. In addition to a degree, here is what we teach our young adults in the glorious world of post-secondary education...
- it's perfectly fine to re-use previous work from another class to hand in to your current class. Or someone else's. Actually doing the assignment is a waste of time. You need time to go out with your friends. To experiment. To find yourself. School just gets in the way.
- any professor can be talked into giving you any extension, extra credit, grade change, or excused absence you want. You just have to make up a good enough story.
- actually reading the textbook is also a waste of time. Why study when you could be drinking?
- a hangover is a perfectly good excuse not to go to class. So is not liking the professor, the class, or the current topic, going out to lunch instead, bad weather, avoiding traffic, sitting in the cafe with friends, "not feeling like it"...in fact, there is no reason you can't pass the class without ever going. Someone else will give you their notes and test answers.
- a rumor is a terrible thing to waste. If you hear one, pass it on to as many people as possible. If you haven't heard one in a while, make one up. Knowing as much as possible about other people's personal lives is key to having power/influence.
- members of the opposite sex only talk to you because they want A)to figure out why you are better at _____ than them and how to beat you or get you to do it for them, B)your notes/previous assignments/test answers, C)your hot friends' number, or D)to sleep with you.
- no relationship is permanent. Better not treat them like they might be. In fact, date more than one person at a time, that will better your odds. Actually, don't date at all. Just hook up with the hottest guy/as many girls as possible. Then tell everyone you know about it.
- the only reason to know the rules is so you can learn how best to break them.
- when you are under 21, they will charge you for drinking underage. When you finally turn 21, they will charge you with getting the minors drunk. You can't win whether you follow rules or not, so don't bother.
- never trust anyone. Anything you say/do can and will be used either against you or for the other person's personal gain at the first opportunity. You might want to do the same, just to be even.
- anything you do will be done better and faster by somebody else, soon. Average is just safer.
AND MY PERSONAL FAVORITE:
- when you get to the "real world", it will be nothing like college. The things you did and the habits you learned while IN college will have no bearing on real life if you don't want them to. Life will make sense because you will have "arrived".
These and other useful life lessons brought to you by a college or university near you.
So this is to all my friends who have been ditched by a friend cause she wanted to hang out with some guy instead, to those of you who have been the victims of false rumors, backstabbing, boy/girlfriend stealing, nights of drinking you regretted, and sticky situations that could have been avoided. To my friends who are STILL heartbroken over that last relationship. Who are still trying to figure out how to pay for the education the world says you need. To you who are grieving the loss of that person who just couldn't stand life anymore.
You cannot control life, only how you react to it. Don't learn the lessons everyone else is trying to teach you. Be the exception. Prove that sometimes, i'm right to give people the benefit of the doubt.