A different perspective

[Abaddon_ire]

Why is life trying to keep me trapped in high school forever? I am 30 years old (almost 31) but I can't move on from high school. I've had many dreams about being back in school, and the dreams have a feeling of not being finished with school yet. I never smoked weed in high school, but I smoked for years after graduation, but now, life has made sure I can't smoke weed anymore, so I'm back to not smoking, ala high school. YouTube has created personalized playlists for me, without me doing anything, and I am now addicted to the playlists, just like how I was addicted to listening to CD's in high school. This has left me feeling unfree. There was a brief period several years ago when I had just found out about a particular genre of porn, I would smoke weed and watch the porn and have a really great time. That was probably the freest I've felt since graduating high school, but that's over and done with. What kind of game is life playing here? Life wants me to listen to music (constantly) and not smoke weed. This isn't what I wanted.

It's called growing up or even adulting.  You might want to try it.  

At no point were you, or anyone else, guaranteed the life of a highschooler would go on forever.

The OP seems to think he/she is somehow owed everything.

In my case, I grew up, got married, bought a house, had kids, had a load of challenges both medical and practical. I just got on with it. Now that I am I am in my 50s, I own my own home outright, no loans or mortgages. I worked and struggled to get there. And it is a happy place to be. But I did it. Maximum effort.

Our protagonist wants all of it handed to him on a platter. I think not. At 31 he should be doing that for himself. for the last several years.

For this reason, I conclude that what we have is an entitled child pretending to be an adult. Mom and Dad simply handed over anything and everything on demand, and that is how he/she really thinks the real world works.

[Ahriman]

I deserve to get everything I want, without needing to resort to degrading work. That's self-respect.

[The Grand Nudger]

I agree. Now you just have to figure out how to accomplish that. Only you could know.

[Ahriman]

I used to give up the goods for men in exchange for weed, and I still would, had I kept in contact with any of those men. I consider those sexual favors less degrading than working a job or doing chores.

[arewethereyet]

I don't think I need to tell anyone here just how warped you are. You have told us time and again.

[The Grand Nudger]

Sounds like you have a future in sex work. Good for you.

[Astreja]

Free to live in bad neighbourhoods.

Free to eat ramen every day.

Free to walk miles and miles to get out of the local "food desert" to pick up good quality fruits and vegetables.

Free to spend virtually all of the welfare cheque on rent, electricity, food, and maybe a phone if there's any money left over for it.

You have zero conception of real freedom.

"Real freedom" does not exist.  You would have to be completely independent of literally everything:  Food, water, shelter, gravity, sickness and death.  At best we can have relative freedom, and that has to be seen in light of what we want from life.  There will be trade-offs, assuming some responsibilities to acquire some privileges.  Access to money, via working at an adequately-paying job, is one of those trade-offs.

I have the freedom to live in my house, or to sell it and move somewhere else.  I could go live somewhere else in the world if desired.  I can eat ramen, or beef Stroganoff, or roast goose.  I can jump in my car and pick up groceries from anywhere in the city - and beyond.  I can get on the phone and order a $1500 clarinet from halfway across the country, and not worry about making rent (paid off the mortgage over five years ago) or having the lights cut off (haven't missed a utility payment in many years).  My bills are current, my house is warm and lit, and there were homemade cinnamon buns in the kitchen when I came down to get ready for work this morning.  They were delicious, BTW.

You're so hung up on freedom, Ahriman, that you fail to see the benefits of accepting a bit of responsibility and trading time for resources.

[Belacqua]

I used to give up the goods for men in exchange for weed, and I still would, had I kept in contact with any of those men. I consider those sexual favors less degrading than working a job or doing chores.

If you could get a job where you push people's buttons and make them react like puppets in predictable ways on the Internet, you'd make a fortune.

[Ahriman]

Sounds like you have a future in sex work.  Good for you.

That would be awesome. I don't mind selling my body. I would've had an infinitely easier time in life as a female escort.

[The Grand Nudger]

Dare to dream, I guess.