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The Great Disconnect
April 21, 2014 at 12:54 am
Ever since I started college and grown to be a different person I slowly started drifting away from social circles. As I broke through the bubble of ignorance and opened my eyes to the ugly side of the world everything about me changed. I no longer wanted to talk about other people, celebrities, TV shows, sports etc.. I wanted to talk about bigger issues like political corruption, ongoing small wars, environment issues and what can be done about such issues. I find it disturbing that these issues interest only a few,and I find it to be a great failure on the nation and the world that we can be so passionate about mediocrity and so careless about the world. I don't regret becoming an outsider but it's down to where I'll mention statistics and historical facts and immediately the nerd jokes come out. At first I thought maybe I was being a buzz-kill but I noticed that it happens during serious conversations as well, even if I correct a person on something I'm met with unspoken disdain. I really don't care about the social repercussions or about how I'm viewed, I never had trouble finding friends, but I'm having the challenge of my life finding people with similar interests and concerns that it scares me how disconnected society is from important issues. Has anyone else experienced something similar, and if so, any advice for me?
PM me if you know where this is from "...knees in the breeze" and don't look it up!!
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RE: The Great Disconnect
April 21, 2014 at 4:39 am
When you walk down the street, do you pass people who are trying to talk to you about various causes? Trying to get you to donate to charity, or listen to something they're saying about a particular cause or issue? I'm assuming you have experienced this, and I'm assuming (happy to be corrected) that you don't stop and talk to every single one. To those people, the issue they're trying to talk to you about is the most important thing in the world to them.
The point I'm making is that what is important to you is not necessarily the same thing that is important to them. I broadly agree that it is a shame that people don't care at all about some of these issues and I sometimes feel a similar way, but it's just something you have to come to terms with.
For some (probably not all), it could even just be a timing thing. People might be engrossed in sport or entertainment because it's an escape from the more serious issues in the world, and so they may even be interested in your chosen topic(s), just not at the time you want to discuss them.
I don't really know what to recommend - colleges are full of societies, so I'm sure you shouldn't struggle to find people to discuss these things with. Then you've still got your friends to discuss more light hearted matters with.
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RE: The Great Disconnect
April 21, 2014 at 10:27 am
You seem similar to me. Just go with the flow of you who you are, without worrying about how you should be a social sheep like everyone else.
"Never trust a fox. Looks like a dog, behaves like a cat."
~ Erin Hunter
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RE: The Great Disconnect
April 21, 2014 at 9:00 pm
(April 21, 2014 at 4:39 am)ElDinero Wrote: When you walk down the street, do you pass people who are trying to talk to you about various causes? Trying to get you to donate to charity, or listen to something they're saying about a particular cause or issue? I'm assuming you have experienced this, and I'm assuming (happy to be corrected) that you don't stop and talk to every single one. To those people, the issue they're trying to talk to you about is the most important thing in the world to them.
The point I'm making is that what is important to you is not necessarily the same thing that is important to them. I broadly agree that it is a shame that people don't care at all about some of these issues and I sometimes feel a similar way, but it's just something you have to come to terms with.
For some (probably not all), it could even just be a timing thing. People might be engrossed in sport or entertainment because it's an escape from the more serious issues in the world, and so they may even be interested in your chosen topic(s), just not at the time you want to discuss them.
I don't really know what to recommend - colleges are full of societies, so I'm sure you shouldn't struggle to find people to discuss these things with. Then you've still got your friends to discuss more light hearted matters with.
I completely agree with everything you said. But, I do feel as though if the education system did it's job this wouldn't be an issue. As Leo Buscaglia once said "We teach kids math, science, english and history but we don't teach them how to be human" Of course 'being human' is very broad term, but somewhere in it there is concern for human related issues.
We now come to question of how can we develop a curriculum which inspires future generations to be unconditionally connected, and, more understanding of one another and the world. I believe every human has room for inspiration but not every teacher cares to fill it.
PM me if you know where this is from "...knees in the breeze" and don't look it up!!
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RE: The Great Disconnect
April 21, 2014 at 9:28 pm
Quote:But, I do feel as though if the education system did it's job this wouldn't be an issue.
It is doing its job. That's the problem.
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RE: The Great Disconnect
April 22, 2014 at 12:37 am
Amen!!
Well what can we do about this? E-mailing puppet governors and senators will yield nothing as usual. The Muslims got it right in Birmingham, maybe we can learn something from them. They sure know how to take over.
What if all atheist organizations got together and their members became BOE superintendents, local town governors and took over such powerful positions? Things will be allot easier to change from there. Am I crazy for having this vision?
PM me if you know where this is from "...knees in the breeze" and don't look it up!!
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RE: The Great Disconnect
April 22, 2014 at 12:41 am
Quote:Am I crazy for having this vision?
No. Merely unrealistic.
Thousands of American kids graduate from college with crushing debts and sit around in Momma's basement waiting for the next cell phone app to come out.
I'm a child of the 60's, man. I don't know why today's kids are so apathetic.
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RE: The Great Disconnect
April 22, 2014 at 12:50 am
(April 22, 2014 at 12:41 am)Minimalist Wrote: Quote:Am I crazy for having this vision?
No. Merely unrealistic.
Thousands of American kids graduate from college with crushing debts and sit around in Momma's basement waiting for the next cell phone app to come out.
I'm a child of the 60's, man. I don't know why today's kids are so apathetic.
You fucking old fart 
Well you guys didn't have facebook and other enablers of degeneracy. This generation is in fact apathetic. We're suckers for the moment, we don't know delayed gratification and hard work.
PM me if you know where this is from "...knees in the breeze" and don't look it up!!
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RE: The Great Disconnect
April 22, 2014 at 3:27 am
I want through a phase like this where I was a major conspiracy theorist as well. While this are good things to be aware of a lot of it is just the same shit over and over and you can't fuck all about, so I decided to get on with my life and worry about other things.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
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