Sometimes it is hard....

Willoughbyva

Diamond Member
Sep 26, 2001
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What are the right words that I am looking for? I guess I will start and see where it goes.

It is hard being intelligent sometimes. We learn about all kinds of things. We learn to do things and not do things. If we are lucky we learn to think about things before we do them. This is where the hard part comes in. If we are lucky we think about things before we do them, and it is sometimes hard to understand how what we do effects others. Have you ever sat down and thought about the complex web we create when we do things? How it effects others? Take just about anything for example. Say we take a job. That means someone else wasn't hired for the same position. That means that we will actually work with people and some jobs requires to work with the public in some fashion. During this interaction we can change others and they can change us in some ways. When we buy a candy bar at a store we just gave the vending man some business and it helps to pay his salary, plus it helps to fill our stomach. If we buy it from a store it makes the cashier do work and exchange our money for their goods, plus it makes a receipt for the managers to read. The money will likely go to the bank and gives them some work to do. Plus it is less money in your pocket or checking account to buy other things.

I will be the first to admit that I usually don't think about what I do. Maybe you could add some more examples to this post and see where it leads us. I am sure different people will have different ideas about what to post.

Also how can I be more aware of my own influence in the world?

Perry
 

SLCentral

Diamond Member
Feb 13, 2003
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If you were that smart, you'd be able to break up that giant paragraph into smaller, better sized ones.
 

drum

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2003
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It is all about perception and how much the mind can break down.
chain reactions. the size of the universe... you could think about this until your head asplode. There is no way of knowing the full affect of your actions.
 
Jun 4, 2005
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Originally posted by: SLCentral
If you were that smart, you'd be able to break up that giant paragraph into smaller, better sized ones.

If it's all on the same subject, then there's no need to break it up.
 

SLCentral

Diamond Member
Feb 13, 2003
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Originally posted by: LoKe
Originally posted by: SLCentral
If you were that smart, you'd be able to break up that giant paragraph into smaller, better sized ones.

If it's all on the same subject, then there's no need to break it up.

It sure as hell makes it easier to read. Most paragraphs are 5-9 sentences. He could have broken it up when he says "Say we take a job..."

Edit: Anyways, it's irrelevent. OP, nice post overall, the world works in weird ways.
 

LanceM

Senior member
Mar 13, 2004
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Originally posted by: LoKe
If it's all on the same subject, then there's no need to break it up.


Typically this is only true for literary critiques, such as an exploration of themes in a novel. For most other purposes (familiar essays, soft news, technical reports) it's best to break it up as much as possible.

EDIT: Not that I always stick to "the rules." I've spent much of my (short) career writing grants, so I tend to slack like crazy when posting. But still.
 

Willoughbyva

Diamond Member
Sep 26, 2001
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iamaelephant: Perhaps you are right, but maybe if more people did a little more of it the world would be a better place, though I can see how it could make matters worse.

Perry
 

KeithTalent

Elite Member | Administrator | No Lifer
Administrator
Nov 30, 2005
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I usually look at things in the past, rather than the here and now. I.e.: if I had not done this particular thing in my life, how would it have changed me and everyone else.

For example, about 10 years back I was working in a restaurant and partying hardcore every night. I would call in sick pretty much any time I did not feel like going in. This one day, after a long night of partying, I had the phone in my hand about to call in sick, then for some reason I decided not to.

I went in to work and low and behold, half way through the workday an old girlfriend of mine came in for lunch, we got to talking, and 6 months later we were living together, 1 year after that we were married, etc..

So that got me to thinking, if I had called in sick that day as I originally intended, how would all of the lives of people we interacted with over the years have changed?

Advice would not have been given, items would not have been purchased, places not visited, and many people just not interacted with, or at the very least interacted with in a different way. This would have changed my life and everyone elses lives, even if just minutely.

Fascinating stuff as far as I am concerned.

Sorry for the long post :)

 

linkgoron

Platinum Member
Mar 9, 2005
2,598
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Originally posted by: Willoughbyva
What are the right words that I am looking for? I guess I will start and see where it goes.

It is hard being intelligent sometimes. We learn about all kinds of things. We learn to do things and not do things. If we are lucky we learn to think about things before we do them. This is where the hard part comes in. If we are lucky we think about things before we do them, and it is sometimes hard to understand how what we do effects others. Have you ever sat down and thought about the complex web we create when we do things? How it effects others? Take just about anything for example. Say we take a job. That means someone else wasn't hired for the same position. That means that we will actually work with people and some jobs requires to work with the public in some fashion. During this interaction we can change others and they can change us in some ways. When we buy a candy bar at a store we just gave the vending man some business and it helps to pay his salary, plus it helps to fill our stomach. If we buy it from a store it makes the cashier do work and exchange our money for their goods, plus it makes a receipt for the managers to read. The money will likely go to the bank and gives them some work to do. Plus it is less money in your pocket or checking account to buy other things.

I will be the first to admit that I usually don't think about what I do. Maybe you could add some more examples to this post and see where it leads us. I am sure different people will have different ideas about what to post.

Also how can I be more aware of my own influence in the world?

Perry

I've had very similar thoughts (Well, it was caused by reading DUNE), anyway...
IMO, you're thinking in a much larger scale.
Think about the small stuff.
True story(happened a couple of months ago):
Or even when this woman jumped from a building. She landed on a baby and killed it to death (I love saying that..., and even by reading these words, and me typing them you get different reactions...) from the babysiter's hands... Now what was the babysiter doing there? The mom of the baby told them to get out of the car because she was looking for a somewhere to park the car... What would've happened if a slow driver would've held them on the road for 5 more seconds? what would've happened if the babysiter would've been a meter to the left or to the right? What would've happened if the babysiter would've said that she'll wait in the car, or even if the babysiter and the mom had some smalltalk before the girl left the car?
Why did the Woman that jumped out of the window jump at that second? Why no 5 minutes later/earlier? What would've happened to the kid if she wouldn't have landed on him? Maybe he would become a famous someone? Maybe he would've died of something? Maybe just a nobody? You can never know...
About that babysiter... She was 16 or 18 or whatever... This probably traumatized her... What kind of treatment does she need now? Depression? Maybe suicide (feeling guilty?)

Anyway, I can go on for hours, but I'm off to bed.
Night.
 

KeithTalent

Elite Member | Administrator | No Lifer
Administrator
Nov 30, 2005
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Originally posted by: Willoughbyva
KeithTalent: Thanks for the post. Good stuff.

No problem. Thank you. It's nice to know other people think about this stuff.
 

meltdown75

Lifer
Nov 17, 2004
37,548
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Perry:

Chillax. Life's too short to worry about all that crap.

Just try to enjoy it - especially if you have your health and some semblance of wealth, ie. roof over your head, family, food, water.

Seems like you're trying to create unnecessary stress for yourself by worrying about things which are completely out of your control.

Good luck! :)
 

Willoughbyva

Diamond Member
Sep 26, 2001
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I hate to get off topic, but stuff like this is why I sometimes think that it would be more probable to time travel to the future than to the past. The past has already happened, but the future is open to change.
 

BigJ

Lifer
Nov 18, 2001
21,330
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Originally posted by: meltdown75
Perry:

Chillax. Life's too short to worry about all that crap.

Just try to enjoy it - especially if you have your health and some semblance of wealth, ie. roof over your head, family, food, water.

Seems like you're trying to create unnecessary stress for yourself by worrying about things which are completely out of your control.

Good luck! :)

:Q

Where have you been?
 

meltdown75

Lifer
Nov 17, 2004
37,548
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Originally posted by: BigJ
Originally posted by: meltdown75
Perry:

Chillax. Life's too short to worry about all that crap.

Just try to enjoy it - especially if you have your health and some semblance of wealth, ie. roof over your head, family, food, water.

Seems like you're trying to create unnecessary stress for yourself by worrying about things which are completely out of your control.

Good luck! :)

:Q

Where have you been?
:confused:

er... um... :) what?
 

BigJ

Lifer
Nov 18, 2001
21,330
1
81
Originally posted by: meltdown75
Originally posted by: BigJ
Originally posted by: meltdown75
Perry:

Chillax. Life's too short to worry about all that crap.

Just try to enjoy it - especially if you have your health and some semblance of wealth, ie. roof over your head, family, food, water.

Seems like you're trying to create unnecessary stress for yourself by worrying about things which are completely out of your control.

Good luck! :)

:Q

Where have you been?
:confused:

er... um... :) what?

I could've sworn I haven't seen you around ATOT nearly as much over the past few months. I used to look forward to your posts.
 

meltdown75

Lifer
Nov 17, 2004
37,548
7
81
Originally posted by: BigJ
Originally posted by: meltdown75
Originally posted by: BigJ
Originally posted by: meltdown75
Perry:

Chillax. Life's too short to worry about all that crap.

Just try to enjoy it - especially if you have your health and some semblance of wealth, ie. roof over your head, family, food, water.

Seems like you're trying to create unnecessary stress for yourself by worrying about things which are completely out of your control.

Good luck! :)

:Q

Where have you been?
:confused:

er... um... :) what?

I could've sworn I haven't seen you around ATOT nearly as much over the past few months. I used to look forward to your posts.
Oh, yeah. Well, I don't visit here nearly as much anymore... a) it was blocked by work and b) it's summertime and I'm not on the computer as much - with golf & stuff.

:) Thanks though, likewise!
 

Willoughbyva

Diamond Member
Sep 26, 2001
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chusteczka: I think I saw it a couple years ago. I don't remember the whole movie, but I think you are right.


Perry