Society & Culture Why do you bother?

[fairdinkum]

Seriously, why?

You get up when your alarm goes off even though you are still tired. You work that job which really doesn't fulfil you (if it weren't for the money, you certainly wouldn't spend 40+ hours per week there, and many more in commute). You pay your council rates even though you regularly curse their incompetence/waste. And your vehicle registration. And insurance. And you go into Vicroads/whatever to get a new photo taken for your license and wait like a mug with all of the other suckers who don't want to be there. And you listen to one of your family members carry on about something you know is untrue/unimportant. You resign yourself to accepting that your partner will occasionally bring up something from the past which really ought not be brought up like that. You go outside in your pyjamas to put the bins out because you forgot to when you got home. Again. And about a thousand other things that you don't really want to do but do anyway, because you 'have to' (but don't really have to...).

So, why? There has to be a reason why you do some (many?) of these things I've just listed, and all of the other things I haven't listed.

Why do you bother? Do you ever ask yourself this question? Do you ever consider the alternative?

 

[Poseidon]

The alternative to what? Societal life? What's the alternative?

 

[TurboHead]

Chaos.... Anarchy....

The reason you walk passed the hot chick and not just club her over the head and drag her off is that it is just not the right thing to do.

 

[TurboHead]

And I guess we can thank religion for knowing what is "right and wrong".

 

[Simple Jack]

You don't have to at all. You just have to weigh up if the tradeoff between your current lifestyle and your future freedom and lack of responsibility is worth it. I know many people who now are are in above average paying employment who say the happiest time of their lives was when they just ****ed around on the dole.

You could quit your job, get the dole, rent a 1 bedroom apartment in a block and spend all day sitting outside on your deckchair with your neighbors drinking beer all day and you may be very happy.

But then you can't have a nice car/house/flat screen tv etc or go out to the places you do now.

The biggest restriction people have is they can't free themselves from societal 'normality' and the expectations drummed into them from a young age. If you free yourself from that you then can freely choose which path you want to take.


P.s. My overly descriptive bludger scenario is based on a block of flats I drive past often who have 3 or 4 guys who are sitting out there every day, on deck chairs, drinking beer. I assume it's all they do with their lives.

 

[fairdinkum]

I only chose the 'society/culture' prefix because it was there, not because my OP is based on society or culture. Read it again without thinking about the prefix. I would have chosen 'life' if it were available.

 

[Simple Jack]

Ah I see.
In that case, ring this number 13 11 14.

 

[Igloo]

Futurama: "You gotta do, what you gotta do."

 

[fairdinkum]

Ah I see.
In that case, ring this number 13 11 14.

Bro, I wouldn't have the guts to commit suicide even if I was depressed.

Which I'm not. I'm high on life right now.

I'll go back and edit that post because, on reflection, it does seem a little bit grim.

 

[placebo]

Having a bit of an existential crisis, FD?

I feel the same things most days.


If I may make a reference to fiction, I think this is one of the reasons why the show Breaking Bad is so popular, as well as anti-heroes. A lot of us see ourselves as a "Walt". A man who has the same routine every day with nothing really going on, and then we see him break away from that, making his own bed one might say. I think we all sometimes crave that break from routine and the ennui of daily life.

I'm also reminded of one of Mencken's famous quotes:
'Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.'

The context that quote is used in is slightly different to what you're saying, but I feel that it applies on a certain level.


But maybe in the end it's not all that bad. Can you ever really escape a routine and the restrictions living in a society imposes upon you? There's still a lot of 'good' out there.

 

[Simple Jack]

Bro, I wouldn't have the guts to commit suicide even if I was depressed.

Which I'm not. I'm high on life right now.

I'll go back and edit that post because, on reflection, it does seem a little bit grim.

Fair enough.

However you'd have to admit

"I would have prefaced this with 'life'"

"[life] Why bother, do you consider the alternative"

"That's going on my headstone"

Are what I believe are commonly referred to as 'raising flags'.


Anyway, refer to my first post, it may have a useful suggestion

 

[fairdinkum]

Yeah, I can see how it came across that way which is why I edited the second post.

Also, you still have not explained why you do the things you do.

 

[Catfish Alley]

It's all part of the experience. You're focusing on the bad too much. For example, if you hate your job you are allowed to look for something else. I like my job but as you said I probably wouldn't do it if I won the lottery or something. That said, working leads to meeting new people and challenging myself. My pay allows me to go on holiday and experience new things, start a family etc. Lots of good things.

You do sound kind of depressed. Things like putting the garbage out or talking to a family member shouldn't be a big deal.

 

[fairdinkum]

I don't put the garbage out. Or have a job. Or pay council rates. Or have a partner.

The OP was not about me. It was about you.

Why do you bother?

 

[Catfish Alley]

Oh ok. I bother because the good far outweighs the bad. And doing things that may be considered annoying can lead to other opportunities - or at least a clean house or a happy wife

 

[Tex_21]

I get up at 5.30 every day (7.30 on weekends) and run/go to the gym, then spend roughly 60+ hours per week either in class or studying. I do it for 2 reasons - I need to put the work in to get where I want to be, but more importantly, I like it. I'm an anti-social person, don't enjoy company much, so I spend a lot of time with my nose deep in a book. Suits me just fine.

 

[Gabbie]

Call me crazy but I hear where Fairdinkum is coming from.

Some days you wake up and think "there must be more to life" especially when you feel all you do is get up, go to work, come home and pay bill after bill. You feel like that all you seem to be doing. Usually, something good happens the next day or so and you get over it.

I used to call it the "footy is over and test cricket not yet started properly and I haven't got enough cash to go away on a decent holiday blues"

I went through that 7 years ago and after much soul searching and researching of real estate, job market etc. I sold my house in Melbourne and moved north for a sea change. I knew the area very well having spent my schooling years up in NQ and still have friends so it wasn't too hard to make up my mind especially on a cold wet winters day.

Fairdinkum, you bother because it's called growing up and being an adult, we can't hold onto being 16 all our lives, would be nice though.

 

[Coledinho]

Why do the Pokemon bother? Just because Ash put you in a ball doesnt mean you have to do what he tells you. You are clearly the more powerful being. Infact at times I have seen you guys blow up an entire stadium such is your power but you obey by the commands of a 14 year old pimple geek who couldnt get a half chub after a whole bottle of viagra. Give Ash a thunderbolt and make him do as you command you yellow muppet. You are the powerful being in this relationship. Control your lesser.

 

[nicky]

You bother because the alternative to not working is being poor. You also have the option to be poor.

Not everyone has to work 40+ hours per week to live comfortably either.

To be honest fairdinkum you do sound a bit depressed. Happy people don't look at life as one big monotonous chore. Ideally every moment in life can be enjoyed rather than looking at evey moment as a means to an end - ie. get dressed go to work etc

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

I really don't know why I bother, and in many ways I don't bother. The lack of a viable alternative is the main thing I guess. After you reach about 25, life is just one breath after another until you stop.

 

[Messenger]

The lack of a viable alternative is the main thing I guess. After you reach about 25, life is just one breath after another until you stop.

No, it's just the things you could do at 25 aren't your priority later in life. Like fun, drinking copious amounts of booze, sex and travel. And sex.

I do however, take my own rubbish out.

 

[philohk]

Both relevant and awesome:

[youtube]m5n9nwTPqhk[/youtube]

 

[JuddsABlue]

You bother out of fear of being viewed as pathetic in front of everybody else. If you dont do things responsibly, then other people will speak badly of you and not respect you, despite having their own problems

If you live in a dirty environment, people will call you a pig

If you dont work, people will call you lazy

If you are pretty dumb/careless/unmotivated, people will say you have no hope

Nobody wants these things, they want to be respected in the eyes of their families. Thats why you clean the house, and go to work and save your money.

An interesting way of looking at it, is being late to something important (ie work, when you're new on the job or its important). How is that panic you feel when you first wake up and realise you've slept in, when you rush to get ready cutting corners and not doing things properly. Then speeding to work constantly looking at the clock and wondering how badly everyone is going to think of you. Wahts the boss going to say? All you've done is slept in though, in your eyes its a simple, very easy mistake to make. To be honest you dont even have control, you were asleep, you werent even awake to wake yourself up which you wouldve done for sure. Even worse than that, everybody does it. The most important men in the world would have slept in and been late at some point. But the consequences and fear you have cant be compared. Its terrible, but we all do it, but cant seem to forgive ourselves for it

Its just what we put on our shoulders and expect of ourselves. The harder 1 person works, the harder we are all expected to work.

 

[CHIEF SMACKAHOE]

i don't know. i've come close to giving up a few times

Why do you bother? Do you ever ask yourself this question? Do you ever consider the alternative?

suicide?

 

[Illinois Nazi]

Seriously, why?

Call me crazy but I hear where Fairdinkum is coming from.

I really don't know why I bother, and in many ways I don't bother.

Is it just a coincidence that that only three people in this thread with this attitude are also the only North Melbourne supporters?

I mean, North Melbourne, why do they bother?