Downer thread ahead, proceed only if you want to get bummed out. It's not my story, it's a hypothetical tale, an experiment in what-if.
So, let me start. I'll try to construct this tale from the earliest beginnings of a man - when he was a boy. This hypothetical boy was just like any other boy, full of energy, life, vigor. Even though this might sound like romanticized fable made from selected memories, it's based on video evidence.
Our hero found a batch of VHS tapes in his parents house, and he gave them a watch over the weekend. What he saw was a mix of reactionary joy and depression. He saw himself, young, lively, energetic and confident. He saw a little person with big smile and big dreams, big laughs and passion for his favorite sport, basketball. This 10 year old boy had no worries in the world.
But as the VHS tapes came to an end, our hypothetical guy started to think. He sat on his chair and started to recollect his thoughts on what he saw. This was the beginning of a downward spiral into the deep abyss. Also, this was not the first time our hypothetical guy had these thoughts. It was merely stronger this time due to the juxtaposition from the VHS tapes and all the memories that were triggered.
So who is this hypothetical guy, why is he talking all this sentimental talk, and what's up with the dumb thread title, what does he mean, this hypothetical guy, destined to lose? A man is in charge of his destiny!
The hypothetical story begins, or should I say, takes a abrupt turn probably 2-3 years after these wonderful VHS tapes were made. This is around the time when our hypothetical boy started his high school. It was around that time that he realized his parents are really having a bad time with each other.
He started noticing that every day there's nervousness in the air. He started to seek refuge. He found it playing basketball, playing pickup instead of going to school. It was at the playground competing with strangers and friends where he felt confident. He would skip school often. His grades were utter shit. He didn't care and strangely, neither did the parents.
One day, the hypothetical recollects, he got home from school, and parents started to bicker about his bad grades. He said that he'll improve, promised to change. His father started to yell at him and slap him across the face, and when the mother started to yell as well, our boy felt kinda intimidated by the sudden outburst of care about his school / grades. He even remembers a scene, as he was crying in front of his parents, his father slapping him one more time across the face and saying "you won't be shit, Mark (fictional name) will make it to the big league one day making millions and you won't be shit".
One might say these words were harsh, but in retrospect, what if they were actually right? Mark didn't make it to the big leagues, but our boy certainly is treading the "won't be shit" areas.
During the high school years, our boy would come home and see his parents yell and swear at each other on a daily basis. Every 5 days or so, these fights would end up being sessions, 5-6-7 hours in the living room, yelling, accusing each other of failing the relationship, you didn't do this, I did that, sobbing, silence, yelling again. Our boy was almost always "called in" to join and contribute, I guess.
Every time our boy needed a ride to school, he would listen to beautiful words one parents had to say about the other. For example, if the father would drive the boy to or from school, he would get a lecture on all the things mom did wrong. They started to talk about divorce, but they never got thru with it. All that remained was bitter talk.
Oh and by the way, they divorced physically by making a literal wall that splits the house in two. Our boy learned the meaning of the wall way before Trump used it as one of the main focuses of his campaign.
In his 20's, our boy (still a boy, yes) found a new hobby. Basketball was forgotten and it was replaced by a car. He would roam around in his car for hours and hours, finding great joy being confined in that little space, listening to whatever music he wants as loud as he wants, or just talking to himself about his woes. Yes, talking to himself, as in talking, not imagining the talk.
At the age of 24 he decided to move out of the house, since the bickering and occasional yelling between the parents continued and it was more and more repulsive each time. Accusations who made more money (blue collar working class family), who's entitled to the house and the best of it, listening to his father complaining about the last time he had sex. All of this, combined with the boy's mother spending more time with her sister than at home.
When he moved out, he also hit the gym. Our boy was a skinny fat dude but after couple months of gym he got in the best shape of his post-high-school life. He met a girl. Traditional girl, wonderful girl. They moved in together very fast, after half a year or so. They didn't have stellar jobs, not much money, but it just worked out for some reason, the memories of those days and the modest life full of optimism and love is beautiful to reminisce about.
Visiting the became a chore, but the girlfriend got used to it. It was always done in sequence, first we go to the mother's part of the house, then we go to the father's part of the house, 10 feet away. In contrast to this, the girlfriend's family was very traditional and tight knit. Visiting her family was a soothing experience.
Our boy landed a good job 2 years ago. Good job. It was the best job of his life and he made nice money during the time he worked there. But being born to lose meant that this very company faced a lawsuit from competitor and had to cut down on employees, so our boy lost his job. He saved some money in the bank, but the problem is that our boy began to question his luck.
While the money was coming in, our boy thought that he finally caught a break in his life. But as usual, he was wrong. And the years piled up. His relationship was 5 years old. No ring yet. Our boy doesn't like responsibilities, probably. His girlfriend started to ask about their future, about starting a family. Our boy doesn't have the courage to go forward with it. He spends a lot of time stressing about sjw'ism and trump and dumb hollywood and aipac and jq and all of that cool esoteric stuff. But life keeps marching forward. His girlfriend's brother is becoming a father soon. Many of her friends from her hometown are parents already.
Our smart boy often makes the remark about how most of them are "leeching while working silly government jobs". Most of them are employed by the state. Maybe Stefan Molyneux would ridicule them, so would our boy, but the fact remains that they are moving ahead in life while our boy is pontificating about the great free market future and optimal size of the government. Wow, such a smart boy.
Also, one thing to say about this hypothetical boy. In his young days, high school days, playing basketball all day days, he had no trouble making friends. He knew a lot of people. As he entered his 20's, and his levels of cynicism and jadedness went up, this ability slowly dissolved. Our boy is now at a very interesting point.
He is 30 years old and, hypothetically speaking, if he had a wedding today, he wouldn't have anyone to call to be his best man. Not a single person comes to mind. He successfully pushed everyone away from him and his contacts are limited to less than a dozen of various levels of acquaintances. His phone battery lasts for a week. He doesn't want to make motorcycle friends. He likes to be alone. His father is exactly like that.
When one of those rare acquaintances calls him, he rarely picks up. He doesn't want to be bothered. He only calls back when he feels in the mood to talk. Great social skills. A year ago, his high school buddies found his number and called him for a reunion. Out of 31 people from the class, 29 shown up. Our boy was one of two who didn't show up. Our boy is concerned with someone seeing him mediocre. His hair is thinning and he stresses a lot over it. Because his father is bald. He doesn't want to be like his father. Could it be that he's slowly turning into him?
Our boy also has this paranoia of sounding, in a literal way, like his father. Sometimes when he talks, he often stops himself because he feels as if he's hearing his father talk. So he makes a conscious effort to change his tone or cadence. Our boy's father led a semi-irresponsible life, but he managed to pull through because he inherited the house from his father. Our boy is renting for years now. He doesn't want to go into debt.
Also, our boy had many plans and aspirations what to do with his life, but every single idea he had was shot down by the voices in his head, as every single idea seemed either futile, childish, lame, boring or he would feel ashamed of the idea 2 days later. Our boy wants to live under all the radars so he can't be judged, compared to, or even mentioned by anyone. Also, he doesn't want to get seen by anyone because he'll be bald, like his father. One thing he also feels is having kids would be a problem, because he would have to deny them the privilege of grandpa and granma. You see, our boy has a very weird relationship with his parents now. Of course there's no more shouting, but the situation is just as weird and exhausting to keep "civil" and "jolly"...and he feels like a complete bastard of thinking such thoughts - yet he can't help it. He can't fathom the idea of having his kids experience the rift and toxicness between his parents. Also, he is afraid to have kids before having money, as he doesn't want to be a bum father.
If this hypothetical boy was a real person, what would you say to him?
So, let me start. I'll try to construct this tale from the earliest beginnings of a man - when he was a boy. This hypothetical boy was just like any other boy, full of energy, life, vigor. Even though this might sound like romanticized fable made from selected memories, it's based on video evidence.
Our hero found a batch of VHS tapes in his parents house, and he gave them a watch over the weekend. What he saw was a mix of reactionary joy and depression. He saw himself, young, lively, energetic and confident. He saw a little person with big smile and big dreams, big laughs and passion for his favorite sport, basketball. This 10 year old boy had no worries in the world.
But as the VHS tapes came to an end, our hypothetical guy started to think. He sat on his chair and started to recollect his thoughts on what he saw. This was the beginning of a downward spiral into the deep abyss. Also, this was not the first time our hypothetical guy had these thoughts. It was merely stronger this time due to the juxtaposition from the VHS tapes and all the memories that were triggered.
So who is this hypothetical guy, why is he talking all this sentimental talk, and what's up with the dumb thread title, what does he mean, this hypothetical guy, destined to lose? A man is in charge of his destiny!
The hypothetical story begins, or should I say, takes a abrupt turn probably 2-3 years after these wonderful VHS tapes were made. This is around the time when our hypothetical boy started his high school. It was around that time that he realized his parents are really having a bad time with each other.
He started noticing that every day there's nervousness in the air. He started to seek refuge. He found it playing basketball, playing pickup instead of going to school. It was at the playground competing with strangers and friends where he felt confident. He would skip school often. His grades were utter shit. He didn't care and strangely, neither did the parents.
One day, the hypothetical recollects, he got home from school, and parents started to bicker about his bad grades. He said that he'll improve, promised to change. His father started to yell at him and slap him across the face, and when the mother started to yell as well, our boy felt kinda intimidated by the sudden outburst of care about his school / grades. He even remembers a scene, as he was crying in front of his parents, his father slapping him one more time across the face and saying "you won't be shit, Mark (fictional name) will make it to the big league one day making millions and you won't be shit".
One might say these words were harsh, but in retrospect, what if they were actually right? Mark didn't make it to the big leagues, but our boy certainly is treading the "won't be shit" areas.
During the high school years, our boy would come home and see his parents yell and swear at each other on a daily basis. Every 5 days or so, these fights would end up being sessions, 5-6-7 hours in the living room, yelling, accusing each other of failing the relationship, you didn't do this, I did that, sobbing, silence, yelling again. Our boy was almost always "called in" to join and contribute, I guess.
Every time our boy needed a ride to school, he would listen to beautiful words one parents had to say about the other. For example, if the father would drive the boy to or from school, he would get a lecture on all the things mom did wrong. They started to talk about divorce, but they never got thru with it. All that remained was bitter talk.
Oh and by the way, they divorced physically by making a literal wall that splits the house in two. Our boy learned the meaning of the wall way before Trump used it as one of the main focuses of his campaign.
In his 20's, our boy (still a boy, yes) found a new hobby. Basketball was forgotten and it was replaced by a car. He would roam around in his car for hours and hours, finding great joy being confined in that little space, listening to whatever music he wants as loud as he wants, or just talking to himself about his woes. Yes, talking to himself, as in talking, not imagining the talk.
At the age of 24 he decided to move out of the house, since the bickering and occasional yelling between the parents continued and it was more and more repulsive each time. Accusations who made more money (blue collar working class family), who's entitled to the house and the best of it, listening to his father complaining about the last time he had sex. All of this, combined with the boy's mother spending more time with her sister than at home.
When he moved out, he also hit the gym. Our boy was a skinny fat dude but after couple months of gym he got in the best shape of his post-high-school life. He met a girl. Traditional girl, wonderful girl. They moved in together very fast, after half a year or so. They didn't have stellar jobs, not much money, but it just worked out for some reason, the memories of those days and the modest life full of optimism and love is beautiful to reminisce about.
Visiting the became a chore, but the girlfriend got used to it. It was always done in sequence, first we go to the mother's part of the house, then we go to the father's part of the house, 10 feet away. In contrast to this, the girlfriend's family was very traditional and tight knit. Visiting her family was a soothing experience.
Our boy landed a good job 2 years ago. Good job. It was the best job of his life and he made nice money during the time he worked there. But being born to lose meant that this very company faced a lawsuit from competitor and had to cut down on employees, so our boy lost his job. He saved some money in the bank, but the problem is that our boy began to question his luck.
While the money was coming in, our boy thought that he finally caught a break in his life. But as usual, he was wrong. And the years piled up. His relationship was 5 years old. No ring yet. Our boy doesn't like responsibilities, probably. His girlfriend started to ask about their future, about starting a family. Our boy doesn't have the courage to go forward with it. He spends a lot of time stressing about sjw'ism and trump and dumb hollywood and aipac and jq and all of that cool esoteric stuff. But life keeps marching forward. His girlfriend's brother is becoming a father soon. Many of her friends from her hometown are parents already.
Our smart boy often makes the remark about how most of them are "leeching while working silly government jobs". Most of them are employed by the state. Maybe Stefan Molyneux would ridicule them, so would our boy, but the fact remains that they are moving ahead in life while our boy is pontificating about the great free market future and optimal size of the government. Wow, such a smart boy.
Also, one thing to say about this hypothetical boy. In his young days, high school days, playing basketball all day days, he had no trouble making friends. He knew a lot of people. As he entered his 20's, and his levels of cynicism and jadedness went up, this ability slowly dissolved. Our boy is now at a very interesting point.
He is 30 years old and, hypothetically speaking, if he had a wedding today, he wouldn't have anyone to call to be his best man. Not a single person comes to mind. He successfully pushed everyone away from him and his contacts are limited to less than a dozen of various levels of acquaintances. His phone battery lasts for a week. He doesn't want to make motorcycle friends. He likes to be alone. His father is exactly like that.
When one of those rare acquaintances calls him, he rarely picks up. He doesn't want to be bothered. He only calls back when he feels in the mood to talk. Great social skills. A year ago, his high school buddies found his number and called him for a reunion. Out of 31 people from the class, 29 shown up. Our boy was one of two who didn't show up. Our boy is concerned with someone seeing him mediocre. His hair is thinning and he stresses a lot over it. Because his father is bald. He doesn't want to be like his father. Could it be that he's slowly turning into him?
Our boy also has this paranoia of sounding, in a literal way, like his father. Sometimes when he talks, he often stops himself because he feels as if he's hearing his father talk. So he makes a conscious effort to change his tone or cadence. Our boy's father led a semi-irresponsible life, but he managed to pull through because he inherited the house from his father. Our boy is renting for years now. He doesn't want to go into debt.
Also, our boy had many plans and aspirations what to do with his life, but every single idea he had was shot down by the voices in his head, as every single idea seemed either futile, childish, lame, boring or he would feel ashamed of the idea 2 days later. Our boy wants to live under all the radars so he can't be judged, compared to, or even mentioned by anyone. Also, he doesn't want to get seen by anyone because he'll be bald, like his father. One thing he also feels is having kids would be a problem, because he would have to deny them the privilege of grandpa and granma. You see, our boy has a very weird relationship with his parents now. Of course there's no more shouting, but the situation is just as weird and exhausting to keep "civil" and "jolly"...and he feels like a complete bastard of thinking such thoughts - yet he can't help it. He can't fathom the idea of having his kids experience the rift and toxicness between his parents. Also, he is afraid to have kids before having money, as he doesn't want to be a bum father.
If this hypothetical boy was a real person, what would you say to him?
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