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I know what you’re all thinking. He’s just another kid writing his views on life, filling up his word count and all that. But I’m hoping lots of people can relate to this, as I think most people on this site are sort of my age (15, for those interested, of which there are probably very few).
I’m just going to talk about how much life can kick you in the teeth when you’re a teenager. My parents always say “you just wait until you grow up, then you’ll see how hard life is”, when I’m pretty sure I already know that life is often a pain in the neck, and I’m not even old enough to drink yet. I understand that people face problems throughout life, in all kinds of situations, but I, personally, have loads of problems. Not necessarily life-threatening ones, but things that bug me, and these things bug friends of mine too. I just thought that maybe they bug you as well.
Firstly, I will start with school. I know everyone moans about it, but I’m pretty sure everyone is grateful for it really. I know I am. But it can get too much, especially when people tell you it’s easy. Without blowing my own trumpet, I’m in top stream for a lot of my classes and took separate sciences at GSCE. This indicates that I find the “average” learning that people do easy. Which is untrue. “You’re a bright lad, you can handle all this work”. Maybe, but I would also like a life to run alongside my robotic working state. Going back to my parents comment, I would like to point out to them, and anyone else who feels the same way they do, that we have homework. Oh, and also, coursework… and exams. I have done 15 A3 sheets worth of Graphics coursework this summer, and I did a 7-page Physics piece yesterday. I still have Maths, Statistics, German AS and Music work to do! Now, if that isn’t hard, especially during a 15 year old’s summer holidays, I don’t know what is. What do you do? You come in at 5pm and you are completely finished. “Oh, it’s so nice to get off my feet”. I know how you feel, but I’m now sitting at the computer doing another 3 hours work. I think I’d rather be on my feet. It’s this time in my life that I truly feel my parents don’t know me. Maybe it’s that growing up thing that we do every so often.
My second point is that of freedom. I know everyone rants and raves about it all the time, how the whole of the West is sort of brought up on lies. But, I do worry about it, and I often read the news on the “Underground Action Alliance” and alike. I listen to bands such as Anti-Flag, Rage Against The Machine and Rise Against because not only is it very good, but also it has real meaning. Real life situations that people can relate to. I think this is really important for people my age, to grow up knowing that we can voice what we feel, even if it is not on a global matter – it could be something very simple really. Whilst I’m not going to go round burning the Union Jack or using a stuffed Tony Blair on November 5th just for a change, I still feel quite strongly about this point. All I can hope for is that by the time I’m officially an adult, Bush and Blair will be long gone. I hate lies, whether they come from politicians or from people I know. Which flows quite smoothly into my next point….
Girls. “You can’t live with them, you can’t live without them,” they say. So true and so painful it’s unreal. Why would God put anything so confusing on Earth? Yes I know, for love and reproduction and all that jazz. But…I don’t know what to type, it’s so frustrating. My worst experience was caused by my own naivety. At 14, I had a girlfriend, the best I’d ever had (without making her sound like a new game or something). She was gorgeous, funny, committed – everything you could possibly want from a girlfriend. Then, one day, she told me she loved me. Why did I believe her? Why? Can someone tell me? I told her I loved her too, but I think I was telling the truth – I think of her every night, and always wish I had her back. In the end she decided that she wanted a break, and after that I knew that there was no going back. Since we broke up I’ve told her twice more how I feel, but she seems to forget when I tell her, and we are good friends again the next time we meet. She has a new boyfriend now, so that’s her and I finished it would seem, unless somehow I get some good luck. Maybe it’s those annoying chain letters that I’ve never forwarded…
My last point is on judgement. Teenagers are always, especially in social areas, judged. People see groups of teenagers as threatening, and they feel uneasy around us? Why is this? We are as human as everyone else, and I for one have no intention of causing anyone any harm. It gets to me that people feel a little uncomfortable around my friends and I, as they have no need to. Sure, we are enjoying ourselves, but does that make the environment around us a hostile one? If anything it should do the opposite.
Also, why do groups of teenagers judge each other, categorising people? All I hear is “Goths” or “Grungers” or “Skaters” or “Townies”, and it’s really annoying. I wear sport clothing, similar to a townie maybe, but listen to Slipknot and Slayer amongst other things. Most of my better friends all enjoy skating. What does this make me? It makes me, ME. It’s like racism, only on a much smaller and less serious scale. It just becomes really tedious after a while; I don’t understand why people are like this.
Well I’m spent. I know not many of you will have bothered reading this, but those who have, thank you. It feels better to get all this off my chest. I understand that there are millions of people worse off than me in the world, but although we all have our materialistic things, I’m sure there are people in third world countries and alike who are in a much better state than some of us mentally. People in some countries get the food they need and have no worries. Can you imagine that? I would happily trade all that I have to guarantee my happiness.
Thank you for your time.
I’m just going to talk about how much life can kick you in the teeth when you’re a teenager. My parents always say “you just wait until you grow up, then you’ll see how hard life is”, when I’m pretty sure I already know that life is often a pain in the neck, and I’m not even old enough to drink yet. I understand that people face problems throughout life, in all kinds of situations, but I, personally, have loads of problems. Not necessarily life-threatening ones, but things that bug me, and these things bug friends of mine too. I just thought that maybe they bug you as well.
Firstly, I will start with school. I know everyone moans about it, but I’m pretty sure everyone is grateful for it really. I know I am. But it can get too much, especially when people tell you it’s easy. Without blowing my own trumpet, I’m in top stream for a lot of my classes and took separate sciences at GSCE. This indicates that I find the “average” learning that people do easy. Which is untrue. “You’re a bright lad, you can handle all this work”. Maybe, but I would also like a life to run alongside my robotic working state. Going back to my parents comment, I would like to point out to them, and anyone else who feels the same way they do, that we have homework. Oh, and also, coursework… and exams. I have done 15 A3 sheets worth of Graphics coursework this summer, and I did a 7-page Physics piece yesterday. I still have Maths, Statistics, German AS and Music work to do! Now, if that isn’t hard, especially during a 15 year old’s summer holidays, I don’t know what is. What do you do? You come in at 5pm and you are completely finished. “Oh, it’s so nice to get off my feet”. I know how you feel, but I’m now sitting at the computer doing another 3 hours work. I think I’d rather be on my feet. It’s this time in my life that I truly feel my parents don’t know me. Maybe it’s that growing up thing that we do every so often.
My second point is that of freedom. I know everyone rants and raves about it all the time, how the whole of the West is sort of brought up on lies. But, I do worry about it, and I often read the news on the “Underground Action Alliance” and alike. I listen to bands such as Anti-Flag, Rage Against The Machine and Rise Against because not only is it very good, but also it has real meaning. Real life situations that people can relate to. I think this is really important for people my age, to grow up knowing that we can voice what we feel, even if it is not on a global matter – it could be something very simple really. Whilst I’m not going to go round burning the Union Jack or using a stuffed Tony Blair on November 5th just for a change, I still feel quite strongly about this point. All I can hope for is that by the time I’m officially an adult, Bush and Blair will be long gone. I hate lies, whether they come from politicians or from people I know. Which flows quite smoothly into my next point….
Girls. “You can’t live with them, you can’t live without them,” they say. So true and so painful it’s unreal. Why would God put anything so confusing on Earth? Yes I know, for love and reproduction and all that jazz. But…I don’t know what to type, it’s so frustrating. My worst experience was caused by my own naivety. At 14, I had a girlfriend, the best I’d ever had (without making her sound like a new game or something). She was gorgeous, funny, committed – everything you could possibly want from a girlfriend. Then, one day, she told me she loved me. Why did I believe her? Why? Can someone tell me? I told her I loved her too, but I think I was telling the truth – I think of her every night, and always wish I had her back. In the end she decided that she wanted a break, and after that I knew that there was no going back. Since we broke up I’ve told her twice more how I feel, but she seems to forget when I tell her, and we are good friends again the next time we meet. She has a new boyfriend now, so that’s her and I finished it would seem, unless somehow I get some good luck. Maybe it’s those annoying chain letters that I’ve never forwarded…
My last point is on judgement. Teenagers are always, especially in social areas, judged. People see groups of teenagers as threatening, and they feel uneasy around us? Why is this? We are as human as everyone else, and I for one have no intention of causing anyone any harm. It gets to me that people feel a little uncomfortable around my friends and I, as they have no need to. Sure, we are enjoying ourselves, but does that make the environment around us a hostile one? If anything it should do the opposite.
Also, why do groups of teenagers judge each other, categorising people? All I hear is “Goths” or “Grungers” or “Skaters” or “Townies”, and it’s really annoying. I wear sport clothing, similar to a townie maybe, but listen to Slipknot and Slayer amongst other things. Most of my better friends all enjoy skating. What does this make me? It makes me, ME. It’s like racism, only on a much smaller and less serious scale. It just becomes really tedious after a while; I don’t understand why people are like this.
Well I’m spent. I know not many of you will have bothered reading this, but those who have, thank you. It feels better to get all this off my chest. I understand that there are millions of people worse off than me in the world, but although we all have our materialistic things, I’m sure there are people in third world countries and alike who are in a much better state than some of us mentally. People in some countries get the food they need and have no worries. Can you imagine that? I would happily trade all that I have to guarantee my happiness.
Thank you for your time.
Page:
I know what you’re all thinking. He’s just another kid writing his views on life, filling up his word count and all that. But I’m hoping lots of people can relate to this, as I think most people on this site are sort of my age (15, for those interested, of which there are probably very few).
I’m just going to talk about how much life can kick you in the teeth when you’re a teenager. My parents always say “you just wait until you grow up, then you’ll see how hard life is”, when I’m pretty sure I already know that life is often a pain in the neck, and I’m not even old enough to drink yet. I understand that people face problems throughout life, in all kinds of situations, but I, personally, have loads of problems. Not necessarily life-threatening ones, but things that bug me, and these things bug friends of mine too. I just thought that maybe they bug you as well.
Firstly, I will start with school. I know everyone moans about it, but I’m pretty sure everyone is grateful for it really. I know I am. But it can get too much, especially when people tell you it’s easy. Without blowing my own trumpet, I’m in top stream for a lot of my classes and took separate sciences at GSCE. This indicates that I find the “average” learning that people do easy. Which is untrue. “You’re a bright lad, you can handle all this work”. Maybe, but I would also like a life to run alongside my robotic working state. Going back to my parents comment, I would like to point out to them, and anyone else who feels the same way they do, that we have homework. Oh, and also, coursework… and exams. I have done 15 A3 sheets worth of Graphics coursework this summer, and I did a 7-page Physics piece yesterday. I still have Maths, Statistics, German AS and Music work to do! Now, if that isn’t hard, especially during a 15 year old’s summer holidays, I don’t know what is. What do you do? You come in at 5pm and you are completely finished. “Oh, it’s so nice to get off my feet”. I know how you feel, but I’m now sitting at the computer doing another 3 hours work. I think I’d rather be on my feet. It’s this time in my life that I truly feel my parents don’t know me. Maybe it’s that growing up thing that we do every so often.
My second point is that of freedom. I know everyone rants and raves about it all the time, how the whole of the West is sort of brought up on lies. But, I do worry about it, and I often read the news on the “Underground Action Alliance” and alike. I listen to bands such as Anti-Flag, Rage Against The Machine and Rise Against because not only is it very good, but also it has real meaning. Real life situations that people can relate to. I think this is really important for people my age, to grow up knowing that we can voice what we feel, even if it is not on a global matter – it could be something very simple really. Whilst I’m not going to go round burning the Union Jack or using a stuffed Tony Blair on November 5th just for a change, I still feel quite strongly about this point. All I can hope for is that by the time I’m officially an adult, Bush and Blair will be long gone. I hate lies, whether they come from politicians or from people I know. Which flows quite smoothly into my next point….
Girls. “You can’t live with them, you can’t live without them,” they say. So true and so painful it’s unreal. Why would God put anything so confusing on Earth? Yes I know, for love and reproduction and all that jazz. But…I don’t know what to type, it’s so frustrating. My worst experience was caused by my own naivety. At 14, I had a girlfriend, the best I’d ever had (without making her sound like a new game or something). She was gorgeous, funny, committed – everything you could possibly want from a girlfriend. Then, one day, she told me she loved me. Why did I believe her? Why? Can someone tell me? I told her I loved her too, but I think I was telling the truth – I think of her every night, and always wish I had her back. In the end she decided that she wanted a break, and after that I knew that there was no going back. Since we broke up I’ve told her twice more how I feel, but she seems to forget when I tell her, and we are good friends again the next time we meet. She has a new boyfriend now, so that’s her and I finished it would seem, unless somehow I get some good luck. Maybe it’s those annoying chain letters that I’ve never forwarded…
My last point is on judgement. Teenagers are always, especially in social areas, judged. People see groups of teenagers as threatening, and they feel uneasy around us? Why is this? We are as human as everyone else, and I for one have no intention of causing anyone any harm. It gets to me that people feel a little uncomfortable around my friends and I, as they have no need to. Sure, we are enjoying ourselves, but does that make the environment around us a hostile one? If anything it should do the opposite.
Also, why do groups of teenagers judge each other, categorising people? All I hear is “Goths” or “Grungers” or “Skaters” or “Townies”, and it’s really annoying. I wear sport clothing, similar to a townie maybe, but listen to Slipknot and Slayer amongst other things. Most of my better friends all enjoy skating. What does this make me? It makes me, ME. It’s like racism, only on a much smaller and less serious scale. It just becomes really tedious after a while; I don’t understand why people are like this.
Well I’m spent. I know not many of you will have bothered reading this, but those who have, thank you. It feels better to get all this off my chest. I understand that there are millions of people worse off than me in the world, but although we all have our materialistic things, I’m sure there are people in third world countries and alike who are in a much better state than some of us mentally. People in some countries get the food they need and have no worries. Can you imagine that? I would happily trade all that I have to guarantee my happiness.
Thank you for your time.
I’m just going to talk about how much life can kick you in the teeth when you’re a teenager. My parents always say “you just wait until you grow up, then you’ll see how hard life is”, when I’m pretty sure I already know that life is often a pain in the neck, and I’m not even old enough to drink yet. I understand that people face problems throughout life, in all kinds of situations, but I, personally, have loads of problems. Not necessarily life-threatening ones, but things that bug me, and these things bug friends of mine too. I just thought that maybe they bug you as well.
Firstly, I will start with school. I know everyone moans about it, but I’m pretty sure everyone is grateful for it really. I know I am. But it can get too much, especially when people tell you it’s easy. Without blowing my own trumpet, I’m in top stream for a lot of my classes and took separate sciences at GSCE. This indicates that I find the “average” learning that people do easy. Which is untrue. “You’re a bright lad, you can handle all this work”. Maybe, but I would also like a life to run alongside my robotic working state. Going back to my parents comment, I would like to point out to them, and anyone else who feels the same way they do, that we have homework. Oh, and also, coursework… and exams. I have done 15 A3 sheets worth of Graphics coursework this summer, and I did a 7-page Physics piece yesterday. I still have Maths, Statistics, German AS and Music work to do! Now, if that isn’t hard, especially during a 15 year old’s summer holidays, I don’t know what is. What do you do? You come in at 5pm and you are completely finished. “Oh, it’s so nice to get off my feet”. I know how you feel, but I’m now sitting at the computer doing another 3 hours work. I think I’d rather be on my feet. It’s this time in my life that I truly feel my parents don’t know me. Maybe it’s that growing up thing that we do every so often.
My second point is that of freedom. I know everyone rants and raves about it all the time, how the whole of the West is sort of brought up on lies. But, I do worry about it, and I often read the news on the “Underground Action Alliance” and alike. I listen to bands such as Anti-Flag, Rage Against The Machine and Rise Against because not only is it very good, but also it has real meaning. Real life situations that people can relate to. I think this is really important for people my age, to grow up knowing that we can voice what we feel, even if it is not on a global matter – it could be something very simple really. Whilst I’m not going to go round burning the Union Jack or using a stuffed Tony Blair on November 5th just for a change, I still feel quite strongly about this point. All I can hope for is that by the time I’m officially an adult, Bush and Blair will be long gone. I hate lies, whether they come from politicians or from people I know. Which flows quite smoothly into my next point….
Girls. “You can’t live with them, you can’t live without them,” they say. So true and so painful it’s unreal. Why would God put anything so confusing on Earth? Yes I know, for love and reproduction and all that jazz. But…I don’t know what to type, it’s so frustrating. My worst experience was caused by my own naivety. At 14, I had a girlfriend, the best I’d ever had (without making her sound like a new game or something). She was gorgeous, funny, committed – everything you could possibly want from a girlfriend. Then, one day, she told me she loved me. Why did I believe her? Why? Can someone tell me? I told her I loved her too, but I think I was telling the truth – I think of her every night, and always wish I had her back. In the end she decided that she wanted a break, and after that I knew that there was no going back. Since we broke up I’ve told her twice more how I feel, but she seems to forget when I tell her, and we are good friends again the next time we meet. She has a new boyfriend now, so that’s her and I finished it would seem, unless somehow I get some good luck. Maybe it’s those annoying chain letters that I’ve never forwarded…
My last point is on judgement. Teenagers are always, especially in social areas, judged. People see groups of teenagers as threatening, and they feel uneasy around us? Why is this? We are as human as everyone else, and I for one have no intention of causing anyone any harm. It gets to me that people feel a little uncomfortable around my friends and I, as they have no need to. Sure, we are enjoying ourselves, but does that make the environment around us a hostile one? If anything it should do the opposite.
Also, why do groups of teenagers judge each other, categorising people? All I hear is “Goths” or “Grungers” or “Skaters” or “Townies”, and it’s really annoying. I wear sport clothing, similar to a townie maybe, but listen to Slipknot and Slayer amongst other things. Most of my better friends all enjoy skating. What does this make me? It makes me, ME. It’s like racism, only on a much smaller and less serious scale. It just becomes really tedious after a while; I don’t understand why people are like this.
Well I’m spent. I know not many of you will have bothered reading this, but those who have, thank you. It feels better to get all this off my chest. I understand that there are millions of people worse off than me in the world, but although we all have our materialistic things, I’m sure there are people in third world countries and alike who are in a much better state than some of us mentally. People in some countries get the food they need and have no worries. Can you imagine that? I would happily trade all that I have to guarantee my happiness.
Thank you for your time.
Im only 13 and i get peed off by people who judge me by my colour. Its the one problem i get at school. But you gotta live with it.
*Highly Excitable* wrote:
> I have done 15 A3
> sheets worth of Graphics coursework this summer
Heh, I did 42 A3 pages of electronics during a 1 week half term as it had to be in first day back. And before anyone lectures me saying I had a good 6 months to do it then pfffhhhh. That week completely killed me, but in the end I'm glad I did it.
> I have done 15 A3
> sheets worth of Graphics coursework this summer
Heh, I did 42 A3 pages of electronics during a 1 week half term as it had to be in first day back. And before anyone lectures me saying I had a good 6 months to do it then pfffhhhh. That week completely killed me, but in the end I'm glad I did it.
Well, I read all the way down to the bottom, and from what you've written it is clear that you're a reasonably intelligent, well balanced, normal teenager, which is good. I can relate to a lot of what you've said. That isn't to say I agree with it because I'm a little older than you and so I can also relate to what the older influences in your life are saying (i.e. your parents). I'm hoping in this post I can make a few points so and maybe see things from a slightly different angle. I'm not saying there is a right and a wrong because there isn't, but getting along in like often has a lot to do with seeing things from other people's points of view.
For a start, being a teenager is a hard time. At least, it was for me and was probably the same for most people. When you're parents say "wait till you grow up, then you'll find out how hard life is" they're right. Life does get harder but you become better equipped to deal with life. It's all relative. Right now you're learning how to deal with life, which is hard, especially because the vast amount of this learning will be by making mistakes. Once you've done that life becomes harder, but you are more able to deal with it, so it will seem a little easier. It must do, because the thought of being a teenager for 40 odd years of "life" is far more terrifying than the thought of being an adult.
On your point on school. You're obviously doing well and working hard, which is good. I found my GCSE's fairly easy, and I didn't have to do too much work for A levels. As a result when I got to University I found that I was not well equipped for the jump in the work load and struggled for the first year. I also got really peeved, as I'm sure you did, at people saying oh GCSE's/A levels are getting easier. I felt really helpless on that point. Chances are they are, or maybe the teaching is getting better. Either way what you have to realise is that whether they are easier or not you can only do the best you can do.
You compare your life to your parent's basically outlining that you percieve their day finishes at 5pm and yours goes on later. Chances are that their day doesn't finish then. There are all sorts of other responsibilities we adults have to face which mean that it isn't necessarily checking out time at 5. Who does the cooking and the cleaning? Who tends to the garden or maintains the house? Who looks after the family? I know I'm making sweeping assumptions but I'm hoping you'll see my point. Another thing clear from your argument is that you seem to have a very definite sense of still being a minor and deserving a holiday, deserving not to have to work as hard as your parents because you're young. You still have a lot of work to do but where have you got that sense for deserving a break if it isn't what you have? I don't know what job your parent's do but I dare say that they don't get large blocks of holidays as you do, even if you have to do some work during them.
Homework, coursework and exams all add stress. It's not easy.
I'm not going to get involved with politics but I will say this. When you are old chances are certainly Bush and probably Blair will be gone. Right now I really don't see a better alternative than Blair. Politics is a strange world of spin. Sometimes Politicians lie. Sometimes they bend the truth. The fact is that most politics is run by the media. Run by the Sun and the Mail because of their vast influence over the people. In everyday life normal (voting) public don't have the time to read every white paper that comes out of parliment, or every report. We can't do our own research so we have to look to the media to report it. When you're young you try to see a lot of things in balck and white when really there is none. When you grow up and see kid's (probably younger than you) views on programmes like newsround you'll realise that. Politicians are people we pay to see the whole system, or large parts at a time. The best example I can think of is communism. Sounds great. Everyone gets an equal share of the wealth. No ridiculously, unfairly rich people and no huge poverty. In reality communisim doesn't work largely because of human nature. When you're older the politicians will still lie, and even if they don't we'll percieve them as doing so as the opposition rallies for support and tries to best the current government. (and I said I wasn't going to talk about politics)
On your nest topic. Girls. Well I dare say once hormones stop racing round your body it might get a little easier, but I still don't have the first clue to be honest.
On judgement, there are two issues here. On judging each other that's just what kids do. The confusing this is whilst you're screaming out to become an individual and your own person you're also trying to fit in and be the same as your friends. That sound like a contradiction but it isn't because you can be an individual and the same on different levels. It remind me of the life of Brian. General crowd "We're all individuals". Lone voice "I'm not". People judge you most when you're about your age. Or at least they seem to. It will tame down a little but never really stops. What you have to realise is that with every judgement comes credibility. You can't please all the people all the time, but in time you'll realise that and learn that often it matters a little less, and focus on caring only about what the most important people to you think.
On the final point of groups of teenagers hanging around on corners. You're right in what you say, and I'm sure that you aren't up to any trouble or intending to intimidate people. The fact is though, that you do. You can't change that. It's just the way society is. So you can choose to hang around in large groups and intimidate people and accept that that is what you are doing, or you can choose not to. Its a minority of people that ruin it for you by causing trouble. Judgement should be carried out on a case by case system, but if you we in a war zone say, and some enemy shot at you, and tried to kill you, so you shot at him. When you come up to the next enemy would you think "I'm not intimidated by him. He's a different person. He might be friendly" or would you sight him up ready to shoot before he had the chance to kill you. It's an extreme example but the parallels are obvious. It's called inductive method. Learning from past experience. It's fundamentally flawed for the reasons you point out but it's also the priciple that all science is based upon, because it's the only basic method there is.
Anyways, thank you for reading this far. I hope you can understand what I've written and appreciate some of the points. You're obviously pretty intelligent so I think you probably can. On your final point I disagree. I understand your point but your saying that you would be happier if your life we not enriched with a great many wonderful things. That you think life would be simpler if you only had a very few core things to worry about. That's a situation that you just have to get on with. You either live or you stop living. I don't think I could deal with that having seen our way of life. I'm not well enough prepared to. If it was all I had every known then I'd just get on with it. I think it's undoubtable that even with all the problems we create for ourselves life is easier this way.
For a start, being a teenager is a hard time. At least, it was for me and was probably the same for most people. When you're parents say "wait till you grow up, then you'll find out how hard life is" they're right. Life does get harder but you become better equipped to deal with life. It's all relative. Right now you're learning how to deal with life, which is hard, especially because the vast amount of this learning will be by making mistakes. Once you've done that life becomes harder, but you are more able to deal with it, so it will seem a little easier. It must do, because the thought of being a teenager for 40 odd years of "life" is far more terrifying than the thought of being an adult.
On your point on school. You're obviously doing well and working hard, which is good. I found my GCSE's fairly easy, and I didn't have to do too much work for A levels. As a result when I got to University I found that I was not well equipped for the jump in the work load and struggled for the first year. I also got really peeved, as I'm sure you did, at people saying oh GCSE's/A levels are getting easier. I felt really helpless on that point. Chances are they are, or maybe the teaching is getting better. Either way what you have to realise is that whether they are easier or not you can only do the best you can do.
You compare your life to your parent's basically outlining that you percieve their day finishes at 5pm and yours goes on later. Chances are that their day doesn't finish then. There are all sorts of other responsibilities we adults have to face which mean that it isn't necessarily checking out time at 5. Who does the cooking and the cleaning? Who tends to the garden or maintains the house? Who looks after the family? I know I'm making sweeping assumptions but I'm hoping you'll see my point. Another thing clear from your argument is that you seem to have a very definite sense of still being a minor and deserving a holiday, deserving not to have to work as hard as your parents because you're young. You still have a lot of work to do but where have you got that sense for deserving a break if it isn't what you have? I don't know what job your parent's do but I dare say that they don't get large blocks of holidays as you do, even if you have to do some work during them.
Homework, coursework and exams all add stress. It's not easy.
I'm not going to get involved with politics but I will say this. When you are old chances are certainly Bush and probably Blair will be gone. Right now I really don't see a better alternative than Blair. Politics is a strange world of spin. Sometimes Politicians lie. Sometimes they bend the truth. The fact is that most politics is run by the media. Run by the Sun and the Mail because of their vast influence over the people. In everyday life normal (voting) public don't have the time to read every white paper that comes out of parliment, or every report. We can't do our own research so we have to look to the media to report it. When you're young you try to see a lot of things in balck and white when really there is none. When you grow up and see kid's (probably younger than you) views on programmes like newsround you'll realise that. Politicians are people we pay to see the whole system, or large parts at a time. The best example I can think of is communism. Sounds great. Everyone gets an equal share of the wealth. No ridiculously, unfairly rich people and no huge poverty. In reality communisim doesn't work largely because of human nature. When you're older the politicians will still lie, and even if they don't we'll percieve them as doing so as the opposition rallies for support and tries to best the current government. (and I said I wasn't going to talk about politics)
On your nest topic. Girls. Well I dare say once hormones stop racing round your body it might get a little easier, but I still don't have the first clue to be honest.
On judgement, there are two issues here. On judging each other that's just what kids do. The confusing this is whilst you're screaming out to become an individual and your own person you're also trying to fit in and be the same as your friends. That sound like a contradiction but it isn't because you can be an individual and the same on different levels. It remind me of the life of Brian. General crowd "We're all individuals". Lone voice "I'm not". People judge you most when you're about your age. Or at least they seem to. It will tame down a little but never really stops. What you have to realise is that with every judgement comes credibility. You can't please all the people all the time, but in time you'll realise that and learn that often it matters a little less, and focus on caring only about what the most important people to you think.
On the final point of groups of teenagers hanging around on corners. You're right in what you say, and I'm sure that you aren't up to any trouble or intending to intimidate people. The fact is though, that you do. You can't change that. It's just the way society is. So you can choose to hang around in large groups and intimidate people and accept that that is what you are doing, or you can choose not to. Its a minority of people that ruin it for you by causing trouble. Judgement should be carried out on a case by case system, but if you we in a war zone say, and some enemy shot at you, and tried to kill you, so you shot at him. When you come up to the next enemy would you think "I'm not intimidated by him. He's a different person. He might be friendly" or would you sight him up ready to shoot before he had the chance to kill you. It's an extreme example but the parallels are obvious. It's called inductive method. Learning from past experience. It's fundamentally flawed for the reasons you point out but it's also the priciple that all science is based upon, because it's the only basic method there is.
Anyways, thank you for reading this far. I hope you can understand what I've written and appreciate some of the points. You're obviously pretty intelligent so I think you probably can. On your final point I disagree. I understand your point but your saying that you would be happier if your life we not enriched with a great many wonderful things. That you think life would be simpler if you only had a very few core things to worry about. That's a situation that you just have to get on with. You either live or you stop living. I don't think I could deal with that having seen our way of life. I'm not well enough prepared to. If it was all I had every known then I'd just get on with it. I think it's undoubtable that even with all the problems we create for ourselves life is easier this way.
*Highly Excitable* wrote:
My last point is on judgement. Teenagers are always, especially in social areas, judged. People see groups of teenagers as threatening, and they feel uneasy around us? Why is this? We are as human as everyone else, and I for one have no intention of causing anyone any harm.
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Yes, but to the men and women walking past, they don't know who you are. To them, you in your gang of 4 or 5 people are intimidating.
I'm sure if they knew who you were, it'd be a different story, but as a stranger, you're just as bad (to them) as someone who WAS a nasty little twit.
My last point is on judgement. Teenagers are always, especially in social areas, judged. People see groups of teenagers as threatening, and they feel uneasy around us? Why is this? We are as human as everyone else, and I for one have no intention of causing anyone any harm.
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Yes, but to the men and women walking past, they don't know who you are. To them, you in your gang of 4 or 5 people are intimidating.
I'm sure if they knew who you were, it'd be a different story, but as a stranger, you're just as bad (to them) as someone who WAS a nasty little twit.
Damarus wrote:
>
> Heh, I did 42 A3 pages of electronics during a 1 week half term as it
> had to be in first day back. And before anyone lectures me saying I
> had a good 6 months to do it then pfffhhhh. That week completely
> killed me, but in the end I'm glad I did it.
But if you did have a good 6 months to do it that gave you 23 weeks in which you didn't have to worry about it.
The point being you managed to complete it in just one week, which was your choice. If you wanted to you could have done on page a day and taken three days off before looking at it again and still achieved the same number of sheets.
>
> Heh, I did 42 A3 pages of electronics during a 1 week half term as it
> had to be in first day back. And before anyone lectures me saying I
> had a good 6 months to do it then pfffhhhh. That week completely
> killed me, but in the end I'm glad I did it.
But if you did have a good 6 months to do it that gave you 23 weeks in which you didn't have to worry about it.
The point being you managed to complete it in just one week, which was your choice. If you wanted to you could have done on page a day and taken three days off before looking at it again and still achieved the same number of sheets.
no you can't work at the same rate on a tech project earlier. It just wouldn't be the same. you have to do it all in the last week as the pressure effect maximises the use of your time.
Thanks to everyone who replied, espescially to Simon Says. Cheers, you opened my eyes even wider. I appreciate it
I used to think along your lines when i was younger. Especially the whole homework thing. After a day in school there was a night of work too, which parents dont usually have. But, now that ive left school ive been working full time for a few weeks until i go to uni. Its a lot more tiring than school and a lot less fun. I work for longer with less beaks and have less holiday entitlement than when i was in school. The holidays doesnt really matter to me seen as its only for the summer, but if this was my job forever it would be annoying.
And if you think GCSE's have a lot of work, there is more at Alevel.
Groups of kids can be intimidating to people, even if you're not doing anything. But there isnt really anything that you can do about that.
Oh, and about your girlfriend. Dont worry about that. You're only 15. Women will come and go over the years. Dont get too hung up on them, especially at your age. You're still growing and maturing and probably dont even fully know yourself yet, just like all other teenagers, so how could you properly get to know someone else?
And if you think GCSE's have a lot of work, there is more at Alevel.
Groups of kids can be intimidating to people, even if you're not doing anything. But there isnt really anything that you can do about that.
Oh, and about your girlfriend. Dont worry about that. You're only 15. Women will come and go over the years. Dont get too hung up on them, especially at your age. You're still growing and maturing and probably dont even fully know yourself yet, just like all other teenagers, so how could you properly get to know someone else?
*Highly Excitable* wrote:
> Thanks to everyone who replied, espescially to Simon Says. Cheers, you
> opened my eyes even wider. I appreciate it
Now I've just got that scene from Clockwork Orange in my head, except you're too young to have seen that ; )
> Thanks to everyone who replied, espescially to Simon Says. Cheers, you
> opened my eyes even wider. I appreciate it
Now I've just got that scene from Clockwork Orange in my head, except you're too young to have seen that ; )
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