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"So what did you do today?"

You know the score. Wake up, go to work/school. Talk about games/tv shows/movies and then went home, played a game/read a book and went to bed.
That used to be me as well, until I started taking an interest in the world around me. Getting involved in protest, civil disobedience, writing to MPs, trying to do something to change what I percieve to be an unjust, corrupt, inherently stupid society.
I've had endless arguments on here with people about war/politics/life and then it hit me.

I realised that there was no point discussing how to change life with people over the internet. Especially arguing moralistic issues with people that do nothing except write messages and preen like self-satisfied peacocks.

And I was just as bad.
I've raged against stupidity/television/illiteracy amongst young users with txt speak/general monginess of most people/lack of interest in the world.
And I went home to read/play video games and that was about it.
Come to work, post crap here about why the world sucks, smoke and tell rubbish jokes.
And then it hit me.
Despite my words here, despite arguing with Bell etc about how to change this planet, despite writing to try and affect change around me, trying to bring immoral and unjust situations to people's attentions, I still come to work, drink my coffee, smoke and stare out of the window.
And then it hit me.
I wasn't actually doing anything to change my world.

So I did. I carefully considered everything around me. My values, what I percieved as an idiot morass of people not interested in anything except their own homes. People stupid enough to read The Daily Mail and actually believe the hateful scaremongering they read inside. People stupid enough to think immigration is actually an issue instead of a smokescreen designed to keep you frightened and locked inside watching Eastenders.

I reached a point in my life, a convergence of emotions that forced me to re-evaluate my life. How I see things, what I believe in, how I feel about the things around me.
And it didn't sit well with me.
Despite my passion, despite my morals, despite my beliefs, I come to a nice boring job, create marketing presentations and sell stuff.
I sell things people don't need to make more money for people to spend on themselves.
That is not the way I wish to live my life, I cannot allow myself to wallow in self-important comfortableness, surrounded with nice shiny things and pontificate about the world around me.

It didn't feel right, I couldn't balance being aware of things wrong around me, yet continue to pursue my nice comfortable life and, ultimately, do nothing to affect change.

So what did I do yesterday?
I quit my job.
Handed my notice in and made choices that will make me feel like a better person.
I quit my boring, stupid marketing job and I'm going to teacher-training college to teach English.
I can't just sit by and watch this world deteriorate into a mindless scrum of tv-obsessed me-monkeys that think Shakespeare is "crap innit", think txt speak is acceptable, have no idea who Keats is, are unaware of the power of words and language.

I want to try, even if just one kid, to get them to realise they have entire worlds of imagination and passion inside them if they want to access it.
I want to get across to people that life is more than television/mortgages/soap operas/pop idol/heat magazine/tony blair.

I may fall on my ass, I may get tired of trying to do something positive but goddamnit, at least I'm going to try to do something.
I don't want a job where I sell useless products to people, I dont want a job that doesn't challenge me in any aspect whatsoever.
I don't want to argue morals with people that are unwilling to put their thoughts into action.

I've quit my nice job after 3 and a half years and, instead, I'm going to be a teacher.
Today is one of the most frightning/exciting days I can remember.
4 weeks left of meaningless work, then 2 years+ of learning/exams before I can tell myself that, finally, I'm doing more than trying to convince other people that there is more out there.

May be the best thing I've ever done, may be the biggest mistake I've ever made.
I'll let you know when I come out the other side. But one thing I do know?
I've had enough of sitting on my ass preaching about trying to change the world instead of actually getting out there and doing it.

There it is.

concerning the original topic, i think the most wonderful, admirable thing you can POSSIBLY do is to work in curing illnesses, such as cancer, leaukeamia (sp?), etc. etc. why? because it's MUCH more helpful than just earning lots and lots of cash, being the focus of the media, while all the people who suffer from AIDS, mental illnesses and limbs missing suffer in silence. sure, the odd one or two might get a little bit of attention, such as the ali kid from iraq, but he's not the only one in that situation, is he? he was just lucky. If i had though earlier, i wouldn't be wanting to build PC's and be a programmer, no!. i'd be choosing to be just one of the unseen heroes behind all the crap in the world today. maybe if i get lots of cash in my job, then i'd fund those who needed the money to research and work towards curing major killers...

*sighs*

i might turn out to have cancer one day, and if people realised that this is the best thing to do, then they'd have true happiness and contentness with the feeling that they revolutionised MILLIONS of people on earth, and have the chance to live out our lives free from fear that we might one day be struck with a disease or condition that would force us to leave our loved ones, and they'd go through absolute hell before they go down aswell someday.

http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/ bin/p12.dll?Q02C21_teacher_training

Cool :)

Doesn't the Open University do ITT courses that you can cover from home?

Well done.

I hope it goes well for you.

It's funny you should say this though, because I've been thinking about teaching an awful lot lately.

It's one of those things I can't do now. That's a really big no at the moment, the financial position I'm in, I cannot afford to leave a job I don't enjoy.

But I've enrolled in a writing course to help apply myself, so that I can make a little more cash from something I enjoy, sort myself out, and be able to take on a similar route to the one you're embarking upon.

So good luck.

Timmargh wrote:
> TIMMARGH!
*****
Best, most random post. EVER.

I really wish I hadn't been such a shiit to teachers. Really I do.

TIMMARGH!

I've just read all the posts in here, and some of it is the funniest stuff I've ever read on here, I think...

Anyway, good luck Goaty. Hope it all works out for you. Keep us updated, eh?

I think hedonism as a routine is not good.

Occasional/spontaneous hedonism is.

Basically doing stuff just for the sake of it is unfulfilling.

This post brought a tear to my eye.

Excellent read.

I wish you success for the future Goatboy - Follow that dream.