Of LAN parties and the price of Maturity.

[Remnant]

I believe that Maturity isn't something you can buy with money. You already have it within you, you just need to let it show. Look into yourself and find it. That is all you need to do.

As your responsibilities grow, your free time starts to disappear.
With the lack of your free time, you start to loose your childhood.
Hold on to it while you can my friend.

[Madvillain]

I'm 25 now.
During puberty I did a lot of crazy stuff, I wanted to try everything out, because you think you are invincible at that age.
I slept through highschool because I was too busy partying at night.
I would get all the girls , because I was hanging around with older people and that was so cool and yada yada.

I remember when I was about 18 years old , I became the more responsible and ''mature'' guy in my friends group.
Whenever my friends went to a party and took 6 pills , I only took one.
Whenever my friends had a hangover the next day and called off work , I'd be the one still going to work.
I was the one cleaning the student house , taking care of the food , doing all that stuff.
When I came home from work and found my friends tripping out or drunk as fuck I'd be like ''yeah been there done that''.
Oh my oh my , I was so mature.

Now those friends have coupled up , happy joy , all you need is love.
Except for me , because I always chose to be more responsible and shit I missed out on a lot of special moments.
Being (or rather acting) mature led me to live a boring and hardly rewarding life (most of the time)

Because of my goody two shoes behavior I've missed the boat.
I ain't got no good advice regarding maturity.
Just regrets of my pursuit of it too early in life.

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Baila Morena | Toilet Trouble | Elder Presidente[TBH] | The Titan Combat Manual | Confession
♰ Join the Corsair Brotherhood ♰

[Challenger]

Because of my goody two shoes behavior I've missed the boat.
I ain't got no good advice regarding maturity.
Just regrets of my pursuit of it too early in life.

It's a grave mistake to measure yourself in terms of others. I hope for your sake that you won't do so for too long.

As for the rest . . . Maturity isn't something you transition into. It's a ladder that one can spend a lifetime climbing without ever reaching the top. It's wise to mentally decouple metaphysical and biological maturity; comparing the two is a sinkhole of confusion.

[Anaximander]

...

I wouldn't worry, you seem like a suave guy, you listen to Stones Throw's music and so on.

Go to some university town/bar (not Leiden, that place is depressing) and I'm sure university girls will go crazy. I don't know about your place, but here ~25 year old university chicks dig the cool responsible good-guy that have also walked on some of the darker paths of life and lives to tell the tale.

[Agmen of Eladesor]

Hear (or read) my words and heed them!!!



Okay, sorry, I couldn't resist that.

Congratulations, you're now maturing and realizing that childish ways are over, it is time to put away your toys, and take up the tools of the trade, and become a responsible member of society.

.

Okay, not really, but that sounds like something you'd expect me to say. In all seriousness - people grow up. The thing about life is - you need to experience it and if possible, understand what it is that you're experiencing. You can simply go through the motions - partying all the time, popping pills, and generally leading a shallow existence that has no substance - and honestly, you'll probably not realize what you're missing because you don't know there's something more.

Or you can decide to take charge of things - and the first thing to take charge of is your own life.

When you do that, you'll find that there is more to life - and the world around you - than simple entertainment value.

Gytrash, you're not doing anything wrong. And Madvillain, neither are you. You're simply finding out that you're not going to be satisfied in life by being sheeple. Doesn't make you a bad person - in fact, it makes you exceptional people. I mean, think about it. Back in the old days, when people would huddle around a fire for comfort in their caves, the sheeple would be the ones hiding in the back of the caves, fearing the thunder outside. But you guys would be the ones with the spears at the entrance of the cave, taking responsibility for the others and guarding them because, honestly, you're better than them.

I know that in today's society that's not politically correct - but inside you know it's the truth. You're not - unless you choose to be - outside the herd and hunting upon it, preying upon the weak. Nor are you - again, unless you choose to be - part of the scouts and explorers, seeking to find new things for the herd, or to come up with better things for them. You find fulfillment in foregoing the pleasure of being a simple, mindless drone member of the herd - and it bothers you.

It shouldn't. It shows that you're not willing to take the easy road. You seek the challenges, and you enjoy them. Rather than throwing up your hands in despair and saying, "It's too hard", you roll up your sleeves and keep working at the problem. You may still fail to solve it, but you don't give up.

Childhood is just that. At some point in life, it becomes necessary to either decide to remain a child - or to become an adult, and accept that being an adult means taking responsibility for your actions. It does NOT mean that you still can't have fun - not in the least. It just means that your tastes are changing - and what was fun once may not be fun now.

Of course, it also means that by being responsible, you'll also have the ability in having fun to have better toys than others, too. Perfect example - guys would post about how they were playing Xbox 360 on their 20" TV's in their dorm rooms, and I would talk about playing it on my 60" TV in the basement, and they'd go, wow, that's neat, we're jealous, how'd you get that?

Simple - I went out and worked at a job that paid me enough that I could BUY the toys I wanted. And rather than just getting something to get by, I'd save up so I could buy something better. One of the guys I work with puts in long hours at work, he's always busy, he's not slacking off at all - and during this past spring break, he was able to fly his family to New York for the week, take them all around the town, go see some Broadway shows, and in general have a great time and make memories that his kids will have their entire lives.

Does that mean that's the path you have to choose? Not at all. But you're realizing that just getting by isn't enough for you. Mourn your childhood as it passes (sorry, Kev, spelling nazi attack!), but keep in mind that the adventure now is just beginning. You no longer have to take the kiddie rides - you're ready for the 'E' tickets.

Is it all going to be smooth sailing for you? Nope. I hope it is for you. But keep in mind that even when life throws you a curve ball and you're feeling down, you're capable inside of working through it and getting over it.

Seriously, guys - I'm obviously older than you. But just as obviously - you notice that I still have fun. It's just not the same kind of fun I had when I was a kid. And once you find out that there's more to life than just a computer screen and pixels - and get jobs where you can AFFORD to do more - you'll find that your interests will change, too.

(Just an example - the wife and I went to Arkansas a couple of years ago for a few days. Slept in a tent, dug in dirt, got filthy, were incredibly tired - and had a blast, because we had the potential every day to find a raw diamond. We're going back next year. Something that I find incredibly relaxing is turning wood on a lathe. Now that I've moved, I'm having to build a workshop for that, which is a project in and of itself, but is also something that makes me feel good - knowing that I built it by hand. And oh, yeah - I also happen to have about $40,000 worth of wood working tools, too, because I like to do that for fun. I even enjoy what I'm doing for a living now, because I get enjoyment from helping people who have no clue about cars find one that's safe and fits their budget. And amazingly enough, that's also how I happen to have enough money to go out and have fun, too!)

Basically, guys - enjoy life. It's the only one you have (that you're aware of, anyway).

(Workshop still under construction!)

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Oh god... The end of days... Agmen agreed with me.