<p>I have to be honest. I feel like most of my motivation for doing well in school and going to a top grad school is simply to compensate for my miserable high school/early college experience. I was never successful with the ladies, as I'm not very attractive, I had a serious drug problem, was mentally ill, in trouble with the law, typical anti-social personality disorder, etc. Now I'm excelling in a reputable school and doing some real serious stuff with econ and math, I've had real management experience through work, and now have some real oppurtunities to make some serious $$$. But honestly, is it even worth it? Working my tail off in school purely to spite the kids I grew up with? Show them that I made it? Will being able to get some gold digger make me feel loved? I doubt it. We tell ourselves it will all be worth it in the end, but I think the happy go lucky jocks from high school who get 2.0's in marketing at state U are, and will continue to have more fun. I want to be successful to aquire the things those popular jocks already have.</p>
<p>you are too cynical. you are alive. that is all.</p>
<p>What you need to do is change your outlook (and maybe even your career path)...wanting good looks and popularity (what the "jocks" have) is just as superficial and worthless as wanting to spite those with good looks and popularity.</p>
<p>First of all, count your blessings: be glad you are an unattractive guy, as they tend to get decent looking women a lot of times. See KFed + Britney or Billy Bob + Angelina. Not so with the ladies...Also, you are not an amputee, paralyzed, blind, or cancer ridden.</p>
<p>Second, reprioritize. Don't focus on wanting what other people have. Focus on making yourself the best that you can be...and focus on using your skills to help other people.</p>
<p>Your life is worth more than just a good time. As a successful, kind person who uses their skills to make the world a better place, I think you will find more happiness and self-satisfaction than many "happy go-lucky jocks with 2.0s". </p>
<p>But you may need to refocus to attain that.</p>
<p>This life is not about gaining possessions or acquiring as much materialistic things so you feel good about yourself. Here's the thing: even if you have all the money in the world and you're attractive, etc, there will still be an emptiness. When you reach the top, you realize that it wasn't as good as you thought it would be, in fact you feel more empty. So what's the point then?</p>
<p>This "hole" in your heart can only be filled by God. Any earthly thing will not even compare to how God's love can give you this peace that brings an inexpressible joy. God's love is so great and for God so loved the world He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. The fact is, when you realize your sins and confess them and turn away (repent) from your sins and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He gives you his gift of salvation, being saved from eternity in hell. Believe that Christ has taken away your sins, and then receive Him into your heart and life.</p>
<p>For me, I've been through many trials and hard times. For example, I've been in two car accidents: One car accident, I almost went to jail, the other one, I almost lost my life in a side collision inches away from the driver door... But God carried me through those trials, He rescued me so many times and that's how I knew that He is faithful even when I am faithless. So, what do I hold on to? That Jesus' death on the cross washed away my sins and that He has prepared something far better than anything in this world. Life is temporary and yes it is difficult, but I hold on to God's promise that He will save me from this corrupted world after I die. </p>
<p>If you have any more questions, please email me at <a href="mailto:willovegod@gmail.com">willovegod@gmail.com</a>
I don't want to convert you, that is not my job, I just want to tell you the GREATEST GREATEST GREATEST GREATEST joy in my life. If you want, please e-mail me and I can tell you some stories in which I experienced God's love, grace and mercy.</p>
<p>Also, visit this link, it does a way better job of explaining. Forgive me if I explained poorly: <a href="http://www.billygraham.org/SpiritualHelp_Article_Index.asp?MajorTopicID=1&MinorTopicID=6%5B/url%5D">http://www.billygraham.org/SpiritualHelp_Article_Index.asp?MajorTopicID=1&MinorTopicID=6</a></p>
<p>I have a few, one which I accomplished not to long ago.</p>
<p>I wanted to become and Eagle Scout, which I did. I know alot of this board is anti eagle for whatever reason.</p>
<p>My immediate goal, is to get back into football shape. Ever since our season ended, I havent exercised at all, hopefully I can get back into shape before I leave for college =]</p>
<p>"This life is not about gaining possessions or acquiring as much materialistic things so you feel good about yourself. Here's the thing: even if you have all the money in the world and you're attractive, etc, there will still be an emptiness. When you reach the top, you realize that it wasn't as good as you thought it would be, in fact you feel more empty. So what's the point then?</p>
<p>This "hole" in your heart can only be filled by God. Any earthly thing will not even compare to how God's love can give you this peace that brings an inexpressible joy. God's love is so great and for God so loved the world He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. The fact is, when you realize your sins and confess them and turn away (repent) from your sins and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He gives you his gift of salvation, being saved from eternity in hell. Believe that Christ has taken away your sins, and then receive Him into your heart and life.</p>
<p>For me, I've been through many trials and hard times. For example, I've been in two car accidents: One car accident, I almost went to jail, the other one, I almost lost my life in a side collision inches away from the driver door... But God carried me through those trials, He rescued me so many times and that's how I knew that He is faithful even when I am faithless. So, what do I hold on to? That Jesus' death on the cross washed away my sins and that He has prepared something far better than anything in this world. Life is temporary and yes it is difficult, but I hold on to God's promise that He will save me from this corrupted world after I die. </p>
<p>If you have any more questions, please email me at <a href="mailto:willovegod@gmail.com">willovegod@gmail.com</a>
I don't want to convert you, that is not my job, I just want to tell you the GREATEST GREATEST GREATEST GREATEST joy in my life. If you want, please e-mail me and I can tell you some stories in which I experienced God's love, grace and mercy.</p>
<p>Also, visit this link, it does a way better job of explaining. Forgive me if I explained poorly: <a href="http://www.billygraham.org/Spiritual...n%5B/url%5D">http://www.billygraham.org/Spiritual...n</a> orTopicID=6</p>
<hr>
<p>Last edited by willovegod : Today at 07:59 PM. "</p>
<p>God doesnt exist...sorry</p>
<p>What if you're wrong?</p>
<p>It's funny, cuz when I had that trophy girlfriend and things were going well, I was lecutring kids on here to stop with the self-pity, live in the moment, find spiritual purpose. I guess I did a 180....</p>
<p>I am being over cynical, and I'm really just overreacting to an incident where my best friend ended up with the girl I was trying to go for. Life happens. Now I'm gonna get drunk with some pals...</p>
<p>BTW, where was God when my friend Michelle was raped and murdered for no reason? Where was God when my boys from high school died from heroin? Where was God when my friend in high school was shot to death over a mistaken identity, 2 days after graduating?</p>
<p>I use to believe in God. I agree that worldly attachments will not bring serenity, that desire breeds suffering, etc....but that's just common sense.</p>
<h2>BTW, where was God when my friend Michelle was raped and murdered for no reason? Where was God when my boys from high school died from heroin? Where was God when my friend in high school was shot to death over a mistaken identity, 2 days after graduating?</h2>
<p>that's a deep question: </p>
<p>I often asked the same question: where was God when hiroshima was bombed, where was God when Indonesia was hit by tsunami in 2004 (over 100k casualties), where was god when Katrina hit, where was God when president Bush ordered a military assault to Iraq which resulted 3000 casualties to many Americans. </p>
<p>I don't think anyone can answer that except God himself. </p>
<p>For me I've come to a conclusion, well if God is a God. If he's the absolute control, if he's the creator then heck he can do/play with his creation to cause whatever things he want it to be. </p>
<p>From this thought, I often jump to different thought like this: what's the purpose of life then? if people can just die that easily then is everything meaningless?</p>
<p>What if your friend Michelle was not raped, does that change everything? will the world become a better place? or is it better that she died? Did God really let thugs kill Michelle for the better purpose of this world? Did God enjoy killing his creations? </p>
<p>Or maybe the term "kill" is not intuitively correct. Because the word kill itself means to end life and so it bears negative meaning for us because "killed" people can't be brought back. But if it's God, God who is really the creator then the "badness" of killing won't affect him since he can just resurrect your friend, or maybe revert time to prevent the killing from happening. But does bringing your friend to life bring justice to this world? Does He will it?</p>
<p>I mean if I were the creation, who the heck am I to say to God "Where are you God when you kill my parents God?" </p>
<p>I don't know, only God knows huh?</p>
<p>I thought you weren't supposed to ask stuff like "where was God?" since God knows exactly what he's doing and you shouldn't question his life lessons and so on. Although I've always assumed this answer was supposed to make up for the fact that no one knows the real answer to begin with. Apparently God really likes for lots of his creations to suffer (hence, h*ll and so on) so maybe he was just hangin' out in the sky, watching.</p>
<p>Anyway, my primary goal has always been to find a job I won't hate waking up for early in the morning that makes a decent bit of money, so I can buy myself a nice house in a nice area and live there and enjoy my life. I have a feeling my idea of 'nice house' and 'decent bit of money' are rather different than most of the money- and prestige-oriented people here. I just don't want to end up like my parents, specifically my mother....no college, basic admin job, nothing better to discuss but whether we should have chicken or pork for dinner on Friday night, spend all your evenings watching TV shows so you can keep up with the discussion about them the next day at work. I don't know how people can find that sort of life fulfilling, but they must because I grew up in an entire county full of them.</p>
<p>God is real, no matter how you feel, he may seem distant but the thing is, trials and suffering can either cause us to be bitter, resent Him, turn away from Him or trials can bring us closer to Him and depend on Him/grow closer to Him. I don't know why your friends suffered but I do know that God's purposes are perfect, He is holy and never makes a mistake. Our human reasoning is so limited, we can't see the big picture, we don't even know what will happen tomorrow, but God can see all things at once, He knows what's best for us. Life is supposed to be difficult, the whole world is under Satan's control, do you think earth is heaven?</p>
<p>God is in control, put Him in the driver's seat.</p>
<p>I don't think it's God's job to stop injustice in this life. It's our job. This earth is in our hands, humanity's hands. God may give us strength to pull through, hope, love for another human, the direction and a name to do good works in...but I don't think he's going to reach in and save somebody's life, except through everyday people who are blessed with good hearts.</p>
<p>And a lot of times I think...in the grand scheme of things...in the eternity that God has panned out for everyone one of us, or at least the believers...what exactly is death? This life? Maybe it's inconsequential to him, just a blip in time. Or maybe it's the opposite - maybe someone's death can mean more to humanity in the reverberations of its effects than their life could. Maybe not. I dunno. Just musing.</p>
<p>I don't necessarily believe in the Christian God anyway.</p>
<p>My goal for college? Get out as soon as I can and get a real job or go to grad school, whichever makes more financial sense at the time.</p>
<p>My real goal... I would have to say graduating, working my way through the ranks, and eventually becoming the most powerful person in the world, and with said power, make the world a better place. My theory is that if physical immortality is impossible, I might as well go for the legacy kind... much like Alexander the Great... over 2300 years later and we still know his name...</p>
<p>Who cares about God? You can have a perfectly happy and full life without believing in the standard Christian BS. Religion is simply an excuse to have a social gathering, or an excuse for people who do not have the confidence and intelligence to believe in themselves and understand what goes on around them.</p>
<p>Where was God during Hiroshima or Nagasaki? Perhaps he was watching over the hundreds of thousands of Americans who would've died assaulting main land Japan.</p>
<p>Attributing things to "God" and praying to "God" is a waste of time. If you want to become more educated on the matter, perhaps you should the "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins. </p>
<p>Wutang, if anything, be glad you aren't one of the ignorant people wasting away their life in pursuit of a non-existent/unimportant entity.</p>
<p>My outlook on life changed when a close friend revealed that he has cancer.</p>
<p>To willovegod: If "human reasoning is so limited," how do you know that "God is real"?</p>
<p>BusinessGuy</p>
<p>I wouldn't call any believer of God as ignorant and stupid. Heck I wouldn't call ANYBODY ignorant, stupid or any other derogatory terms. </p>
<p>Freedom of speech does not equal to discourteous speech. If I can get a dollar everytime I heard someone bashing religion/God by derogatory means, I'd be rich by now.</p>
<p>Ah, atheist/liberal tolerance at its finest.</p>
<p>BTW, excellent post willlovegod, I'm a Christian as well, and its clear that in most colleges we're in the minority.</p>
<p>God was created by the "system" in order to appease the proletariat. Christianity claims to reward hard-work, and gives the proletariat, or workers, hope and the knowledge that after their mundane lives are over, they will be in a better place. This acts in the interest of the bourgeoisie as they have a mass army of readily available workers in order to generate mass profits, and in turn much wealth to the bourgeoisie.</p>