RIP School Survival Forums
August 2001 - June 2017

The School Survival Forums are permanently retired. If you need help with quitting school, unsupportive parents or anything else, there is a list of resources on the Help Page.

If you want to write about your experiences in school, you can write on our blog.

To everyone who joined these forums at some point, and got discouraged by the negativity and left after a while (or even got literally scared off): I'm sorry.

I wasn't good enough at encouraging people to be kinder, and removing people who refuse to be kind. Encouraging people is hard, and removing people creates conflict, and I hate conflict... so that's why I wasn't better at it.

I was a very, very sensitive teen. The atmosphere of this forum as it is now, if it had existed in 1996, would probably have upset me far more than it would have helped.

I can handle quite a lot of negativity and even abuse now, but that isn't the point. I want to help people. I want to help the people who need it the most, and I want to help people like the 1996 version of me.

I'm still figuring out the best way to do that, but as it is now, these forums are doing more harm than good, and I can't keep running them.

Thank you to the few people who have tried to understand my point of view so far. I really, really appreciate you guys. You are beautiful people.

Everyone else: If after everything I've said so far, you still don't understand my motivations, I think it's unlikely that you will. We're just too different. Maybe someday in the future it might make sense, but until then, there's no point in arguing about it. I don't have the time or the energy for arguing anymore. I will focus my time and energy on people who support me, and those who need help.

-SoulRiser

The forums are mostly read-only and are in a maintenance/testing phase, before being permanently archived. Please use this time to get the contact details of people you'd like to keep in touch with. My contact details are here.

Please do not make a mirror copy of the forums in their current state - things will still change, and some people have requested to be able to edit or delete some of their personal info.


Post Reply 
 
Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Serious Talk - Self Responsibility
Author Message
James Comey Away
Banished Oldfaf in Exile

Posts: 6,500
Joined: Aug 2013
Thanks: 1078
Given 2293 thank(s) in 1517 post(s)
Post: #1
Serious Talk - Self Responsibility

Aight, it's been a while since I've been on here. I have a habit of continually returning and leaving this site for whatever reason. This is a part of my past.

It's a shame to see this site become somewhat inactive. I remember this site used to be pretty lit and awesome (2013-14). Yeah, we had a lot of shitstorms, but they were fun times. I miss them, even if my life was pretty miserable in that time.

Anyway, time for some real shit. I thought y'all could use this.

What's Self Responsibility?

Self responsibility, in basic terms, is, "the state or fact of being responsible, answerable, or accountable for something within one's power, control, or management. an instance of being responsible". Sound pretty basic, huh? I bet a lot of you guys get bitched by your parents to "be more responsible".

I hate to say it, but they're right. You should be more responsible, but in their eyes, all it means is just doing chores, getting a job, and all the boring horseshit that you have to deal with and just suck up to. AKA, conforming to society, and molding you into a boring ass archetype. Fuck that shit. Let's talk about how self responsibility is actually, a really fucking useful skill, and how it's going to help you in the future.


Why should I be responsible, then?

You probably complain about the people in your life that make it that much worse. Your parents, your teachers, other students at school, your shitty boy/girlfriend, random people on the streets, cashiers, actors, priests, the list goes on and on. There's one problem though: you don't complain about yourself.

It's true that life will throw whatever crap it will at us and we just have to accept that's how life operates. But, let me tell you, you, are pretty fucking powerful. You're living this thing called life which is incredibly surreal; you feel emotions, you react to things, you partake in events, you see awesome shit happen around you. The 2nd and 3rd things I said are the things I really want to engrain in your mind.

You, as a human, react. We don't control things, but we do react to them, and often, we choose to have the kind of reaction that we do. You're not a robot, you actually have fucking control over yourself, and you choose to do what you do. I hear so many people bitch about how life is so unfair, how the "evil system" or (insert ethnic/racial/religious/political/social group here) is fucking them over. I'm sorry, but it's time to hit you hard with reality.

You, for the most part, control your circumstances. You dictate your actions, reactions, choices, etc. You control every fucking thing that affects your body/mind around you. Don't fucking deny this.

You, right now, chose to read this post about self realization, responsibility, and actualization. You didn't have to. Your chose how your life would play it. This is just one small action, in billions or other actions that affect how your life plays out.

I really don't want to be too negative. There's a positive in what I'm saying. I'm telling you that life doesn't have to be so crappy, because you, are powerful. You can chose to do a lot of things. Stop deluding yourself with the things that you think you can't do, but instead focus on what's in front of your eyes. Stop thinking that you can't do much, because there's plenty of fucking shit that you can. Your actions affect the world. Every human has an affect on the world in some way, or another, which leads to other effects. Ever heard of the butterfly effect? I suggest you read on it, in order to understand this better. It's a good read too Razz.

How do I become, responsible then?[b]

This isn't an easy journey to go through. Trust me, I've been on this journey for a long damn time. I feel I've passed vindication and I'm only entering beautiful redemption. But alas, that's a more personal writeup for the potential future (if I bother to come on here in that time).

I think one of the best things that a human can learn is to [b]question everything
. Question every god damn thing that you learned about life. You're on here, reading this, because you decided you'd question school, when most people just suck it up and accept it as part of life.

Question every god damn thing that has been put in your little head. Question your religious beliefs, your political views, how you identify and classify yourself as a human, what you know about the world, what you think you know about other people and the past, history itself, etc. Yes, this can be extreme, but in order to gain the ultimate self individualization and consciousness, you must question everything you know. Then you will understand, that much of what we know is done through by choice.

Begin to appreciate the little things in life. There's a truth when we say that humans take modern life for granted. Actually, it's been said that many people in the world today live much better lives than the King of France did in the 17th century. Think about that fact.

Appreciate what exists in life, around you. That great fucking song, that amazing meal you had, that conversation you had, etc. Actually, the fact that so many of these things are happening is a fucking miracle. Think about it. My fucking ancestors, from the ancient seafarers of Phoenicia to the brave Spanish immigrants that descended through the Atlantic Ocean into the New World, into a journey that could've ended in any fucking outcome, lived so that I could make this one fucking post. So many things are fucking miraculous around you, yet you don't realize this. Think about this next time you take something for granted.

Fill yourself with knowledge. Ignorance is bliss, because it allows you to live in a miserable condition. But the thing is, misery is fucking comfort. Nothing bad happens, so everything seems so fucking fine. Educate yourself on the happenings of the world, such as your community. Read a new book or learn a history of a different part of the world, or try a new food, or talk to a random person on the street. You're surrounded by education; I mean actual education that's awesome. This is strength which allows you to grow.

Understand that, you won't "find the truth", until you die, and even that's an unknown if you "find out the truth" then. Let me tell you, when have you ever come close to discovering "the meaning of life"? Not even close. Just forget about it. You're not going to find out until you die. You won't be in a "perfect state" where things are going smooth; when you do one thing, there will always be a challenge that comes with it, and you have to deal with it accordingly. The scary fact here is that the more you rise, the harder you will fall. Let that sit in your head.

Instead, I recommend that you take life accordingly, one piece at a time, one day at a time. Muhammad Ali said this quote, which is fucking golden, yet simple. "Don't count the days, but make the days count". Another wise man once said that "People who have placed their fate into the hands of others are people who have been condemned to die." Instead of just bitching, moaning, or pondering, I suggest that you make the most out of every fucking day. You're going to die, so you might as well look back and say, "I lived an awesome fucking life, and I'm proud of it".

Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now", Robert Greene's "The 48 Laws of Power", and Darren Hardy's "The Compound Effect" are the most powerful books I've read, and they present a very good way at approaching life, in a new way.

In conclusion...?

You are a much more powerful person than you think. You have a much greater effect on the world than you might believe. Life is like a video game, almost, with the greatest fucking graphics ever, though the AI needs some working with Laugh.

Stop living in misery, self-defeatism, conformity, and lack of self worth. Unlock the true fucking you, the life that you fucking deserve, and rock the world.

I hope you were able to get through that bamboozle of text, and hope you've enjoyed what I've had to say.

RIP GWEDIN
RIP URITIYOGI
RIP NIGHT
RIP VONUNOV
RIP WES/THEWAKE
RIP USERNAME

[Image: Nas-One-Love.jpg]

Stop jerking off to porn and whining and do something about it

Make School Survival Great Again - MSSGA

Hidden stuff:

[Image: BallsofSteel2.png]
[Image: mg_michelle_2020.png]
(This post was last modified: 03-19-2017 12:53 PM by James Comey.)
03-19-2017 12:53 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
 Thanks given by: SoulRiser , the Analogist , Rule_BreakerXVIII , Avatar Korra
Rule_BreakerXVIII Offline
Revolutionary

Posts: 484
Joined: Sep 2013
Thanks: 734
Given 271 thank(s) in 168 post(s)
Post: #2
Serious Talk - Self Responsibility

"The Secret Garden" had a similar effect on me, though the point is more subtly made in that book.
Also Paulo Cohelo's "The Alchemist".

Well said.

Don't play chess with pigeons-they'll just knock over the pieces, shit on the board and strut about like they won anyway.
-the Internet


Quote:May the days and months of flowing bitterness be rewarded...
To forget!?

Unforgivable!!
03-21-2017 12:23 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
James Comey Away
Banished Oldfaf in Exile

Posts: 6,500
Joined: Aug 2013
Thanks: 1078
Given 2293 thank(s) in 1517 post(s)
Post: #3
Serious Talk - Self Responsibility

I'll definitely check those books out brother Smile.

RIP GWEDIN
RIP URITIYOGI
RIP NIGHT
RIP VONUNOV
RIP WES/THEWAKE
RIP USERNAME

[Image: Nas-One-Love.jpg]

Stop jerking off to porn and whining and do something about it

Make School Survival Great Again - MSSGA

Hidden stuff:

[Image: BallsofSteel2.png]
[Image: mg_michelle_2020.png]
03-21-2017 08:22 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
 Thanks given by: Rule_BreakerXVIII
magikarp Offline
Valerie Solanas

Posts: 1,146
Joined: Jan 2007
Thanks: 4
Given 68 thank(s) in 47 post(s)
Post: #4
RE: Serious Talk - Self Responsibility

The idea of personal power in an individual sense is more or less bullshit. You, by and large, react to your life but don't really control it, in the sense that the set of choices you have is almost entirely determined by your circumstances. It matters what other people think of you, and if you don't believe that, then people don't think that badly of you, honestly.

The importance of like, self-determination is that it's all you've got, not that it's enough.

"Do we treat straight public sex differently than we do gay public sex? Of course. Straight people are so proud of their public sex that they named a cocktail after it."
04-08-2017 01:29 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
 Thanks given by: The man
James Comey Away
Banished Oldfaf in Exile

Posts: 6,500
Joined: Aug 2013
Thanks: 1078
Given 2293 thank(s) in 1517 post(s)
Post: #5
RE: Serious Talk - Self Responsibility

(04-08-2017 01:29 PM)magikarp Wrote:  The idea of personal power in an individual sense is more or less bullshit. You, by and large, react to your life but don't really control it, in the sense that the set of choices you have is almost entirely determined by your circumstances. It matters what other people think of you, and if you don't believe that, then people don't think that badly of you, honestly.

I don't think I have ever said that people control 100% of their lives. Actually, I'm not even sure if 80% is really accurate. But, it's different to say "I will listen to this album today" or "I will read this book today", etc. Generally these things are pretty much within our control. Nothing was stopping me from finding this forum in the first place.

Of course, then there are things that can't be controlled, like say some asshole ramming you on the freeway. It's important to know that we can definitely change our lives through pretty simple things, though to expect to control everything at once is delusional (even if my OP suggested that).

You may not fully control where you live as an example, but you do have control over the tinier actions, which can definitely affect the larger picture.

I actually agree with your last paragraph, mostly. I hate it when people say "just be yourself" or "it doesn't matter what others think" when sometimes it fucking does. People are much more judgmental than we realize; though I disagree with the last statement; again, people can be much more judgmental than we want to think.

(04-08-2017 01:29 PM)magikarp Wrote:  The importance of like, self-determination is that it's all you've got, not that it's enough.

...which may eventually lead to a higher position of power and place in life, incidentally.

We're not gods but things aren't 100% random. Even random things usually come from someone else's choice leading up to it.

RIP GWEDIN
RIP URITIYOGI
RIP NIGHT
RIP VONUNOV
RIP WES/THEWAKE
RIP USERNAME

[Image: Nas-One-Love.jpg]

Stop jerking off to porn and whining and do something about it

Make School Survival Great Again - MSSGA

Hidden stuff:

[Image: BallsofSteel2.png]
[Image: mg_michelle_2020.png]
04-09-2017 01:42 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
magikarp Offline
Valerie Solanas

Posts: 1,146
Joined: Jan 2007
Thanks: 4
Given 68 thank(s) in 47 post(s)
Post: #6
RE: Serious Talk - Self Responsibility

Yeah, I think this was mostly my having a different conception of what power means than a real disagreement.

In general, people do have some control over their own lives, although I'd argue that constraint (financial, legal, social, whatever) is the rule and not the exception.

Quote:I actually agree with your last paragraph, mostly. I hate it when people say "just be yourself" or "it doesn't matter what others think" when sometimes it fucking does. People are much more judgmental than we realize; though I disagree with the last statement; again, people can be much more judgmental than we want to think.
Yeah, for sure. My intention with that was mostly about, like, I guess ideas about who it's ok to treat badly than about people being privately judgemental.

"Do we treat straight public sex differently than we do gay public sex? Of course. Straight people are so proud of their public sex that they named a cocktail after it."
04-16-2017 02:08 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Post Reply 


Forum Jump:


User(s) browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)

Contact Us | School Survival | Return to Top | Return to Content | Mobile Version | RSS Syndication