What I don't get...

[Uchiha Barles]

Heh, you seem to be one of the few that either avoided indoctrination into believing that employee mentality is the cat's meow, or you broke out of it having gained knowledge that somehow remains obscure to most people. Either way, good for you.

But yeah, this mentality is worked it's way into us from the time we're young: "Go to school, get good grades. Go to a good high school, get good grades. Go to a good college, get good grades. Then, get a great paying job. Be Ambitious!" Our parents help out with that, so do our teachers, and even our peers. It's kind of hard not to fall into that.

[Animeniax]

Heh, you seem to be one of the few that either avoided indoctrination into believing that employee mentality is the cat's meow, or you broke out of it having gained knowledge that somehow remains obscure to most people. Either way, good for you.

But yeah, this mentality is worked it's way into us from the time we're young: "Go to school, get good grades. Go to a good high school, get good grades. Go to a good college, get good grades. Then, get a great paying job. Be Ambitious!" Our parents help out with that, so do our teachers, and even our peers. It's kind of hard not to fall into that.

I think it's ridiculous to suggest that working the 8 to 5 for a company makes us sheep or robots. Work pays the bills for me, but I have other pursuits outside of work. It's nice that you love what you do enough to spend that much time doing it, but I'm only willing to give the 40-50 hours a week for my job, and I spend the rest of my life doing other things which I enjoy, though I can't get paid to do them.

I've found in this life that too many people want to be superstars when the world needs more cogs for the machine.

[Uchiha Barles]

I suppose what was said about stagnating into nothingness was true, and that this indoctrination prevents that. However, this indoctrination also prevents most people from looking outside of that box. Everything a lot of people do is in terms of this indoctrination, and a lot of people are unhappy about it. Consequently you get a lot of unhappy people willing to take the risk to try something outside of that comfort zone that might otherwise make them happy, or at least less miserable. I don't know very many people who have done the 9-5 for over 10 years and continue to enjoy it. Furthermore, I've spoken a few of them (being friends and family and whatnot) about trying to make money from investing in something, you know, making your cash work for you. None of them have the balls to try it. That's not a good thing, and it's a result of having been pushed to do the "sure thing" and the "safe thing" their whole lives.

I myself would've wanted to be a musician and a martial artist from the time I was young. Might've had a career in either field by now had I started when I was young, because I've found that I have talent for both. But I started both those things rather late in life, and if a career in either is possible, it'll be much harder to achieve, and I'll never be as good as I would've been on account of having not trained since an early age at those things. This, all because my parents were indoctrinated to do the "sure thing" and the "safe thing" and figured it would be good for me as well, thus discouraging those pursuits, and having me focus more on standard traditional school work, as if I couldn't do all of it.

I don't think this indoctrination by itself is a good thing. Risk taking and dreaming ought to be promoted while raising your children with a firm grounding in reality, and an understanding in what it takes to succeed at anything. "Go to school and get a job and pay off debt, and buy a house and retire" is far from the only reality. It's the sure one, but it's also the average, mundane and unextraordinary one.

About the world needing cogs for the machine: I don't want that for MY children, and I don't want that for myself. So I won't raise them that way, and I'll work not to be that way. You may be right with that line, but I don't worry about it, because the indoctrination has a rock solid grip on our populace.

[Animeniax]

If you say "indoctrination" one more time, I'm going to cut your nuts off.

I believe in taking risks and trying new things, but if you are properly prepared and educated, then they aren't really risks, or at least they are reduced risks so it's for all intents and purposes a "sure thing". Maybe when you have the responsibilities that your parents had then you will understand why they made the choices they did.

[Uchiha Barles]

If you say "indoctrination" one more time, I'm going to cut your nuts off.

I believe in taking risks and trying new things, but if you are properly prepared and educated, then they aren't really risks, or at least they are reduced risks so it's for all intents and purposes a "sure thing". Maybe when you have the responsibilities that your parents had then you will understand why they made the choices they did.

That's exactly the point. All it takes is a little bit of education, a little bit of cojones, and all of a sudden these "risks" become almost non risks. It's one of the biggest inside jokes of all times. And no, there's no chance in hell I'll ever understand limiting my children's options to the social standard when I have all the necessary resources not to.

[Animeniax]

That's exactly the point. All it takes is a little bit of education, a little bit of cojones, and all of a sudden these "risks" become almost non risks. It's one of the biggest inside jokes of all times. And no, there's no chance in hell I'll ever understand limiting my children's options to the social standard when I have all the necessary resources not to.

Because your parents did the right thing in raising you so you have the resources and are prepared to live the life of danger.

I think what you and Assertn both have is youthful exuberance. You're both at an age where you have limited responsibilities to anyone but yourself, so its easier to take risks or make changes in your life. In the olden days, people became parents sooner so they had to make different choices because they were thinking beyond how it would impact just themselves.

[Uchiha Barles]

Donald Trump, Warren Buffet, Sean Combs, Robert Kiyosaki, just to name a few people, had that "youthful exuberance" you're mentioning, all of them now filthy rich, and able to provide a million times over anything their families could ever need, anything their families could possibly want. There are a many, many (though comparatively fewer) others who don't even even come close to their level of success, but leave the vast majority of us in the dust, at least when it comes to financial success. It's not "youthful exuberance" that drives these people. I mean, it might be, but it's not the only thing, it's also a pretty good understanding of how one reaches whatever success they've attained, and also having overcome gotten over the "you'll probably fail" message that they've been hearing all their lives. Raising your kids, you ought not limit their scope. Instead, you should show them what it takes to make something happen, and try to set bench marks with them. They can then decide if they're cut out for what they're trying to do or not. Furthermore, none of this has to come at the expense of preparing to enter the work force. It also has the benifit of getting rid of this silly, silly fear of trying something positive because their neighbors, classmates, teachers and friends aren't.

[Assertn]

I've found in this life that too many people want to be superstars when the world needs more cogs for the machine.

Oh no...a lot of people I talk to are afraid of taking chances and, while I don't sympathize with that sentiment, I am certainly glad these people exist, because the greatest asset of a business owner is his employees.