Stuff you hate

[tushantin]

I hate tornadoes.

Sam goes to a school up in Massachusetts, near Springfield, MA. He's met a lot of people from there. There are confirmed reports of tornadoes there. He's a bit freaked out. Parts of Connecticut have tornado warnings, but it looks like we're clear. Doesn't stop Sam from panicking and trying to call everyone he's ever met there ever to see if they're okay.

At times like these, even if it sounds lame, fear is a man's best asset. Might be illogical, but it helps one to survive. =P Just hope there wouldn't be many disasters there like in Joplin. I'd hate to see that.

Today the Space Shuttle Endeavor returned from its last flight. There is just one more shuttle flight: Atlantis will take off in later this for the final mission of the space shuttle program. This is a sad day.

How is that sad?

Living in India, it feels like we're behind the times. Since January we've had endless summer and heat, until it escalated this May which provoked early showers yesterday (thank you, Arabian Sea). Problem? It was a small drizzle, and yet they found it so threatening they cut the power supply for an entire friggin day! This isn't the first time either. A slightest sign of rain makes these folks panic and cut the power supply until the skies are clear again, and this kinda makes us wonder how safe the power station infrastructure actually is compared to what they claim. But safety aside, no power means no business, and thus no money.

One good thing that came out of it was that I realized the worth of a dumbphone. Smartphones like Android only last a few hours, no matter how expensive, but cheap, dumbphones like Karbon mobile which is only a fraction of the cost has basic features like MP3 player, sound recording, alarm and (get this) flashlight, and the battery lasted me a whole friggin day (even when the flashlight was on constantly). That flashlight saved my life the whole evening/night as I scoured for cash, handing refunds, looking for keys, and all the basic stuff in the dark. It also helped me write stuff on a notebook when I was idle, and enlightened my path for going back home.

Now I'm starting to wonder whether I would actually need an expensive phone with low-battery (HTC Wildfire or Samsung 551, for that matter) if it doesn't last me all day.

[Bard_of_Time]

They... turn off the power when it rains? I don't even know why, but that sounds like a bad thing.

Folks up here in New England don't get that many tornadoes. We don't really know how to handle it much. However, the thing that happened in Springfield has nothing on what happened in Joplin. Sam said that at least four people were hurt, and the dorm at a different college had all the windows blown out. He's saying that some of his friends are never going to complain about snow again. (we get a lot of snow up here...)

[Mr Bekkler]

It's sad, tush, because once that last one goes and comes back, it'll be decommissioned and there will be zero American space shuttle launches for the determinable future. So much for catching up to sci fi. (I'm still waiting on my flying car. According to trustworthy sources, we were supposed to have them by 2015.)

[Sajainta]

Bard_of_Time, who's Sam?  I'm assuming he's your best friend or boyfriend, but I could be totally off.  And sorry in advance for assuming he's your boyfriend when he's actually your older brother or something.  XP

[Bard_of_Time]

Sam is actually my older brother. I'm the youngest of three, with Alex being the eldest. Sam studies music and stuff, while Alex has a degree in journalism. I'm not entirely sure, but I think Sam might actually have a boyfriend. He's always struck me as one of those people.

Things I hate: texting. Here I am, sitting, waiting for my name to be called, and the young man next to me is texting throughout the entire ceremony. It's just disrespectful.

[Sajainta]

Yup, looks like I needed that "sorry in advance".  Well that was an awkward assumption!  I really had no frame of reference.  Sorry about that.  I was once asked if I was my sister's girlfriend (we don't look very much alike).  I just stared at the person and was all "NO.  NOT DATING."

[Licawolf]

Once I accompanied my brother to the supermarket and someone thought we were a married couple because I was helping him with his children  that was awkward. The weird thing is that we do look alike 

What I hate: Slow internet connections. The internet is so incredibly slow right now... I have to refresh the page many times for it to upload properly.

[Bard_of_Time]

One of my friends gets that a lot, too. Her dad left, so it's her mom and older brother now. Her older brother is constantly mistaken for her father, and it drives her mad. I'm glad I don't have situations like that.

[tushantin]

Often when I don't shave (it's a stubble that I prefer, not a full length beard), to some people, I look older than I actually am. But a gap of 10 years?! A chick came in, just a year younger than me, and called me "Uncle". I, in turn, called her Grandma.

Eight years ago, there used to be dead forests around my residence, full of trees, weed and trash. And pigs. Lots of pigs. Today, those dead forests now occupy buildings, flats, shops, malls and banks. But no pigs in sight.

For some reason I like the sight of pigs, I don't know why. I saw a school of pigs (one adult, three piglets) dodging people and vehicles and rushing off to somewhere with their tiny limbs, adorable and all. Like they were moving from a house to another or something. I don't know, when I saw those pigs I didn't see them as pigs... I saw them as us. People.

Strangely enough, when I came home on a bicycle I saw a pig, all alone, standing in some barren grass and smiling at the winds, while a sparrow chirped, sitting on its back. That one... reminded me of me, staring at the sky, pondering poetic thoughts and conversing with the obnoxious bird.

[Kodokami]

Motherfucking spoilers. 'Nuff said.

[tushantin]

I'm sad today. No one else is. Because no one cares. Not him. Not his friends. Not my family. Just me.

And all for his sake, knowing I can't even do anything about it. It's like he's trapped in a cage destined so crash. He can get off if he wants, but he just doesn't want to...

No we didn't have a fight today; it was rather the opposite. He had a good time with his friends. Was drunk. Laughed at some Anti-Humor Chicken jokes with me.

I told him to knock off on cigarettes before gets addicted. He told me he already was. And not just cigarettes.

My brother was born far more talented than I was. Yet today he feels there wasn't much to life besides what he does today. He never tried to work hard, because he never saw a goal worth striving for. He would rather drown in addiction and have a time of his life than think about himself or his own health. He hasn't a dream to strive for. Even if he does, all he does is toss them away. Why? Because he wasn't rich enough to have any concern. Because he didn't care what people think. Because he has seen the world's selfishness and hypocrisy. Because he is tired of the pointless drama and strife of narrow-minded who think they have the answer to the meaning of life. Because of me.

I am mostly the reason of his current situation. I left him in the cold when he most needed me. I accused him despite his innocence when he trusted me. I became a selfish prick when he admired me and looked up to me. And my mere existence eclipsed his life. People adored me but called him a monkey. They idolized me for my efforts but criticized him for whatever reason. Almost always he felt unloved, always in the shadows, always a victim of provocation or discrimination.

I sometimes ponder the worth of my existence. My life certainly isn't any more valuable than his. He deserves life more than I do He doesn't deserve to pay for my sins. And yet I see him slowly slipping away from us.

And if anything happened to him I will neither forgive the world nor myself for it.

 

[Lord J Esq]

You're not responsible for your brother's choices, tush. You may, at times, be partially responsible for his circumstances, but you possess neither the all-seeing eye nor the indomitable fist. You frankly are not able to be responsible for his choices. Don't add to your suffering over his problems by assigning blame which is not credible. Simply put an effort into doing your best not to exacerbate his problems, and to help where you see an opportunity to do so, and then later on look back and say you did your best. Nor am I trying to pat you on the shoulder. If you can't look at life with that level of maturity, you will never find peace.

[Licawolf]

If you see an opportunity to reach out and help him, do it. But burdening yourself with guilt is not going to help, that's only going to hurt you more, as Lord J Esq said, it's impossible that you can be wholly responsible for his circumstances.  You shouldn't put that weight in your shoulders, tush :/

[tushantin]

@Lord J: I know that's immature, but I also know this; peace can be easily acquired. By giving and sharing. Helping. Creating. Meditating. Live in a bubble, not knowing what happens beyond. But peace acquired by ignoring a messy room is not peace worth having. I would gladly take despair if only to make a change and improve something, especially to help my close fellows be happy.

@Licawolf: I'm sorry if I got too sentimental, and though you and Lord J are right...

...forgetting my own situation here, I ask this to every debater of philosophy here, surely a person is obliged to feel responsible for his own follies? Even though you can't go back to undo things? Take your personal lives for a change. I'd appreciate you're answers.

[Lord J Esq]

You cannot own what is not yours. This is a point of identity. How old are you? How complete was your identity as you committed these so-called follies over the years? Do we blame babies for soiling their diapers and making undue work for their parents? Do we hold them accountable for that? Human identity does not fully coalesce until a person is well into their adolescence. Your culpability for indiscretions is necessarily limited by the ambit of "you."