I have no ambition

[Elysian]

I am sick of competition, success, desire for wealth and recognition, celebrity worship, and such. I just want to live a healthy life - read fine lit., listen to music, help people.

Why do people think this is a wrong attitude to have?

Elysian

[Zostrianos]

It's not wrong; on the contrary it's very noble. Modern western society is rotten to the core in many ways, and to choose something different is an improvement. I myself often fantasize about moving out to the countryside and spending my days away from this chaos, reading books and living off the land with a small garden for the rest of my days - if I won the lottery I probably would do just that. I sometimes envy monks and ascetics - they don't have any stress and don't have to deal with all this bullshit commercialism that's infected the modern world.

[Os Cangaceiros]

I know what it's like living in a very rural environment and it's not all that it's cracked up to be, honestly.

[PC LOAD LETTER]

I know what it's like living in a very rural environment and it's not all that it's cracked up to be, honestly.
That's debatable. I've lived in both. Honestly, they both have their positive traits. I don't understand why people decry the rural areas as 'boring' ... when you cut out mindless consumerism, there isn't all that much to do in a city either.

But then, one of my favorite activities in a city is to get drunk/stoned/take LSD/eat mushrooms and go explore on foot ... with at least one friend with me. Otherwise I'd be the weird drunk guy walking around by himself. The rural counterpart would be camping combined with intoxicants, fishing stoned, make a fire in the back yard and get drunk, etc.

I find both the aging, decaying structure of cities and untouched nature to be beautiful in their own rights. I guess when it really comes down to it, I couldn't decide where I'd want to remain if I had to make a final decision.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Oh I'm not one of those urban-fetishist weirdos...I like rural locales sometimes, I've lived in one for the majority of my life. I like stepping outside, looking at the mountains and realizing that those mountains have looked the same way for thousands of years, an Alaska native would've seen the same background 2,000 years ago. Good novelty value.

But at the same time I feel like certain people who may come from an urban or suburban environment may have an idea about rural living that's a bit too romanticized. One thing about rural living is that you're pretty much at war with your surrounding environment, or at least you are here. Anything that goes wrong with the electricity, or the plumbing (which has been a frequent problem this year because of the cold weather), or heating (kindling etc) is all done "in-house". It's kind of a pain in the ass to live on the periphery of civilization in some ways.

I live in an industrial extraction point (logging) and seeing logging trucks pass me on the highway doesn't fill me with rage like it does some people on the radical left. I don't care at all, I need wood products just like everyone else. That's another thing that annoys me about people who romanticize the wilderness...a lot of them have no idea what they're talking about. Like when the North Slope was still a political issue, people would ask me why politicians were trying to scar the beautiful frozen north of my homeland. I'd reply "have you seen the north slope?! It's a fucking wasteland!"

[Nox]

I am sick of competition, success, desire for wealth and recognition, celebrity worship, and such. I just want to live a healthy life - read fine lit., listen to music, help people.

Why do people think this is a wrong attitude to have?

Elysian

I used to be your typical 16 year old, I wanted to be a rich banker or accountant :rolleyes:

Now I want to be a History teacher, because that's my passion.

[CommunityBeliever]

I am poor and I own essentially nothing. I do have this computer a friend gave to me but its old, barely functional, and making annoying hissing sounds. I don't feel like I am in any place to have any significant ambitions at this point.

[Elysian]

I am poor and I own essentially nothing. I do have this computer a friend gave to me but its old, barely functional, and making annoying hissing sounds. I don't feel like I am in any place to have any significant ambitions at this point.

I am sorry about your financial condition. I hope things improve in the future, and you'll be able to do the things you enjoy.

[#FF0000]

That's debatable. I've lived in both. Honestly, they both have their positive traits. I don't understand why people decry the rural areas as 'boring' ... when you cut out mindless consumerism, there isn't all that much to do in a city either.

I live in an area that is halfway between rural and suburban and I remember always feeling like living in the city would be baller. Then I went to New York and my brother went to college and we both realized that there is fuck all to do in the city except shop and eat.

that said I do like smaller cities because I like being able to walk places and all that but yeah at this point I'm about ready to go all Walden and live in a remote cabin.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Oh, and another thing I forgot about living in a rural area that's not cool: it's not good if you have a medical emergency here. The nearest hospital is an hour's drive away, and it's not even a very good hospital...anything that's too serious requires a medevac to Anchorage. That's where I live during the winter. Where I live in the summer isn't connected to anything by road, you'd have to call in for the US coast guard to pick you up with a helicopter if you got in trouble. And they will ask you all sorts of questions before they decide whether they'll come out to save your ass or not...I remember listening to the VHF radio one day and some woman got on asking for a medevac, her son was stung by a bee (he was allergic to bees) and was p. much dying on the floor. Made for compelling listening, that conversation. She stayed remarkably calm under pressure.

[praxis1966]

Meh For my money, and having grown up in a mosquito ridden North Florida backwater, cities are better. People who are saying that the only things to do in cities are eat and shop are full-o-beans. Compared to the small town I grew up in, the music scene is far superior and so is the art scene (whether you're talking about the "high art" of the de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor in SF or the "low art" of little pop up galleries in Oakland). If you're a sports fan, you can actually go see live games. If I wanna go out drinking there's more here than Dive Bar A, B or C... Plus, as a lifelong vegetarian, there's something to be said for culinary diversity when your previous options beyond fast food were basically Applebee's, Chile's and TGIFriday's. ::vomit::


Oh, and another thing I forgot about living in a rural area that's not cool: it's not good if you have a medical emergency here. The nearest hospital is an hour's drive away, and it's not even a very good hospital...anything that's too serious requires a medevac to Anchorage.

Yeah, and I'd wager that the likelihood of needing a medivac at some point can only increase given all the "in house" maintenance and combating of the elements (like bears and shit) that goes on.

[gorillafuck]

i have no ambition either