Doing VS Everything Else

[Rapunzel]

DH wanted me to read the following article. Now, as an aside from the article's actual purpose and theme: There is cursing. He is a really good writer. His imagery is great. His links and pictures accompanying the article range from funny to wth? to the random corgi rolling down the stairs at the end. On to the content: I liked it. It doesn't pull any punches, but it also does an excellent job of pointing out that it doesn't matter what you think, say, or pray about - what you do is what matters:

http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-harsh-...better-person/

[Rapunzel]

In the comments section of this article the following was posted:

Bill Gates recently gave a Commencement speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes; learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Read more: http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-harsh-...#ixzz2FXTw0Toh

[spotty_dog]

That list has been misattributed, BTW. It's actually from a guy called Charles J. Sykes.

But I like the article, and also this related one from the same author: http://www.cracked.com/article_18544...ern-world.html

One of the #1 goals I have for raising my children is to teach them to persevere. I never want them to take for granted that they will achieve because of their potential or because they somehow deserve it. I want them to want to achieve, and to work toward it. Now matter what, exactly, they personally define as a worthwhile achievement.

[Mrs. MD, Esq.]

I love Cracked.

[ladymoreta]

I love Cracked.

Me too! Great article. I missed that one. Okay, so what are we all going to do next year?

[niener]

Me too! Great article. I missed that one. Okay, so what are we all going to do next year?

Learn Spanish! I've been learning some on and off for over a year, I need to just get my act together and learn it already. I'm also going to work on my photography post-processing skills now that I finally have the latest version of PS.

[Ladybug]

I think he's only seeing one side, measurable production, of the equation. There is a balance that people's needs also bring to the equation. Our needs (physical, mental, educational, monetary, safety from unfulfilled human potential) grow other people's fruit (compassion, empathy, generosity, selflessness, charity). They are the unsung fertilizer that make it possible to grow other people's "fruit" in accordance to their individual responses and talents. Our needs have a necessary, complimentary role in each other's growth, and that is why a euptopia has never (and will never) be built. Even the unfulfilled potential of "those darn kids" prods us to reexamine our social, media and educational systems that have failed. It's not completely the kids' fault. I think his voice is probably part of the problem because every kid I know would immediately tune him out. *click off*

He seems to struggle (as we all do) with the balance of faith and works when he quotes Christ's teaching on judging a tree by it's fruit. Praying and thinking when matured should lead to pure fruit (action that produces peace). However, action (or writing) without praying and thinking can be tainted with self-love and predominantly reflect our own egos and life experiences.