Serious Is the nature of Society a hoax?

To quoteEastern Wisdom, Modern Life: Collected Talks 19601980By Alan Watts:

Quote:This is our problem, you see. We are not alive. We are not awake. We are not living in the present. Take education. What a hoax. As a child, you are sent to nursery school. In nursery school, they say you are getting ready to go on to kindergarten. And then first grade is coming up and second grade and third grade. And then, when you get to the end of grade school, they say, 'You've been getting ready for high school.' And then in high school, they tell you you're getting ready for college. And in college you're getting ready to go out into the business world with your suit and your diploma. And you go to your first sales meeting, and they say, up the ladder in business if you sell it, and maybe you'll get a promotion. And you sell it, and they up your quota. And then, finally at about the age of forty-five, you wake up one morning as vice president of the firm, and you say to yourself, 'I've arrived. But i've been cheated. Something is missing. I no longer have a future. 'Wrong,' says insurance salesman. 'I have a future for you. This policy will enable you to retire in comfort at sixty-five, and now you can look forward to that.' And you're delighted. You buy the policy, and at sixty-five, you retire, thinking that this is the attainment of the goal of life. Except that now you have prostate trouble, false teeth, and wrinkled skin. And you're a materialist. You're a phantom. You are an abstraction. You are nowhere, because you were never told, and you never realized, that eternity is now. There is no time.

Let us discuss this thought.

This is so deep I almost fell in.

10-02-2016, 10:05 PM

Maiki Wrote: I am only posting here to increase my post count.

Oh is it so?

It's true that a lot of us were brought up to be successful, and obviously this is only true for people living in 1st world countries where education is prevalent. What would you call 'to truly be alive'? Can it be said that some people enjoy to sell, or write, or draw and that by going through school they don't retire in a falsehood but retire having lived out their dreams? If you live your life how you want, even by living up to societies standards set upon us, why can't we end our lives happy? If you die from old age or due to cancer, can't you at least say you lived your life how you wanted to? Maybe some see that as a false life, a fake life. But who are others to see how you live your life? Who says you can't die happy?

10-02-2016, 10:12 PM

Beer Wrote: It's true that a lot of us were brought up to be successful, and obviously this is only true for people living in 1st world countries where education is prevalent. What would you call 'to truly be alive'? Can it be said that some people enjoy to sell, or write, or draw and that by going through school they don't retire in a falsehood but retire having lived out their dreams? If you live your life how you want, even by living up to societies standards set upon us, why can't we end our lives happy? If you die from old age or due to cancer, can't you at least say you lived your life how you wanted to? Maybe some see that as a false life, a fake life. But who are others to see how you live your life? Who says you can't die happy?

Sure, that can also be the case. But have you seen anyone who's perfectly happy in their cubicle? If you ask them if they have any regrets, if they are just where they want to be, would they say "yes, this is all I want."

I would be lying if I said I have.

It depends on if the person is truly happy with their office jobs, or so. But mostly, those careers are built on top of ashes of dreams that were burnt out a long time ago. Forgotten, denied. Deemed impossible, by the help of others.

10-02-2016, 10:11 PM

? Wrote:

10-02-2016, 10:05 PM

Maiki Wrote: I am only posting here to increase my post count.

Oh is it so?

>367

"I am only posting here to increase my post count."

wut

10-02-2016, 10:16 PM

? Wrote:

10-02-2016, 10:12 PM

Beer Wrote: It's true that a lot of us were brought up to be successful, and obviously this is only true for people living in 1st world countries where education is prevalent. What would you call 'to truly be alive'? Can it be said that some people enjoy to sell, or write, or draw and that by going through school they don't retire in a falsehood but retire having lived out their dreams? If you live your life how you want, even by living up to societies standards set upon us, why can't we end our lives happy? If you die from old age or due to cancer, can't you at least say you lived your life how you wanted to? Maybe some see that as a false life, a fake life. But who are others to see how you live your life? Who says you can't die happy?

Sure, that can also be the case. But have you seen anyone who's perfectly happy in their cubicle? If you ask them if they have any regrets, if they are just where they want to be, would they say "yes, this is all I want."

I would be lying if I said I have.

It depends on if the person is truly happy with their office jobs, or so. But mostly, those careers are built on top of ashes of dreams that were burnt out a long time ago. Forgotten, denied. Deemed impossible, by the help of others.

I didn't mean everyone, but not everyone went after their dreams. They became who they were for the $$$, and money doesn't necessarily bring happiness.
But I guess I'm speaking from what I've seen.

I've always kind of thought along those lines, or at least had deep thoughts similar to that. I never really wanted to have an ordinary life like most people and be happy with a completely sedentary lifestyle driven only by the desire to get the next paycheck. I don't think it's right to be born into this world just to be put into a system that ultimately benefits those higher up and their lifestyles rather than those who make it possible. But of course, these systems are already in place, and in order to survive without being a criminal you need to follow said system. What I want to do in life is go to college for a Biology major (will come into play later) then enlist in the military and become a Corpsman/Medic. I want to see the world and humanity in general at it's best and worst, to see the world for what it really is and not what a government or new outlet tells me it is. Then I plan to come back after a decade or so and apply for med school, that way I can still live but help people and make a direct contribution that may save someone's life.
That's just my plans mixed in with my thoughts on this idea, but take it as you will.