One phrase we heard from our parents when we were younger, and we mention to our own kids is “Enjoy your youth while you’re still in it. You’re gonna miss it when you’re an adult.” Or something like that. Of course, kids don’t want to be kids forever. Ironically, when we do become adults, many of us want to return to those carefree days of adolescence. Country singer Trace Adkins had a song dealing with just this subject, called “You’re Gonna Miss This”.
Even though we receive this admonition, we’re never truly warned of what was to come. We reach adulthood, suddenly, we’re required to make our own doctor’s appointments (something parents do for their minor children). We have to actually work to make money—no more allowance from Mom and Dad. We have to spend that money, which is heartbreaking when a major expense comes along. We have bills. Many sail through their twenties balancing their single days and adulating life. We reach our thirties and many begin to settle down, realizing that they’re getting too old for the “party scene”. Some are still single as 30-somethings; others have married and/or have kids. With the kids, priorities usually shift from parents’ needs to fulfilling the children’s needs first.
In our thirties and forties, we begin to see the toll of life, and we begin noticing our mortality: aches and pains become the norm, and we can’t keep doing certain things because our bodies won’t let us. In my case, I’m in my late 40s, damn near 50. I have a constant pain in my upper arm; I believe a doctor told me in passing that it sounds like a rotator cuff injury, though I have never actually consulted anyone specifically for this reason. I also have psoriasis on my leg, but I rarely ever go to the doctor to get anything checked out. The last time I has anything really checked was probably a good 15 years ago. Back then, everything was fine. Now, no telling, since I love meat (steak, pork, poultry), I drink a lot of soda and generally one or two cans of energy drinks per day. For my arm, I end up taking in the neighborhood of 1600 – 2000 mg ibuprofen on the daily, just to tolerate it.
About the only time I drink water is when I take my Zoloft in the morning, or in the middle of the night. Back in like 2013, I went over a year without drinking any soda, sticking to plain water and water with flavor packets added (like those Mio things). Yes, there was a time when I tried to be healthy. Due to my depression and some other factors, I’ve pretty much given up on myself, and I really don’t give a damn anymore. I used to donate plasma—and right now they have a pretty good compensation offer going on—but my diet consists of a lot of crap food and caffeine, and they’ll end up telling me my protein level is “out of range”, though it’s never specified what “out of range” means, nor what foods, specifically, would be the best to help out. No one has (or would ever have, honestly) any romantic interest in me, and if something did happen to me, only my kids would miss me, so it’s whatever.
These aren’t manufactured anymore, but there are new ones that are quite tasty, as well.
Prior to entering adulthood, kids are not prepared with basic life skills anymore. Schools only function to indoctrinate kids into a certain mindset and teach them how to take a test. If the departments of education really wanted to do something good, kids would be taught how to cook for themselves; do simple household repairs (plumbing, replacing an outlet or switch); how to sew a button; fill out job applications; file a tax return; teach personal financial responsibility, such as the importance of good credit and credit scores, “balancing a checkbook” (not overspending), the importance of savings, and the like; automotive basics, like changing the oil, checking fluids, replacing air filters and changing a tire. Also, there should not be the huge push and focus on college. College is way too goddamned expensive in this country, and not everyone who has a degree gets a high-paying job. Tuitions are in the tens of thousands of dollars and student loan debt is in the trillions. Not only this, but you (and your co-signers) are stuck with the debt forever. It won’t discharge in bankruptcy. Either you’ll be sued to pay it off, or you have to suffer like hell to get it down. Hell, there are people with bachelor’s degrees flipping burgers at McDonald’s and doctorates who are unemployed. Higher education does not necessarily equate to better life. Many young people would be perfectly suited to a trade or vocational school. In many places, there is a huge demand for construction, plumbers, carpenters, mechanics and pharmacy technicians, and those aren’t offered in a four-year institution. Back in 2012 I took a pharmacy tech class. It only cost a couple of thousand (as opposed to the much-higher university tuition), and that was totally paid for with a Pell Grant. I passed and eventually became licensed. However, at the time, no one was really hiring, and I got discouraged by all the rejections, so I didn’t even do the required continuing education, so that fell by the wayside.
If this United States did like many other countries do in terms of college, it would be much cheaper and better quality. First, get the federal government completely out of the education business. The only thing government does is fuck everything up (“if it ain’t broke, fix it ’til it is”). Second, don’t let just anyone in. As I said, college is not necessary for everyone. Make people test into the system. If you can’t meet a certain standard, you don’t get in. College should not be teaching remedial math and English. It’s called “higher education” for a reason. There should be a higher standard and more rigid requirements. To those who can’t make it in: boo hoo! Go cry to Mommy and Daddy because you lost. God, that whole “feel good”, participation-trophy-mentality society is in is SO FUCKING ANNOYING! People need to figuratively “grow a pair” and grow up. Stop acting like goddamned adult babies🤬! Not everything is perfect, by far nothing is fair, and yes, at some point in your life, you’re going to be called a loser🤯. You’re not the last winner. You fucking lost! Get over it, get over yourself, and get a job and stop depending on the government to hand everything over to you on a silver platter! Okay, that was a blanket statement, and it doesn’t describe everyone. Simply put, the truth hurts sometimes, but many of these people don’t want to face that truth. It hurts their precious feelings😲.
Sadly, however, the education system totally sucks, and it probably will never get better. The simple reason is that the powers-that-be don’t want that. They want people who are nothing but obedient workers, educated enough to do what’s necessary at work, but not question the increased cost of living, reduced benefits, and increasingly shittier way of life. Our “owners” don’t want people who are smart enough to critically think for themselves and realize how badly we’re getting fucked by society and how our freedoms under the Constitution are being eroded on a seemingly-daily basis.
Original video: “It’s Bad For Ya” recorded in 2007, Carlin’s final HBO show prior to his death in 2008.
Okay, rant over. To be perfectly honest, I intended to write this to post as a Preposterous Pondering, but it got way over my five- to six-hundred word guideline. I ranted much more, so now it’s a Rant of the Week🤭. Hopefully, you were taught basic life skills in school. If not, you probably learned them on the fly in a crash course. May the new work week not have anything crashing! Remember that the ‘Rona is still a thing, though things are improving. Wear your mask where required; wash those grubby paws (that’s just common, basic hygiene); and, as I say every week, be safe and be well.
Ray’s Rants of the Week 