Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84 SMI; site sun.uucp Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!decvax!decwrl!sun!edh From: edh@sun.uucp (Edward Hunter) Newsgroups: net.suicide Subject: Re: misc. ramblings Message-ID: <2805@sun.uucp> Date: Tue, 17-Sep-85 04:47:21 EDT Article-I.D.: sun.2805 Posted: Tue Sep 17 04:47:21 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 19-Sep-85 05:22:04 EDT References: <199@ikonas.UUCP> Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc. Lines: 57 > I'd like to know how other people get over the various humps in their lives. > Currently I'm questioning my reason for being, and haven't found any > answers I'll accept. I'm sure other people must occasionly get into > this state of mind. > > I don't have any dependents, and I never had. I know at least a half-dozen > people in this area that could do my job as well or better than I can. > The only friends I have I made at work, and most of them now work somewhere > else and I don't see them very often. I have no social life, because > I'm always fixing problems to stop customers from screaming. The customer > is screaming because some one else sat on the problem for months, and now > we're way over a deadline. I gave up a social life long ago when I went > for 2 degrees in four years while working part time. My social skills are > nill, and I doubt that anyone would really want to associate with someone > whose work is his total life. Someone called me a nerd at work today, > and I just realized it must be true. Mike, I haven't noticed anyone respond to you (probably due to the wonders of modern mail). Generally, I just observe what goes on around here but your note reminds me alot of myself in some sense so I figured I would throw in my two cents. Occasionally, I wonder about my own existence, although I'm still here so I guess that says something. I won't spend any time trying to convince you how empty the world would be without you. One thing I've learned is that life goes on no matter what happens. In the end the only person you have to prove anything to is yourself. When I was younger I used to thing that I had to prove things to other people. I soon discovered that everyone else was busy trying to prove things to everyone else and that seemed to be a waste of time. Consequently, I recommend starting to do things to prove to yourself that you should(can) exist from day to day. I recommend picking something that you want to do and going out to do it. (Not knowing your interests I won't try to suggest anything.) If you think you can convince someone else to join you in whatever it is bring them along, however, don't let not having someone stop you. Eventually, either you will become bored of this and figure I was crazy or you will have a collection of things to do when you need something to do other than work. These will be the things you can do simply because you want to do them and do not require to approval of anyone else. A small victory for you over the rest of the world. As far as work being your total life. True it may fill all your waking hours and that's fine if you enjoy it. If you don't enjoy it then something should change. Either you can work less (I force myself to take at least one day a week off) or in the worst case quit and find a new job (not an easy task but an option). As for your nill social skills I can offer no advice (although the people on net.singles will tell you at length what you should do if you enjoy reading forty different descriptions of the same thing). So that's it. I could say more but I hate long replies. If you are interested I have more thoughts on the subject of life and why we keep living it. Just drop me a line. -edh P.S. I get over my humps by telling myself I refuse to be beaten. Therefore each new day is a new challenge and each yesterday is ancient history to be learned from or forgotten as the mood takes me. Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com