selling out and having an "early-life" crisis....

[purplegrrl]

I am sitting here watching an old rerun of the Cosby Show. It's the episode where Cliff and Claire Huxtable have the "smooth contest." So I'm sitting on my bed, eating part of a frozen pizza that I had popped in the oven (because I haven't cooked in ages...too lazy and unmotivated--blaise). I see a commercial for some kind of soap and wonder if

Comments

[arielblue]

In a lot of ways I think it's easier to live up to your own ideals when you're younger. I'm not sure why this is... maybe we have more energy, maybe it's easier to overlook your own failings, maybe as you get older you just need rest and comfort more than you did as a young'un. In many ways I'm much more patient with my own little hypocrisies and the ways in which I fail to live up to my own ideals. Sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes maybe not so good, I don't know. I do think it's pretty normal to become more -- maybe "mellow" is a good word for it -- as you get older. I'm certainly a LOT more accepting of other people's quirks and problems, and that seems like it can only be a good thing. But there's a fine line between accepting your own failings and just being an unconscious couch potato with no ideals, and I know sometimes I get lazy and fall too far on the wrong side of that line. It's a toughie. I look at people I admire who live so consciously and do so much activist work and then I look at myself and how sometimes I'

confessional time

[artemii]

I like Alanis too, and I want a Swiffer. When I was in New York one of my activist friends was railing against Swiffers and I admitted I wanted one. She justified it because I'm chronically ill so it's 'not the same'. But I understand the desire for convenience. Being socially conscious takes more energy, time and money. I know people that have totally burned themselves out thinking about everything and everyone else and had to give up activism altogether.

One of my friends says that selling out (to an extent) is another way to undermine the system -- because in selling out you have opportunities to get at it from within that you never get when you're just resisting it from the outside. There are days now that I understand exactly what he means.

[jkatj]

Hey, at least you're not listening to N*Sync or something.

[wrdgrrl]

I could so relate to this. I don't know how old you are, but I just turned 30 and went through (and am probably still going through) much the same thing. IT was these feelings that led me to go through (and eventually fail) the screening process to become a police officer. Through that journey though, I think I've learned that it wasn't for me anyway, but I also learned that it's OK to be happy where I am today. No, I'm not doing all the things I want to do, but this is where I am and I have to accept it

hey there

[cry884]

Hi, there- I was just looking through random journals and saying HI. I hope your day is going well! -Crystal