The Lost Generation or A Wasted Youth is Better by Far than a Wise and Productive Old Age

[Aaron]

We have been born into a world that questions everything. There are no longer any certainties for most of us. God is in question, morality is in question, even our ability to justify going to work each day is in question. We look for answers and there are plenty of people with answers. They know what we're looking for and they're willing to give them to us.

 

Some give us old religions from the East with a new modern Western flair, they tell us that the problem is US, that we only need to realize there is no ME or I, simply nothing and that will solve everything. Some give us new age philosophies, habits for successful people, believing that what we lack is the ability to function successfully in this world, not realizing that success is meaningless if what you're missing can't be found in the material world.

 

Then there are those who tell us that it's our beliefs that are wrong (here, here) and that what we need to do is give up all these old ideals and start again, live an ethical life, a moral life, not by other's standards, but by our own.

 

But what if none of these things are the answer? What if we spend our entire life trying to attain one thing or another, enlightenment, wealth, power, happiness, but find that in the end none of it was really satisfying? What if even an end to suffering isn't enough.

 

I remember the story of a prominent Zen monk in Japan who after decades of practice was being recognized for his life's work. Many people attended the celebration, yet when it came time for him to receive his reward he cried out that he wanted a family, a wife, and children. They dragged him away and that was that. I don't know what happened to him, but it's a sad story to me, because I really wish after all that time he spent dedicated to Zen he could've found what he was looking for.

 

In the same way I wonder about all the people I see here on these forums trying to prevent the loss of their jing. They decide to become celibate and practice in order to achieve a longer life, but at what cost? Forty years down the line will they look back at their youth and say, "I'm happy I decided to stay celibate, rather than have a family and children."

 

I think the problem we have today is one of introspection, or perhaps the lack thereof. We are so certain their must be an answer and that it must be out there, that we tend to forget that maybe the answer isn't out there at all, but inside us.

 

I'm not going to lie to you, I have an agenda, but it's not a me vs, them agenda really, but a you vs. them agenda. I want people to think for themselves, to take the initiative and look within for their answers.

 

I have tons of answers. Act compassionately. Do no harm to others or yourself. Live your life as best you can, without concern for what other's think of you. The problem is that without experiencing these things and coming to terms with them yourself, they're hollow. If you want contentment, peace, and serenity in your life, but you're not willing to do the work yourself, but rather depend on others for that peace and serenity, then is it really your peace and serenity in the end?

 

I will end this post by offering some advice to the youth among us. When you are old and gray you will not lament the stupid things you did when you were young, so much as the stupid things you didn't do. A wasted youth is better by far than a wise and productive old age. Don't worry so much about all this meaning of life crap, worry about living your life and enjoying it. Take the time to live and do what you want to while you can, there will come a time when you can't do that anymore, because of children, or a job, or the weight of the world. Don't miss out on what you have now, because you're afraid of what you might not have in the future. Live life each day to the fullest. Experiment, enjoy, and remember that today is all you really have, so don't treat it like yesterday, or waste it on tomorrow, live it and enjoy it, and then, maybe when you're old and gray you can look back and say, "I wasted much of my youth, but it sure was worth it."

 

Salvation is for those who are lost, you're not lost, so long as you know where you are each and every day.

 

Aaron

 

edit- "A wasted youth is better by far, than a wise and productive old age" is a quote from a "Wasted Youth" by Meatloaf. Great song by the way.

Edited November 18, 2012 by Aaron

[Celestial]

Sometimes the things you love to do require sacrifice(s). Plenty of successful, happy people who do what they love have made sacrifices in their life to accomplish their dreams. This is the way of life, young or old, it doesn't make a bit of difference.

 

Some people love to cultivate inner power in the hopes to achieve immortality. If this requires letting go of attachments/desires and long periods of semen retention, then do it. If you find that during the process you don't love it, stop.

[Path]

Generations after generations have been doing what TS posted, but the question is how many of them did it responsibly, educating the next generation on cause and effect.

 

There never was any generation gap, it has always been what was educated and encouraged to practice.

 

Educate them when young, stop giving irresponsible excuses such as- "They are still young"; by teen their practices becomes harder to change, When they become adults they contribute their wisdom or ignorance to those under their guidence or those bullied into accepting their ideas; by then it becomes almost impossible to correct their negative practices into responsible habits.

 

Through what have always been encouraged to practices, educated by their elders, society practices similar habits in return and eventually it affects the self. And just imagine, if you are aware of realities, when will it be your turn to experience the consequences of your actions?

 

There never was any east or west ideas. Ideas through English was from a young generation. Other languages preserved remnants of eternal knowledge. Truth cannot be written in words, only those who practice it knows, and true teachers pass these knowledge down to students wisely.

For the past ten years when information was easily access, it has been abused and mostly lost in translation.

What we sow, we receive similarly. The song I want to reference is pretty new, its something about price tag. Thing is, the practice of many generations have been avoiding to pay the price tag of their actions, thus each generation drift further and further into debt due to the price tags they owed.

This world now, must know the meaning of responsibility.

 

In regards to questions.

One force, one God; many facades. Get to know thy Self.

1. Practice self reflection.

Eventually through that practice, you will reach self realization, knowledge blooms through self realization. Before self realization what you know is mostly rubbish, assessment in regards to the practice of society today.

You can be told the same thing time and time again; read endless books on the same subject. You will still know nothing, until you self realize.

 

I totally agree on compassion, it is a great tool on the journey. You ready to leave this reality now?

[Aaron]

Path,

 

Where did I ever say anything about not being responsible? You take responsibility for your actions, that's just common sense. I didn't think it needed to be mentioned. However, just because you're parents have planned your life out, doesn't mean you have to follow that plan. If you don't want to be a lawyer, don't be a lawyer! If you don't want to take over the family business, then don't take it over.

 

My major problem with people that argue about responsibility is that they have been so brainwashed by modern society (East or West) that it's hard for them to realize they can do something else. What I'm advocating is that the young should enjoy life, take chances, learn what life is about from their own experiences, what you're advocating is that they climb into a box and whenever someone zaps them they eat a treat. I'm sure that you're parents taught you this was correct, so you really don't know any better, just as I'm sure you don't realize you can even question your belief.

 

 

Celestial,

 

In regards to immortality, if someone has invested the fear of death into a young person so deeply that they forego living a youthful existence in order to practice Qigong (meditate, become saved through Christ, etc.) then the person that did that should really pay, because that's just about the sickest thing anyone could do. However, if they're sincerely interested and enjoy what they're doing, then more power to them. Again, it's about self exploration, allowing the young person to understand the world through their own experience, rather than have that experience methodically dictated to them.

 

 

My advice to anyone stuck in this, do what you're told, be a good boy or girl, and never question authority, mindset, get out of your own skin and do something crazy, because if you've been responsible all of your life, never doing anything wrong, then you are in real trouble. Remember, "Good girls go to heaven, but bad girls go everywhere." That's another meatloaf quote by the way.

 

Aaron

Edited November 18, 2012 by Aaron

[GrandmasterP]

There is no such thing as a wasted youth just as long as the youth in question packs in as many experiences as possible prior to the onset of geriatric decline.

 

Wise chap once said...

 

"An it harm no one. Do as thou will".

Edited November 18, 2012 by GrandmasterP

[Celestial]

I agree, if someone forces the path of immortality (or playing Football) then yes, that is gross. The quest for immortality doesn't always mean that you fear death. There are more factors to immortality than just living forever in this physical body, there's the spiritual which is what most Taoists are referring to when speaking of immortality. They do not fear death, in fact, they have to embrace it before becoming immortal.

[GrandmasterP]

"I do not wish to live on in the memory of my fans. I just wish to live on".

(Woody Allen)

[Aaron]

examine your life, your motives, and go from there. there's no reason to drown yourself in religion and mythology, when the real life has so much more to offer you. and another thread someone said that the majority of our youth are agnostic or atheist, and I say thank goodness for that, because now at least there's a little hope for the future.

Edited November 20, 2012 by Aaron

[GrandmasterP]

Youth can be a fruitful time to immerse oneself in various flavours and blends of religion and the mystical.

There are some fun paths out here that get one out of the house and alongside interesting folk with tales to tell.

Engaging with that stuff reflectively brings experience and insight, plus, cos needy women are drawn to religions; the odds for getting laid are stacked in your favour far more so than they are for the guy who lives in mom's basement playing Mortal Kombat or posting on TTB .

Suck the marrow out of life and do whatever and (with love and a merry heart intent not to cause harm) whomsoever you can .

Oscar Wilde said...

Youth is wasted on the young.

Don't waste yours lads, get out there and partay.

Edited November 20, 2012 by GrandmasterP

[joeblast]

Apples and oranges, "a wasted youth"...."vs"...."a wise and productive old age."

 

A wasted youth may or may not lead to a wise and productive old age. Wasted is past tense, so if it is past tense then it is already an illusion. These are two relatively random points from some timeline(s) that dont necessarily have anything to do with one another.

 

I get the dont take your youth for granted, dont waste it, but the juxtaposition with a wise and productive old age makes little sense since they are necessarily temporally removed from one another, it is the choices in between that will dictate whether one indeed becomes wise and productive in his old age.

[zanshin]

How about juxtaposing them? I had a fairly productive youth, which I don't regret as now I am comfortably able to be more dissolute. Except, I do get tired and just want to go to bed in early evening. It is hard to get wild and partay in the afternoon. Oh yeah, that's right I didn't really like the whole partay vibe when I did do it when I was younger, I just thought that's what young people were supposed to do.

[GrandmasterP]

I'm a pipe and slippers man these days.