"life is what you make it..." and other BS statements.

[devilgrrl]

Sorry, I had to write that because it's a annoying statement and bugs me to no end. Kind of a lot like "God only helps those who help themselves..." such bullshit. :argh:

[zanne]

1. "Hard work is the key to success".

So, if I work hard at $5.15 per hour, I'll be successful?

[raccoon]

48. If that were true, all the illegal aliens from south of the Rio Grande

(as well as many legal aliens) would be enormously successful.

[Fox Mulder]

53. I really hate that quote too.

It's nothing but a load of bullshit. :puke:

[Blue_Tires]

57. only recently,

in my 29th year on this earth, have i realized how farcical that statement truly is

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. If I outsource myself.... will I still be gainfully employed?? nt.

[newportdadde]

3. "God helps those who help themselves" its not in the bible folks.

I hear this so often.

[MemphisTiger]

5. I think that is "derived" from the

"give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, but teach a man to fish and he'll eat every day" or something like that.

I always thought God helped everybody like when Jesus helped the prostitues and other sinners. Don't we all need help?

[MrMonk]

58. I don't think that "fishie" thing is in the Bible either

There is that one incident where Jesus gave a whole bunch of people a fish for that day, but I think that speaks against the aphorism.

[MemphisTiger]

60. I think you're right. Somehow I got that one turned around in my

head

[mrcheerful]

4. Just go back to school and you will earn a high paying job in 4 years

just don't expect to eat or pay for your cost of living, thats not my concern. Oh yeah I pulled myself up by my boot straps so I don't see why you can't do it on your own. I'm a self made man, no one helped me do anything, I dropped out of mommies womb and supported myself, I even changed my own diapers.

[PA Democrat]

6. "God never gives us more than we can handle."

This is usually stated by someone leading a charmed life to someone dealing with incredible adversity.

Some one actually said this to a dear friend who was dying of cancer leaving behind 2 disabled children.

[DBoon]

7. "people make their own luck"

Spoken by someone whose father was VP of a good sized corporation.

I assume she was congradulating herself on her good choice of parents

[undergroundpanther]

8. people born fortunate

need to go live on minimum wage for 5 years,in the projects with no access to their silver spoons before I'd listen to ANYTHING these self serving, well off, ignorant comfortable,in denial,opulent parasites say about the poor and the working poor.I do not trust the "fortunate" in society because they do not have to care about anyone else. Rich kids can make one call to daddy war bucks and their discomforts and failures go away. It creates an illusion of entitlement and control in these rich people, se they can pretend the world is what they make it for themselves,than they feel they can tell everyone else they are not trying hard enough because they made it and it was easy..FOR THEM....Only the rich could find slumming and poverty for a day "fun".
Rich people who have never really been poor are unqualified for political careers. Ever notice how all these millionaires born into wealth play up the "humble beginnings" claptrap ,and roll up thier sleeves and pretend to work when they seek election? Can you say pandering?

[tjwash]

9. A rich lazy politician rolling up their sleeves pretending to work?

Who would ever stoop to doing THAT?

[SammyWinstonJack]

12. Sounds just like the Chimp in Chief.

Rich kids can make one call to daddy war bucks and their discomforts and failures go away.

[ProfessorGAC]

13. What Panther Said!

Silverspooners who think they're entitled to everything in life, grate on me to no end.
The Professor

[undergroundpanther]

16. The powers that be

Can't fight city hall,
the world is your oyster,
When things get tough,the tough get going,
God works in mysterious ways,

I hate these too.

I think all motivational speakers should be forced to live in a VAN down by the RIVER.

[ProfessorGAC]

17. LOL! Are You Matt Foley?

Thanks for the laugh. I was totally surprised by your reference.
The Professor

[DBoon]

28. worse than entitled - they think they earned it

and anyone else not in their position of privilege must be lazy or morally flawed

[KansDem]

10. "If Life hands you lemons, make lemonade"

Yea, but you still need a whole lot of sugar, asshole!

[Marie26]

11. "Today is the first day of the rest of your life!!"

Always hated that saying.

[IDemo]

55. "Today is the last day of your life, so far"

Always wanted to print the above bumper sticker in response to the feel-good message above.

[porphyrian]

14. "Everything happens for a reason."

I hate this one. Sure, everything that happens is the result of causitive factors. That doesn't mean it's good, or by any intentional design other than the culmination of events we mostly don't control and/or aren't aware of in a single point in space-time. I'm really sick of hearing it used in situations where the shitty end result was predicted and preventable, like the last three elections.

[raccoon]

38. I hate that one too! It's crap.

What was the reason for a loved one developing Alzheimer's or Parkinson's?

[MemphisTiger]

15. "It is what it is"

I hate that one or "that being said"

[bryant69]

18. Yeah, but life pretty much is what you make it

On the one hand, using this as an argument against a just society (by implying that it is all up to the individual) wouldn't be good. Because it would ignore the inherent injustices that exist in our society. On the flip side, it certainly is true that there are things we as individuals can do to better our lives, if we choose too.

I guess it's a matter of outword verses inward focus. If you are looking outside a bad situation and saying "Life is what you make it" that's kind of a big screw you. On the other hand if you are inside a bad situation and you say "Life is what you make it," and determine to make your life better, well that's probably better than saying to yourself "I'm basically screwed" and giving up.

Bryant
check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[TX-RAT]

36. there are things we as individuals can do to better our lives,

And, there are things we don't do to better our lives.

[Ikonoklast]

19. Work really hard and be a team player

Sacrifice your personal life for the good of the company, they will take care of you down the road.


Right.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

26. sure they will.

if i had a nickel for every time i heard that one I would have been making a sustainable income.

[foreverdem]

20. "Time heals all wounds"

There are some who go through things in their lives that are so horrific, no amount of time will ever make the after effects go away.

[DanCa]

21. A song about stupid statements from the Boss

My Best was never good enough by Bruce Springsteen.

Every cloud has a silver lining, every dog has his day
She said, "Now don't say nothin'
if you don't have something nice to say."
The tough, now they get going, when the going gets tough
But for you my best was never good enough

"Now don't try for a home run, baby
If you can get the job done with a hit"
Remember, "A quitter never wins and a winner never quits"
"The sun don't shine on a sleepin' dog's ass"
And all the rest of that stuff
But for you my best was never good enough

"If God gives you nothin' but lemons, then you make some lemonade"
"The early bird catches the fuckin' worm,
Rome wasn't built in a day"

"Now life's like a box of chocolates,
You never know what you're going to get"
"Stupid is as stupid does and all the rest of that shit"

Come'on pretty baby, call my bluff
'Cause for you my best was never good enough

[KittyWampus]

22. It is an Absolute Truth, and the fact you disagree with it says volumes

Until YOU make the Conscious decision that you want something and begin the process of working towards a goal... there isn't anything that can ultimately help you succeed.

Once you consciously make your mind you want something and begin the process of working towards a goal... then the Universe itself will help you on your quest.

It's about DESIRE and the CREATIVE FORCE and whether or not we each decide to become CONSIOUSLY AWARE of what's going on.

Yes, there are those who actively do their damndest to keep others from achieving their goals... but in trying to prevent others from getting ahead... that RESISTANCE ends up making those who strive STRONG.

Old Occult maxim- Road blocks aren't to be lamented but celebrated. They are opportunites for our innate creativity to come into play. Roadblocks are how we learn and grow.

[DBoon]

30. And I suppose you just willed yourself into existence

Having no parents, you created yourself, fully grown out of elemental matter assembled through pure will power.

[devilgrrl]

33. Oh I know...

I'd love to hear some of these people spew that line of shit to someone who had their job outsourced or got laid off or had their life savings robbed by a company like Enron. They so had it coming to them!!!! :sarcasm:

[rinsd]

35. While unable to will themselves into existence...

...one does have the power to will another into existence.

[DBoon]

37. I thouhgt that took 9 months and a partner

can't do it all by yourself.

[rinsd]

43. If you are a woman, you can.

[devilgrrl]

40. No but it does speaks volumes about you.

"I got mine Jack! Fuck you if you don't!"

Capice?

[raccoon]

44. While it's true that if a person doesn't work toward his/her goals,

he/she probably won't succeed.

But that doesn't mean we'll achieve all of our goals, no matter how we strive toward the goal. Sometimes we will, sometimes we won't.

[Just Me]

49. Well, I tried that and,....the universe didn't cooperate.

On the other hand, could be that matters are still unfolding and I won't see the universe at work until ten, maybe fifteen years down the road. :shrug: Who knows.

The only problem I have with such theories about life is that, sometimes, they operate like religious rhetoric by avoiding facts and physical reality. For example, both avoid acknowledgment of human limits; physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual. Both set people up to develop unrealistic expectations that cause disappointment, disillusionment, even traumatic reaction to a perception of ultimate failure or ineptitude. Moreover, the lack of appreciation and respect for individual limits may also lead to a broken human being because basic needs are ignored in pursuit of a goal that may NEVER be reached.

I'm just sayin',...keep it reasonable and balanced by focusing on the process rather than the product, which may never be recognized. :hug:

[SmokingJacket]

54. Yeah, my friend who got run over by a truck is celebrating...

not.

[izzybeans]

23. Partially true, but it is awful alienating. "Hey neighbor do you mind

if I ask your help for a moment. My backs out and I need to chop this wood."

"Uhhm no. Life is what you make of it. You're all alone. Ya see I'm a self-made man. No one's given me nothin'. Shit hold on my phone's ringing. 'Hello. No mom I told you I won't be able to pay you back until pay day. Is next week alright? Good. Bye.' Okay, got that. I can't help you. I'm going inside to watch Fear FActor and drink Busch light. If you want to when you are done come on over BYOB." <kicks dog on the way in the house, forever failing to look up the word irony and looking in the mirror>

[Balbus]

24. Don't you have a choice of what you make out of life?

I know I do. Sort of like: "People can't choose what cards are dealt to them, but they can choose how they play those cards..." Both very appropriate statements in my opinion.

[devilgrrl]

32. Yeah, go tell that to someone receiving a pink-slip from Ford....

then again, I suppose they had it coming to them huh? If only they tried a little harder their jobs would be saved?

The statement is bullshit. Period.

[Balbus]

51. People get fired - that's life.

Have you ever been fired or laid off? I have - more than once. You can sit around bitching and moaning or you can take what life has dealt you and make something out of it - you're choice.

[renate]

25. "there but for the grace of God"

I absolutely loathe that one.

I know people who say it usually mean well and are acknowledging that what happened to somebody else could easily have happened to them, but the saying itself can be translated as "God spared me but chose not to spare them--bummer."

[Cleita]

27. Yep. The truth is that "life is a crap shoot".

Some get lucky, some don't. I don't want to discourage anyone from working hard, but for some people hard work just isn't enough. It depends on where they landed at any given point in their lives and whether it was on their feet or on their ass.

For many, whom they were born as and where they were born is a huge setback or a huge advantage to begin with, even before they learn to walk, let alone work.

[DBoon]

29. Quantum mechnics is consistent with your statement

Albert Einstein could never accept the irreducible element of randomness quantum mechanics introduced into physics, saying "God does not play dice with the universe"

But of course he does.

[lpbk2713]

31. When life hands you a bunch of lemons and you get to the end of your rope

Make a pitcher of lemonade and grab that rope and whip the shit out of every PIA you can find.

[raccoon]

45. PIA??

[lpbk2713]

59. Pain in the ass.

[rinsd]

34. Uhhhh life is what you make it even with born into circumstances...

...if your annoyance is when people say that about poor people as some kind of rationalization, well I certainly agree.

But life is in fact what we make of it.

[devilgrrl]

39. "when people say that about poor people...."

that precisely the reason I started the thread because that is the only time I ever hear it used.

[rinsd]

42. Really? That sucks.

I've certainly heard it used that way but I've also heard it as a general advice thing. Along with the hard work etc.

[devilgrrl]

46. Yes. Really.

Every time hear someone say that it's to illustrate how great that person is compared to how much everyone else sucks.

Now, when someone says "Love is what you make it" - I have to agree. :shrug:

Sorry, when I hear people say that about life I can't help but to think "RANDITE!!!!"

[SPKrazy]

41. But life is what you make of it!

I've seen people poor as dirt who made the most out of life and were happy

I've seen wealthy people that were miserable because they never could get enough

how about this

happiness is not having what you want

but wanting what you have

That's not to say that some shitty things happen to people and we as a society should be trying to make life better for everyone

I've felt the way you do devilgrrl, and I am not saying I have the answer here

but I do think that attitude and perception matter at least as much as actual circumstances

[raccoon]

47. Attitude and perception matter a lot, I agree with that.

There may be some people who are poor as dirt and are happy. But my guess is they might be happier if they could afford to get their teeth fixed. If they could afford their meds.

"I've seen wealthy people that were miserable because they never could get enough."

I've seen them too. And I've got a close relative who's like that, no matter how much she's got, she bitches because she doesn't have more.

[leftofthedial]

50. everything happens for a reason

[SPKrazy]

52. I'm not fond of that one either

I also can't prove that it doesn't happen for a reason, however I tend to believe that sometimes shit just happens without reason.

some things seem to fall in place, in more than chance or luck in my opinion.

maybe the universe is just waiting to help us if we ask and are able.

of course this doesn't explain starvation and famine, except that we have enough food in the world to feed everyone, but we don't.

(we meaning society as a whole)

if it does happen for a reason then I sure am not the one that knows the reason!

[Straight Shooter]

56. That which does not kill you, makes you stronger.

Bullsh*t. Sometimes it doesn't kill you but you end up a cripple.

As for that "everything happens for a reason" expression, a friend of mine had a good retort. He said, "Yeah, but it's not always a good reason."