One of the things I was studying in Psych class was that people sometimes willfully sabotage themselves. This is not always done consciously, or perhaps is done by something 'other' in a person, but at times it really IS a conscious choice, ie. If things are going -so- well they're gonna get screwed up eventually, so best to screw em up now so it's on my own terms...

My mom often talks with me about my friends and how it hurts her to see how they're wasting their potential. She believes everyone has potential and they all have the ability to rise up to it. The choice whether you do or not is your's. I believe this completely. If you want to be or do something, you can. When I see someone who is obviously wasting their potential I feel sorry for them and I encourage them to strive to go for their goals. I know it sounds corny, but I think its true.

Not really, no. I can do what I want, when I want, and it's easy to climb right over people who blame the world for their problems.

Originally Posted by the_paper_crane

Not really, no. I can do what I want, when I want, and it's easy to climb right over people who blame the world for their problems.

Someone who is wasting potential is not necessarily blaming the world for their wasted potential. I know plenty of people who are simply too lazy to rise to their potential.

If the opportunities aren't spoonfed, it's wasted.

Society makes people what they are--community makes or breaks them. That's my opinion, at least.

For instance, I grew up in the vague area of "middle class," but still had to struggle for necessities, and my parents were always kind of absent. As a result I don't know how to do anything that well-adjusted adults should know how to do, don't have the things other people my age (23) have had by now (like my teeth fixed...only been to a dentist once in my life, and a doctor only when something was wrong). If I had parents who weren't divorced, who could have spent more time with me, and who had money to let me get braces with all my other friends, wouldn't I be a more well-adjusted human? It's not even my parent's fault either, since the system that was at the start of all these things prevented all this positive progression from occurring.

Today I feel like worries about money and a lack of confidence due to a perilous financial situation are the things holding me back from reaching my true potential. Of course, we can't blame sources outside our influence or control--which is why I know that someday I'll do this thing or that thing, and I won't worry about money because I'll work super hard just to get to the place others already are, and I'm confident that I'll make it. However, it's still difficult. Others, and those with little support especially, and who are repeatedly told "it can't be done" frequently just give up on themselves and attempt to lose themselves in oblivion.

I feel like a more nurturing and supportive world--people who reach out and really support their friends' goals, and have theirs supported and encouraged in return--might just be able to bring down some restrictions set by society on what we can/can not do based on a certain set of circumstances. I may be a tad idealistic, but that's how I roll!

@Ode- sounds like a good way to roll. Certainly I've seen groups occasionally work together to attain things that individuals alone could not, and if one can find a group that has your actual best interests in mind you should join with them on whatever goal you are all out to achieve.

Sadly, I've also seen a lot of groups seem to be out to attain something, and either become cliquish and set against some members, or someone gets egotistical or sneaky and ruins the whole thing.

Where I live a lot of old hippies settled a long time back, and so there is still a very liberal, nature-centric collective calling the shots- ie. we have no billboards on our roads, and a McDonald's was vetoed out of the capital city because the powers that be didn't want fast food places uglifying the main drag. But it is also clear why people these days laugh at the hippies, and why the hippy ideal failed. Here was a world balanced on the edge. Never before were such ideas in place to be noticed by the media. Never before was the world so ready to accept such drastic change. And instead? Most of the hippies allowed themselves to be pacified by drugs and under the influence of same thought just retiring to the countryside and making music would change something. The only ones still out there trying to change things were outnumbered and were shot down, as at Kent State, arrested, as were so many war protesters, or resorted to cheap terrorism, like the Weathermen and the SLA.

Love your friends, find your place, speak your truth. But never let anyone taint it, or weaken your resolve, or you can fall like all those other dinosaurs.

I think you can only be revolted at someone if they somehow remind you of yourself somehow.

We all have the potential to do anything and everything, clearly no one does that though.

Once we come to terms with our innate abilities, then we can start doing the impossible. Winos and crackheads haven't realized this, or have but aren't doing anything about it.