Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
This thread makes me feel sad for humanity. I'm a pretty rational and logical person. I've never done drugs and never been tempted to. But life is hard for some people. It just is. I had a friend in high school who was a smart girl and a good person with a nice family, but she just couldn't get it together. She couldn't handle life and she made stupid decision after stupid decision. And even though a lot of her problems were her own fault, I still felt bad for her. Something about her was just broken. No one wants to do drugs, no one wants to be addicted to drugs or cigarettes, but I don't think it's that easy. Some people have addictive personalities and saying no is almost impossible for them. Having compassion and empathy for other human beings regardless of whether what happens is their own fault or not, says a lot about what kind of person you are.
A 15 year old knows that taking drugs is wrong, but she's not yet an adult and probably doesn't yet realize that her actions could have real consequences. I remember doing stupid things as a teenager. You feel immortal and that no matter what you do nothing bad will ever really happen. Most of us grow out of it, but sadly she won't have that chance and here some of you are saying oh well, her own fault.
No one wants to do drugs, no one wants to be addicted to drugs or cigarettes, but I don't think it's that easy. Some people have addictive personalities and saying no is almost impossible for them. Having compassion and empathy for other human beings regardless of whether what happens is their own fault or not, says a lot about what kind of person you are.
Yes. Who really wants to end up addicted to meth or become a crack head? I don't think kids grow up thinking oh man, when I grow up I want to be a druggie! Maybe someone wants to do drugs because they think they can do them without consequences or don't think they'll get addicted. Who knows. But seriously, who aspires to a life of doing drugs?
I am always stunned by "Christians" who are smug, self-righteous, mean-spirited, and utterly without compassion for so many of their fellow humans. Why would you want to go through life that way?
And RomaniGypsy, yes, your version of Jesus sounds like an a**hole, as someone else pointed out. And you have no idea who I will be voting for.
There is brain research that shows how different the brains are of children from adults; a 15-year-old doesn't think the same way adults do!! We can be angry and disappointed all we want about how stupid she was, but she was a kid. Just a kid.
[quote=RomaniGypsy;26267435] Therefore, the "doesn't have the same cognizance as an adult" reasoning doesn't work.
It's not "reasoning" RomaniGypsy...it's FACT!!!
Ah, yes blame the system, meanwhile there are other countries with little to no social safety net that have the same issues.
What's your source for this information?
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheImportersWife
Big??? I thought I read that she was around 400lbs, but I could be mistaken. If I'm not mistaken, then you're in denial if you truly believe she's healthy.
Yes, but she's 6'3" and also carries the bulk of her weight in her butt and thighs... which is the healthiest shape for a woman if she's going to be fat.
If my wife were 5'3" instead of 6'3" and retained the exact same proportions, she'd weigh 229 pounds by my calculation. Still quite big for a woman of that height, but at least it puts things into perspective so that the "almost 400 pounds" figure doesn't seem so shocking.
As for being healthy, I base that on the following:
She doesn't have, nor has she ever had, problems with blood pressure, cholesterol, breathing, blood sugar, etc. The last time she had a CBC done, everything was normal.
The only lingering pain she suffers is from an old injury.
She gets sick less frequently than I do, and I don't get sick that often.
She doesn't get out of breath from normal walking or activity.
She is the picture of health, but for her weight. A woman like my wife, with her health profile, who weighed half what my wife weighs, would go into the doctor and he'd be envious of her health.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheImportersWife
Hopefully you don't have children because they'll be the ones feeling the pain and impact the most.
No kids yet for either of us.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheImportersWife
Could it be that you didn't engage in those things because you had no to few friends? What about your parents influence on you?
It could be. And my parents were strict as all heck. But I didn't do any of that stuff when I went away to college and was 400 miles away from their influence either. I didn't do it in high school when I could drive and get away from their influence. As a reference point, my brother has done TONS of stupid crap despite my parents' natures, which haven't really changed much over the years. So I could have done it if I wanted to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheImportersWife
Why were you picked on?
Put simply, it's because I was the poor kid in a rich town, I had (unbeknownst to anyone) a form of autism called Asperger's syndrome which has many benefits, but also carries the drawbacks of being socially awkward. Being socially awkward as a teenager is like a death sentence, especially in a rich town when you're also the poor kid. To add icing to that cake, I was asthmatic and poorly coordinated... so I wasn't very good at most athletic endeavors (although I did surprise people sometimes). Basically, I had nothing going for me that would raise me up that social totem pole.
These days, when I tell people (who already know me) that that was my childhood, they look at me like I must be yanking their chains. I've fully come into my own. But it wasn't without its troubles back in the day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheImportersWife
I think you're underestimating some people's home environment and how it influences them at a young age.
Maybe. But I've known people who had awful home lives who were very responsible and never would've done anything wrong, and I've known people who had awesome home lives who became completely screwed up. There is a correlation for sure, but it isn't sufficient to prove causation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by karen_in_nh_2012
And RomaniGypsy, yes, your version of Jesus sounds like an a**hole, as someone else pointed out. And you have no idea who I will be voting for.
And I hope I am dead wrong, as it would nullify my vote for the "good guys" if I'm not wrong. What's YOUR version of Jesus like?
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheImportersWife
There is brain research that shows how different the brains are of children from adults; a 15-year-old doesn't think the same way adults do!! We can be angry and disappointed all we want about how stupid she was, but she was a kid. Just a kid.
Blame society. 200 years ago, a 15 year old was expected to be, act, and live like, an adult.
[quote=purehuman;26278498]
Quote:
Originally Posted by RomaniGypsy
Therefore, the "doesn't have the same cognizance as an adult" reasoning doesn't work.
It's not "reasoning" RomaniGypsy...it's FACT!!!
It's reasoning. Again, blame society. I think it stinks just as much as anyone does.
If you take drugs, you deserve what you get. If what you get is death, you have earned it.
There's a very good way to avoid dying by drug overdose. DON'T TAKE DRUGS.
We all know that drugs are bad for you. Those of us who choose to ignore that fact are deserving of any and all consequences they get.
You do realise that far more people die from reactions to properly prescribed medications than illegal drugs, right? Yet, the common perception is that legal drugs are safe and illegal drugs are unsafe. That is not really true. My point is not to espouse illegal drugs, but to highlight the fact that what we perceive to be true is not necessarily true. Perhaps the girl who died had a perception that ecstasy was safe, due to the knowledge she had at the time. People die all the time, despite the best intentions and knowledge and medical history is full of mistakes made by highly-educated people.
Sometimes life is just unpredictable. Some people fall 300 feet down a cliff face and walk away; others trip over a crack in the sidewalk and die. You can do the same thing that a million people before you have done without a problem and yet you suffer for some reason. It happens. Life experience is what we call the times that we can walk away from our mistakes. Unfortunately, some people get too much experience in one hit.
But, hey, it's always easy to judge the weaknesses of others. In my opinion, her mistake in taking the drug is less of a character flaw than the lack of compassion some people are showing.
Yes, but she's 6'3" and also carries the bulk of her weight in her butt and thighs... which is the healthiest shape for a woman if she's going to be fat.
If my wife were 5'3" instead of 6'3" and retained the exact same proportions, she'd weigh 229 pounds by my calculation. Still quite big for a woman of that height, but at least it puts things into perspective so that the "almost 400 pounds" figure doesn't seem so shocking.
As for being healthy, I base that on the following:
She doesn't have, nor has she ever had, problems with blood pressure, cholesterol, breathing, blood sugar, etc. The last time she had a CBC done, everything was normal.
The only lingering pain she suffers is from an old injury.
She gets sick less frequently than I do, and I don't get sick that often.
She doesn't get out of breath from normal walking or activity.
She is the picture of health, but for her weight. A woman like my wife, with her health profile, who weighed half what my wife weighs, would go into the doctor and he'd be envious of her health.
Denial isn't just a river in Egypt. Health wise, she'd be better off popping some E.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RomaniGypsy
It could be. And my parents were strict as all heck. But I didn't do any of that stuff when I went away to college and was 400 miles away from their influence either. I didn't do it in high school when I could drive and get away from their influence. As a reference point, my brother has done TONS of stupid crap despite my parents' natures, which haven't really changed much over the years. So I could have done it if I wanted to.
You stated you have Asperger's. Does your brother? I'm going to guess no.
Maybe the fact that you had Asperger's kept you sheltered from the peer pressure/influence your brother faced?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I thought I read that she was around 400lbs, but I could be mistaken. If I'm not mistaken, then you're in denial if you truly believe she's healthy.
