"High" School

Open discussion about the world we live in today. Topics in here can get heated, but please keep it civil.

Moderator: Priests of Syrinx

Post Reply
User avatar
Big Blue Owl
Posts: 7457
Joined: Thu Aug 17, 2006 7:31 am
Location: Somewhere between the darkness and the light

"High" School

Post by Big Blue Owl »

When he was 17 years old, Obama was "doing blow, getting high, and getting drunk," and he has written about it! When we hear about Obama's life journey, these are considered growing experiences and obstacles he overcame, part of a greater story.
"I spent the last two years of high school in a daze, locking away the questions that life seemed insistent on posing. I kept playing basketball, attended classes sparingly, drank beer heavily, tried drugs enthusiastically. I discovered that it didn't make any difference whether you smoked reefer in the white classmate's sparkling new van or in the dorm room with some brother you met down at the gym."
This is probably one of the reasons that I identify with Barack. That is exactly how I spent my last two years of high school (except for the basketball, I was a musician,) and got an A in every subject, was the lead actor in the drama club, leading contributor to the literary magazine, runner-up for homecoming king, a librarian from ages 16 thru 18, and guitarist for the highest paid local band in the tri-state area until I moved back to the upper midwest. And never got any of my girlfriends pregnant, because, even in those days, I was taught by my divorced, mentally unstable mother that abstinence is a bad bet and birth control was 99% fail-safe.
This is all said, not to toot my own horn, but to illustrate that, for some people, doing drugs and living a relaxed, fun lifestyle during high school, etc. is not the doorway to damnation and ruin. And if we can be adult enough to realize that teenagers will not be prevented from having sex solely(we are all basically animals, after all) by being an evangelical Christian, by scaring them, by not talking about it, nor by telling them to abstain, but tell them - for goodness sake, helping them to understand birth control methods, there would be little need for abortions, much fewer unwed teenage parents, diseases, and less of our children's childhoods and dreams cut short by having to give up their lives to raise another.

I'm interested to know everyone else's thoughts on this subject.
User avatar
ElfDude
Posts: 11085
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2003 1:19 pm
Location: In the shadows of the everlasting hills
Contact:

Post by ElfDude »

Dunno what to say really. Though I wasn't kept in the dark about anything, I've never been drunk or stoned (been around people getting stoned plenty of times, just didn't participate). Nor did I have sex before I was married. As a single adult I'm abstaining again until I re-marry. Consequently I don't see these things as impossible to do, to teach kids to do, or even to expect of them if raised well. Seems like a safe way to live. But I know I'm in the tiny minority here.

*shrugs*
Aren't you the guy who hit me in the eye?
Image
User avatar
Big Blue Owl
Posts: 7457
Joined: Thu Aug 17, 2006 7:31 am
Location: Somewhere between the darkness and the light

Post by Big Blue Owl »

Yeah, nevermind. I guess I shouldn't expect anyone here to understand or appreciate or relate to this kind of thing. Thanks for responding, though. I appreciate that.
User avatar
ElfDude
Posts: 11085
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2003 1:19 pm
Location: In the shadows of the everlasting hills
Contact:

Post by ElfDude »

I'm not trying to put you down or tell you you're wrong or evil or anything like that. Not in the least. I hope you know that. I've got all kinds of respect for you, man. I'm just not qualified to talk about this subject the way you want to.

I'm probably the only person on this board who hasn't been stoned or drunk. I know that. And you guys are nice to me anyway. :)
Aren't you the guy who hit me in the eye?
Image
User avatar
YYZ30
Posts: 6196
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2004 6:05 am

Post by YYZ30 »

Big Blue Owl wrote:Yeah, nevermind. I guess I shouldn't expect anyone here to understand or appreciate or relate to this kind of thing. Thanks for responding, though. I appreciate that.
You paint with a broad brush, my friend.

When I have time I will sit down and type out my thoughts (and I understand where you come from...)
User avatar
Xanadu
Posts: 7878
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2003 5:26 pm
Location: My vortex.

Re: "High" School

Post by Xanadu »

This is all said, not to toot my own horn, but to illustrate that, for some people, doing drugs and living a relaxed, fun lifestyle during high school, etc. is not the doorway to damnation and ruin.
Thankyou BBO! I totally agree. I was a 100% goody-goody until college. My parents were horribly oppressive and I was miserable, had few friends, didn't know how to relate to people, was closed minded...ugh. Just by chance I surfed onto a web page about somebody's psychedelic experiences...I started reading with a closed mind and 3 hours later I was on erowid.org. A few months later by chance I was offered some killer blotter and from then on my mind opened up dramatically, I realized all of the ways in which I was oppressed. I started exploring life, relating to other people, empathizing, free thinking, creating...amazing ever since.

I have even played with some opiates, only for fun...no addiction, no stupid risky behavior...just have a bit of fun every now and then. Psychedelics helped me so much with my life I am so glad I discovered it. MJ is not only a useful mind tool but does wonders for chronic pain. I don't think anybody should be punished or prevented from exploring their mind...yeah some will do the wrong thing and make mistakes but that is THEIR responsibility...its ok with me if some people screw up, freedom is important and comes with responsibility...that's ok with me.
And if we can be adult enough to realize that teenagers will not be prevented from having sex solely(we are all basically animals, after all) by being an evangelical Christian, by scaring them, by not talking about it, nor by telling them to abstain, but tell them - for goodness sake, helping them to understand birth control methods, there would be little need for abortions, much fewer unwed teenage parents, diseases, and less of our children's childhoods and dreams cut short by having to give up their lives to raise another.
AMEN!
We're all mad here!
User avatar
Xanadu
Posts: 7878
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2003 5:26 pm
Location: My vortex.

Post by Xanadu »

ElfDude wrote:As a single adult I'm abstaining again until I re-marry. Consequently I don't see these things as impossible to do, to teach kids to do, or even to expect of them if raised well. Seems like a safe way to live. But I know I'm in the tiny minority here.
In your case, that's your choice and perfectly cool. But if a teenager disagrees, they're going to do it anyway, so at least teach them about prevention and allow them to use it...if that means buying condoms for them, wouldn't you rather do that than end up with a pregnant kid or kid's girlfriend?
I'm probably the only person on this board who hasn't been stoned or drunk. I know that. And you guys are nice to me anyway.
Here have a brownie... :-D
We're all mad here!
User avatar
YYZ30
Posts: 6196
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2004 6:05 am

Post by YYZ30 »

Xanadu wrote:
ElfDude wrote:I'm probably the only person on this board who hasn't been stoned or drunk. I know that. And you guys are nice to me anyway.
Here have a brownie... :-D
LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!
User avatar
ElfDude
Posts: 11085
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2003 1:19 pm
Location: In the shadows of the everlasting hills
Contact:

Post by ElfDude »

Thanks!

Um... why is this brownie making me even hungrier than I was before? :-D
Aren't you the guy who hit me in the eye?
Image
User avatar
Big Blue Owl
Posts: 7457
Joined: Thu Aug 17, 2006 7:31 am
Location: Somewhere between the darkness and the light

Post by Big Blue Owl »

You all simultaneously crack and choke me up. :-) What a cool family we have created.
User avatar
awip2062
Posts: 25518
Joined: Thu Nov 13, 2003 9:15 am
Contact:

Post by awip2062 »

BBO, I get what you are saying. I was a stoner in high school. I had gone to private Christian school from second week of K through jr. high, but we'd moved for high school to another county, and I ended up in a cul de sac in which everyone used pot.

I was one of those kids the teachers would look at coming in the class and think "trouble" only to find I was a good student who payed attention in class and did well on her work and they ended up liking me. I loved shattering their stereotypes of metalheads!

I got pregnant with H when I was barely 18 and out of school. Knew all about (and had previously used) birth control, so that didn't help me anymore than the abstinence talks. Thankfully I didn't get pregnant until after I was 18 and out of high school, but it was still really hard. SO glad I have her, though! :-D

She's the reason I quit drugs. I stopped during the pregnancy and then planned to restart after birthing, but the first time I held her I thought of all the times my mom had tucked me in bed when she was drunk and remembered the pain I had felt then and determined H would never feel that pain (I have made other mistakes with her, though! LOL) and so I didn't go back to using and drinking.

As an adult who had the experience of growing up around people whose lives were trashed by alcohol and drugs, who used drugs and alcohol as a teen and survived all the stupid things I did as a result, and who ended up with a child from a man I did not want to spend my life with (and who is still in my life for that reason) as well as three more children I had after marriage, I see things this way:

I believe it is best to live a clean and sober life. I do believe some people can handle using alcohol or marijuana without it causing problems, but I still believe that marijuana should not be used because I've seen too many people die from lung disease and cannot believe that inhalation of marijuana is not at least a contributing factor in such disease for those who use it. I also have seen too much tragedy by those who used alcohol in my past to think that it should be so widely used.

That said, I am not for laws banning alcohol. The one on the books about marijuana I won't repeal myself (due to the negatives I've seen by people who have been irresponsible with its use), but I do know those who smoke it and I surely won't turn them in!

As for sex, I'm with Elf in that I won't have any unless I am married. I have scars in my life from having given a very special part of myself away that I can never get back and I wish that I had stayed a virgin until marriage. I encourage my kids in this, but, yes, they do know about birth control. Even if they (hopefully) do stay virgins until marriage, I do want them to know about birth control because they may want to hold off on having children for a time after marriage.

Anyhow, that is how I see it, from my experiences. And BBO and Xanny, no worries that my differences in opinion will cause me to dislike you at all.

*hugs Xanny and BBO*

I just see things differently. :-)
Onward and Upward!
User avatar
ElfDude
Posts: 11085
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2003 1:19 pm
Location: In the shadows of the everlasting hills
Contact:

Post by ElfDude »

awip2062 wrote:(I have made other mistakes with her, though! LOL)
If anyone thinks I'm claiming to have lived a mistake-free life... HAH! Not even close...
Aren't you the guy who hit me in the eye?
Image
User avatar
awip2062
Posts: 25518
Joined: Thu Nov 13, 2003 9:15 am
Contact:

Post by awip2062 »

I didn't think that, I just want it clear that I am not claiming to have been the perfect mom. H can attest that I was not and am not. I just didn't make some of the mistakes my mom and godmom made.
Onward and Upward!
User avatar
Big Blue Owl
Posts: 7457
Joined: Thu Aug 17, 2006 7:31 am
Location: Somewhere between the darkness and the light

Post by Big Blue Owl »

Awesome :-D
User avatar
Walkinghairball
Posts: 25037
Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2004 9:42 pm
Location: In a rock an roll venue near you....as long as you are in the Pacific Northwest.

Post by Walkinghairball »

I will give a post of worth later on this.


Worth=Not the typical goofy shit I normally post.
This space for rent
Post Reply