I should have just let them shove the Ritalin down my throat so I could sit still and take the state sponsored schooling that was being force fed to me... now I see the light, you guys really opened my eyes.

Just out of curiosity who did I harm in all this? Who was the victim? Imagine coming up with your own code of ethics and morals instead of just adopting the ones the church and your parents beat into you... I know crazy thought right.

My bad for taking this thread sideways Warrior.

How does it go? Something like if you're not cheating, you're not trying. And if you get caught, you're not trying hard enough!

The #1 way to steal joy in your life, is to......

compare yourself to others.

Donner, I'm sorry I made that second post. It sounded like I was judging you, but it shocked me what you wrote! An observation....Most kids that grew up like you never had any good in their life. I've known lots of them, dead at twenty to thirty years old or incarserated! Glad you came out okay!

You taught me something today Donner. Thank you.

It's all good. My mother was/is a saint and I quit getting hit when my dad found Jesus. I can get a bit sensitive when it comes to forcing kids to do things that make them miserable or hitting kids.

but you STOLE that paper.

STOLE!? Lol... there is a theory. Who did I steal it from? Who was the victim?

I loved school, but hated to have to learn anything I wasn't interested in! I'm a hands on guy, would never make it since they got rid of most of the shop classes. Came home from nam, thought maybe I could do the college thing. No thanks! Could do about anything with my hands. They push kids all the time in the wrong directions. Donner, if things would have been approached differently, you prolly wouldn't have looked at it like you dicribed. Everyone is good at some things, just need to find that interest!

The victim in an unrighteous act has always been the same; ourselves.
We see > we deem what is good > and we take or decide what is good and bad.
This is the original sin of humanity and it is still among all of us today.
We trade our soul for things of this world.

What our society used to deem unacceptable follows the path sin always does, slow and steady erosion towards ruin.

Driving at the speed limit >>>>. driving a bit over the legal limit (not caught yet) .>>>>>>>>>>> a few miles an hour "more" over the limit >>>>>>>>> a lot over cause I'm in a hurry (my rules now) >>>>>>>>>>>. busted!!

What? I was just going over a little bit? What me? You gonna write me up? I was late! Cut some slack here!

Nope, you've been speeding for a long, steady, slow erosion to sinful righteousness.

Same with adultery. Same with drinking. Same with porn. And on and on.
We see > we deem what is good > and we do what we want.

The Apostle Paul wrote it for us for a reason;
1 Thessalonians 5:22; Abstain for every form of evil! or the Greek says it; From every appearance of evil abstain!

Sinfulness is in all of us. Sin may be forgiven but the action of "abstaining from evil," is a slow and steady walk also.
That's why we humbly pray for divine help.

Blessings,
Mark

Every now and then someone shares a truth to live by.
This is astoundingly good advice.

I do not view it as an unrighteous act in the least. I did what I did to get myself through a situation I was forced to be in. To compare it to adulatory, porn, excessive drinking is Ludacris.

I fail to see the moral outrage from copying someone's math homework or faking a report card. I find locking kids in a building against their will for 7 hours plus 90 mins of bus rides a day much more morally repugnant.

There have always been two opposing world views of what truth is;

1. Truth is revealed from outside us.
2. Truth is revealed from within us.

Everybody decides this question and the beauty is we have that choice.

Blessings,
Mark

I get rewards every day. Nobody but me knows it. I am in the service industry and every time I see a smile on a customers face or the relief when they realize they didn't break the bank I get a little lift in my step. I think to hopefully leave this earth better than I found it for my family, my friends and the folks I come in contact with will be earthly reward enough. I had a professional life before this one. I was fortunate to experience a lot of things and was nominated for many awards. I generally turned them down as I had done whatever it was and saw a positive outcome so that was reward enough. The real reward will come when this earthly life is over and I get to celebrate for eternity.

But on the other hand, look in the ghettos at the results of NOT requiring a kid to go to school.
I hated school more than anybody, but it is good that I was forced to go against my will or I would be even dumber than I am.

I dont have a problem making a kid wait till there 16 to quit school. Pretty bad idea though. The job opportunities just are not there any more.

not that I served in the military (I didn't); but I sure as heck wouldn't want to be in a foxhole with you.

Those of us who did tended to get that little issue squared away. Let's just say some folks ain't meant to be in a line unit.

IQ has been shown to be a large factor in life outcome, IQ and grades in school DO NOT correlate. You would have had the same IQ weather you went to school or not, you would of only had less formal education. IQ does correlate to income as someone who is intelligent can choose to remain in a low paying job they enjoy but someone with a low IQ cannot be a doctor, lawyer etc.

Under extraordinary tough circumstances I made it to the top 10% of income earners this year, the school system or my diploma is not the reason why. Ghettos are the result of a congregation of low IQ people who have to much competition in the workplace due to immigration and or an unwillingness to work and have a reliance on Govt.


I made my own job, I have never used my diploma once. One of my biggest regrets is not leaving school the day I turned 16, my parents would of kicked me out but it would of been worth it. The last two years were a total and complete waste of time.




I've had a real job since I was 15, always doing "mans work", find a boss who has anything bad to say about me, find a boss who will say I did not focus and do a great job everyday. By 18 I had a crew of three other men working under me doing work in Windtowers. Some of Y'all want to paint me as lazy or deceptive, you weren't there when I was going to school and working 30 hours a week plus trapping (rats were 6+ bucks a piece then). I saw the Matrix to early, school is largely useless and a near complete waste of time. The only thing school did was make me hate learning, it was when I got out that my real education started.

To me it wouldn’t mean anything if others thought it was earned through less then honest means

And that would go double for myself if I knew it was given to me for or by less then honest means