Ladies and Gentlemen I'm afraid

[minivan2]

Last edited Wed Feb 4, 2015, 06:10 PM - Edit history (1)

I'm so afraid of Global Warming, I'm afraid of nuclear weapons, I'm afraid of some disease coming to kill me. I don't want to die, I'm 19 I still have a long life to live. I just want to live a nice long life not to be cut short by any of those things. I know you're probably thinking that I'm trolling but I'm not, I'm very concerned.

[MohRokTah]

1. .

[cwydro]

2. Be more afraid of being killed on the road.

Buckle up!

[rug]

3. I'm concerned about water born parasites that nest in urethras.

[minivan2]

5. It's just people on DU are saying how we're all going to die

And I'm not DU bashing I just feel that we should tone down our doomsday predictions.

[uppityperson]

11. One of the things DU is used for is to vent. We all will die, eventually.As William Shatner says...

[btrflykng9]

130. Sorry to go off topic here but have you ever heard Shatner's version of

Hey, Mr. Tamborine Man? That makes me all kinds of happy Shatner is groovy.

[cwydro]

15. People on DU are always saying something lol!

That's the point.

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" -

Even at 19, I'll bet you've heard that famous quote.

[TheCowsCameHome]

67. We are all going to die....

....sooner or later.

You can take that to the bank.

[merrily]

106. That is not going to happen.

I'm not trying to be mean. I am just stating what I believe to be a reality. DUers are not going to change how they post.

I have a fairly high degree of confidence though, that DUers' not toning it down will not be fatal to any of us. I, for one, do not plan to die because of the content of DU posts.

[snooper2]

4. Well, if you have a minivan you are good to go, just don't sit in the third row

that back window is HUGH!

[ChosenUnWisely]

6. Don't worry about the nukes you can worry about global warming but it is global

What you should be worried about is can a 19 year old who is in the 99% survive in a America to old age?

At your age you should be looking at opportunities in other places, America is dying and your gen is going to get screwed.

It is a big world and America is not the be all end all.

[Egnever]

60. LOL at the idea America is dying

Not sure what leads you to that conclusion but it is silly.

[ChosenUnWisely]

118. your life do what you want I don't care

[JaneyVee]

7. Live your life and try to make the world a better place.

[panader0]

8. I wish I was 19 (I'm 64)

I was born 5 years after WWII (the only wartime use of nukes), was a baby when my dad fought in Korea, came of age during the Vietnam War, saw social upheaval, the assassination of two Kennedy's and MLK, saw the rise of AIDS, etc, etc.
Don't be afraid, keep on keepin' on.

[raccoon]

30. I don't. I look around me and I think, "I'm glad I'm old." nt

[Nay]

38. Yeah, me too. nt

[SamKnause]

37. I don't.

I wish I was older then 61.

I can't wait to exit this planet.

I can't take the raging wars, the cruelty, the poverty, and the destruction.

I feel like I never belonged in such a hateful environment.

[hamsterjill]

41. "I feel like I never belonged in such a hateful environment"

I feel the same way, at times, about that quote from your post. I'm 56.

But I believe those of us who feel this way are here for a reason. You don't have to agree with me. But we all, each and every one of us, need to be doing what we can to CHANGE the hateful environment. Alone we are nothing, but together, we can roar!

[SamKnause]

51. Thanks for your reply and input.

You and yours have a safe and pleasant evening.

[Maedhros]

54. I agree.

I have a friend who just turned 53. He has literally given up. He believes in a clockwork universe with no free will, in which everything is predestined. America's decline from Republic to Empire is inevitable, nothing can be done to stop it, all that we can do is hope to slow it down enough for him to collect his Social Security before he dies. No reason to aspire to anything better, just go along to get along until the stormtroopers kick in the door and cart him off to the reeducation camp.

This friend also describes himself as an ultra-liberal who despises Republicans. The problem is that all he has is spite.

There is a lot of this attitude these days: "We can't expect to have anything better, so we'll just settle for bad over worse."

[hamsterjill]

57. I know many who feel like this.

It's disheartening to see the utter submission. And I'm guilty of it at times! But I certainly don't believe that anything is predestined.

But the only way that things are going to change is if WE change them. I wish there was a way to communicate that simple thing to people like your friend. If more of us could come together and work/vote/live as a block, we would all be the better for it.

[Maedhros]

97. Indeed!

To use coach-speak:

Whether you say you CAN, or say you CAN'T, you're absolutely right.

[panader0]

121. This is the kind of thinking that made the OP afraid.

There are wars and cruelty, poverty and destruction. These things have always been with us. But these things are only one side of the coin. There is also unspeakable beauty and love--it's everywhere, and if you don't see it, make it yourself. I watch the sun rise every morning, look at the sky and mountains and trees, beautiful life force. At night the stars come out and the coyotes yip and howl, glad to be alive.

[bobclark86]

53. Well, if the world didn't end then...

I'm sure we'll squeak out a way to survive the measles.

[trumad]

9. I'm afraid of losing the ability to see when people mock other people.

If that ever happened I would believe this Op.

[salin]

13. I'm afraid I just did

temporarily lose that ability. oops. (already edited)

[HappyMe]

23. Ah, damnit!

I guess I did for a minute.

[salin]

10. never mind n/t

[dilby]

12. If you spend all your time worrying about how you will die you will never live.

Nor will you ever change any of the scenarios you worry about. Stop worrying about them and start working to change them.

[TwilightGardener]

14. At your age, your big killers are car wrecks,

alcohol-fueled accidents/sheer stupidity, and suicide. Try not to do those things and you might be OK. Or you might not, I don't know.

[haele]

16. Normal to be afraid. My generation had similar fears, and I'm in my 50's.

You can fight the fears by working to change those things you fear, you can put the fears on a back burner and make the decision to go on with your life the best you can, or you can succumb to those fears by either deadening yourself with substance abuse or let them control your life as you spin yourself around and around in circles trying to protect yourself and go no-where.

Those are pretty much your choices. And there's nothing wrong with putting the fear on a back burner if you don't think you're strong enough to fight.

But I'll let you know one thing - if you choose to succumb to the fear or let it control your life, then the fear has won, and you'll live your life with a beast digging its claws into your back and eating your brain and any good you might do.

Life is a trickle of water; a stream that goes on and on, joining with others until it finally becomes part of the greater ocean at the end. And no one knows how close to the ocean they are.

Haele

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

18. "There is no safety in the Cosmos" Alan Watts

[TBF]

19. Women even ....

[cwydro]

42. Lol!

I was going to say be very afraid of calling women "girls" !!!

[PeaceNikki]

43. That's a legitimate fear.

My reflex is to slap people who do that.

[cwydro]

47. Damn right!

Hopefully the newbie will learn...

[F4lconF16]

98. My mother has hit me with a cardboard tube repeatedly for that.

She was very clear about that growing up, and now it bugs me every time I hear it

[PeaceNikki]

100. As well it should!!

Your mom sounds like a lovely lady. I can't stand when people refer to grown women as "girls".


Although I admit to loving the show "Girls ".

[F4lconF16]

102. She is!

When she's not beating me

It drove me nuts when I watched an episode of "The Bachelor", and not once, in an hour and a half long show, did they refer to the group of women as "women"--only "girls". (Also, that show is just awful. Avoid it if you can. That particular episode had a bikini tractor race...)

Although it is awkward at 19--my friends all still consider themselves girls, and only sometimes women. Referring to them as women gets me some odd looks at times. So I generally use a mix. Never sure how to approach that.

[PeaceNikki]

105. Ladies works well, too. But always "miss", hold off on using "ma'am"

That makes us feel old.

[F4lconF16]

108. Oh gosh, I know enough to avoid using that one!

I learned my lesson there a few years back.

I like the idea of ladies. Too bad "gentlemen" bugs me too

[brer cat]

45. there has been a devil sitting on my shoulder

telling me to jump on that...thanks for taking care of it.

[mercuryblues]

20. then do something about it

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. -FDR

If you live in your fear, you will never accomplish anything. Get involved in your local politics. Your generation will have many hurdles to jump. Not really different than any other generation, if you think about it. Civil rights, the right for women to vote, even the right for women to own their own property were not accomplished easily. We have come a long way, but the road is not finished.

[William769]

21. Step away from the computer go outside & get some fresh air.

Apparently you need it.

[PeaceNikki]

22. I'm afraid

of Americans

[Bonx]

24. Try more vulgarity

[Chiyo-chichi]

52. Fuckin' A!

[Cleita]

25. You are at the right age to go to work on changing those things

that you fear so you can have a less eventful life than those of us who are 50+. Our generations changed a lot of things for the better, but we couldn't do it all so now it's your turn.

[Hoyt]

26. 50 or 60 years ago, we were on brink of being blown to smithereens by Ruskies or dying of polio.

Odds are high you'll live long enough to die of old age. Try not to worry.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

27. What you should REALLY be afraid of is

minivan1.

[NuclearDem]

28. Uh huh.

[HappyMe]

29. Your concern is noted.

[closeupready]

31. When I was, gosh, what? 12 or 13, I had the mumps. (I had measles vaccination right before

they went to the MMR protocol.) I remember it vividly because 1) you don't really forget having a major illness like that; and 2) it was the same weekend The China Syndrome was released which coincided with Three Mile Island. Donna Summer's "Bad Girls" was all the rage, and as I rested at home, recovering, I had a nightmare - somehow, the prostitution sung about in "Bad Girls" brought on a nuclear war between the US and the Soviet Union and groundwater contamination from 3 Mile Island had made its way from Harrisburg to pollute the entire nation's water supply. Jane Fonda may have had a role in this somehow (to bring the memory full circle, lol). (On a side note, one of my FB friends is a woman whose health was compromised during the Chernobyl disaster, as a resident of a northern European country.)

AIDS reared its head soon after that.

As goofy as these memories seem today, the fear underlying the nightmares was REAL.

Nothing can stop any of us from one day, DYING. Sooner or later, who knows? Now I'm middle-aged, and thus, I've known (near or from afar) quite a number of people - classmates, dear friends, colleagues, celebrities - who passed away.

Just do your best to enjoy it right now, because if you are enjoying your life right now, you won't worry as much about these more abstract matters, because you'll be content knowing that if we all die, at least you died happy.

[raccoon]

32. If you're for real, acquaint yourself with this great work of classic rock.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="

?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[cwydro]

50. Great song! But,

someone needs to post a link to Don't Fear the Reaper!

I doubt our 19 year old newb ever heard it.

(I'm terrible at links on this laptop I'm using)

[minivan2]

85. I actually love the song Don't Fear the Reaper

In fact I love a lot of the songs from the 60s

[HappyMe]

89. That song came out in 1976.

[minivan2]

91. Whatever

My point is that just because I'm young doesn't mean that I listen to some crappy music of today.

[cwydro]

92. Lmao!

Yeah, I had graduated from high school the year before. Somehow I thought it came out when I was still in high school, but my memory, uh...

Actually had the album!

[HappyMe]

94. I had that album too.

It was one of my favorites.
I graduated in '76.

[F4lconF16]

107. I have an unhealthy addiction to that song :D

Some of us may be 19 year old newbs, but we're at least 60's-music-literate newbs

[F4lconF16]

109. Also, link:

[KingCharlemagne]

33. You have every right to be when former world leaders like Gorbachev are expressing

Last edited Wed Feb 4, 2015, 06:25 PM - Edit history (2)

alarm (about the prospect of nuclear war over Ukraine) and climate scientists are expressing fears of a global catastrophe in the coming years and the political establishment seems paralyzed in inaction and imprecations.

I would, however, like to leave you with the words of a very wise Turkish Communist (Nazim Hikmet)

On Living

I
Living is no laughing matter:
you must live with great seriousness
like a squirrel, for example—
I mean without looking for something beyond and above living,
I mean living must be your whole occupation.
Living is no laughing matter:
you must take it seriously,
so much so and to such a degree
that, for example, your hands tied behind your back,
your back to the wall,
or else in a laboratory
in your white coat and safety glasses,
you can die for people—
even for people whose faces you’ve never seen,
even though you know living
is the most real, the most beautiful thing.
I mean, you must take living so seriously
that even at seventy, for example, you’ll plant olive trees—
and not for your children, either,
but because although you fear death you don’t believe it,
because living, I mean, weighs heavier.

II
Let’s say we’re seriously ill, need surgery—
which is to say we might not get up
from the white table.
Even though it’s impossible not to feel sad
about going a little too soon,
we’ll still laugh at the jokes being told,
we’ll look out the window to see if it’s raining,
or still wait anxiously
for the latest newscast . . .
Let’s say we’re at the front—
for something worth fighting for, say.
There, in the first offensive, on that very day,
we might fall on our face, dead.
We’ll know this with a curious anger,
but we’ll still worry ourselves to death
about the outcome of the war, which could last years.
Let’s say we’re in prison
and close to fifty,
and we have eighteen more years, say,
before the iron doors will open.
We’ll still live with the outside,
with its people and animals, struggle and wind—
I mean with the outside beyond the walls.
I mean, however and wherever we are,
we must live as if we will never die.

III
This earth will grow cold,
a star among stars
and one of the smallest,
a gilded mote on blue velvet—
I mean this, our great earth.
This earth will grow cold one day,
not like a block of ice
or a dead cloud even
but like an empty walnut it will roll along
in pitch-black space . . .
You must grieve for this right now
—you have to feel this sorrow now—
for the world must be loved this much
if you’re going to say “I lived”. . .

~Nazim Hikmet

[F4lconF16]

99. Thank you for posting this.

Beautiful. I may get that framed and hang it on my wall.

[KingCharlemagne]

101. Hikmet was tortured horribly by Turkish authorities and still managed to

craft incredibly powerful poems. Chris Hedges introduced me to his work.

Nâzım Hikmet Ran (15 January 1902 – 3 June 1963), commonly known as Nâzım Hikmet (Turkish: [naːˈzɯm hicˈmet]), was a Turkish poet, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, director and memoirist. He was acclaimed for the "lyrical flow of his statements". Described as a "romantic communist" and "romantic revolutionary", he was repeatedly arrested for his political beliefs and spent much of his adult life in prison or in exile. His poetry has been translated into more than fifty languages.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%A2z%C4%B1m_Hikmet

*************************

FWIW, I took this OP at face value when it appears he or she may have been spoofing or playing us all. Oh well, the OP's tomfoolery cannot take away from the power of Hikmet's work

[F4lconF16]

103. Powerful it is.

Thanks for the introduction--I'll read up on him. If you ever have more literary works you're in the mood to share, please PM me. If a half of them are half as good as that, I'd be interested.

[Avalux]

34. There's plenty to be afraid of, but living in fear is not the answer.

I'm a good bit older than you and I was a teenager during the cold war; I was afraid to sleep at night because I thought we were going to get blown to bits by USSR nuclear missiles.

You do have a long life ahead of you, so you have a decision to make and the sooner the better. Like NOW. Do you want to waste your precious life worrying about what MIGHT happen, always being afraid of what you can't control? Or do you want to wake up every day and live it the best you can according to your own inner voice, taking care of yourself and those you love, then go to sleep every night knowing you did your best?

None of us know how long we have on this planet, it could all end tomorrow. Life is to be experienced and the relationships we have with others are what matters. Enjoy your life, and don't give in to fear.

[giftedgirl77]

35. Jesus christ kiddo

Don't read to much into that bullshit. Take note of the blue links of madness their silly ass conspiracy theories never pan out. Our government has been out to get them for the last 50 years & yet they still have all their freedom & haven't been nuked.

You will be ok.

[F4lconF16]

111. " & yet they still have all their freedom & haven't been nuked."

Uh, what country have you been living in?

Edit: okay, so we haven't been nuked........YET.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

36. Random suggestions.

If you're not already living in a solidly blue state, move to one as soon as you can. At least then if things go to hell for you, you won't have your state government trying to kill you off faster for being a 'taker'.

Learn to have fun without alcohol or other drugs. It saves you a ton of money, and can keep you from doing some really stupid things while in an altered state, including things that can get you arrested or dead. Oh, and if you do drink, drink lots of water to mitigate hangovers, and don't take tylenol - it's rough on your liver, as alcohol is too. The two together can screw your liver up long term.

In a similar vein, do find ways to get some exercise and don't overeat. Carrying around a bunch of extra fat is going to make you die sooner, and probably stick you with a bunch of chronic health issues long before you die. No matter what else you've got, you're stuck with your body for as long as you're around, so do what you can to take care of it.

Don't spend too much time in 'fantasy worlds', whether TV programs or online. Unless you're that one in a million who becomes a 'pro gamer', it's not going to help you stay alive long term. Instead, keep trying to learn new useful real world skills when you have time to kill. Even artistic ones that don't seem particularly 'useful' can be turned into cash-generators by selling what you make online. But learn to use as many common tools as you can.

Build up a network of friends that you can trust to help you when you're down, and be willing to help them when they're down. Other social networks can be quite useful as well - churches if you're religious, professional groups, support groups, etc. And actually participate, so you're not just a name on a list.

Take care of your teeth, and wash your hands after you do anything dirty and before you are doing any food prep or other 'clean' activities.

Don't spend the money you make on cheap things that fall apart quickly, but also don't spend it on expensive things that aren't useful. Buy good quality, durable products, even if you have to save up for a while to afford them, and then reap the benefits of not having to replace them over and over and over.

Don't be too materialistic. Don't actually have a use for something? Don't buy it. Only going to use it briefly? Again, why buy it? Maybe rent if only for a short period.

When/if you buy a house, don't just trust the 'inspector' to find flaws. Check around windows for water damage or gaps, lift up tile ceiling panels to see if there's damage hiding above them, check inside cabinets, find out how old the roofing is, the furnace is, the A/C is, and, in general, how many DIY type projects have been (poorly) done, and will need redone. Check to see if there's a large tree or trees whose roots might be destroying the sewer line out. Talk to the potential neighbours before buying to see if any of them are psychos you don't want to live next to.

Plan in advance for as much of life as you can. Set your (realistic) goals, figure out the steps you'll need along the way to move you towards them, and think about what things will actually move you further away from them, or prevent you from advancing towards them. Research the potential 'downside' of major life changes before you try them. And figure out how to make every experience advance you towards your goals. At the very least, you'll be able to use it in job interviews, by talking about how you do 'X' in your free time to improve your skillsets and become more flexible.

Learn to garden, and grow some of your own food. You can actually grow a number of things in pots indoors, even when you have no yard, and a number of vegetables or even things like pineapple can be 'regrown' from pieces you chopped off while using the rest, to provide at least a few veggies in places with no local groceries handy.

Find someone to share your life with. (Or 'someones', if you can get past jealousy issues and lean that way.) There are times you'll really need to destress, and it's much nicer to do so in the arms of someone you like than on the couch of a shrink.

[F4lconF16]

114. Dang.

I'm going to follow none of that

[freshwest]

133. I followed all of that. It didn't prevent what the reckless acts of others did. One goes on, forever

altered, and in the long run it doesn't mean anything. There is no freedom or security, and I'm not talking about the government. Too many want that bogeyman to take the blame for the habits of humanity from the most brilliant to the most banal. We define our lives, no one else.

[pinboy3niner]

39. Nice try

I sill think you're trolling.

[salin]

48. s/he admitted it in post 5.

I fell for it - gave advice.... erased it when I read trumad's post above.

Ironically - for one who claims s/he just wants the doom and gloom toned down on the site.... (and mocking folks with his op) - s/he actually got some decent advice and perspective. That is many folks responded to his mocking with sincerity and kindness. Irony is I doubt that was the result expected.

[cwydro]

56. Oh, I still enjoy answering with advice.

This might become one of the classic DU threads lol.

It's going places!

[salin]

58. LOL

and your advice was good - could be snark or sincere or sincerely snarky!

I have made or read 3 kudzo references on DU in the last two days. This has a little ways to go. lol

[cwydro]

62. Has the OP even responded more than once?

Wondering.

[salin]

65. Nope... but some classic zingers are showing up amidst those offering advice.

I wish I had originally had my "cool story, bro" hat on.

[cwydro]

70. Indeed!

Fun to read.

[HappyMe]

59. Boy, the newbies are just

chock full of helpful tips for DUers.

Yesterday we had the stop swearing language cop, and today we have this.

We should feel lucky.

[cwydro]

124. I wish i knew how to get your little

hair on fire guy!

Makes me giggle every time I see him/her!

[pinboy3niner]

129. Like this?

Just right-click on it and copy the url. The gif will display when you include that url in a DU post.

[cwydro]

132. Will try!

Thank you, I love it.

[randome]

40. Read a book.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]You have to play the game to find out why you're playing the game. -Existenz[/center][/font][hr]

[hamsterjill]

44. The age we are all living in right now is condusive to fear.

We are inundated with things on a daily basis to make us afraid. Some might even wonder if it's deliberately done.

But don't let the bastards win! Because if they win, what kind of a life can any of us have?

You are 19 and YES, we all want you to have a nice long life. So, start living. Start enjoying yourself. Give yourself permission not to be afraid for a while. Do what you can to make the world a better place. Try to go to bed each night with a clear conscience. Help where you can and take help from others when you need it.

And I sincerely wish you the best.

[TheCowsCameHome]

46. I'm staying under my classroom desk

until that damn Sputnik thingy goes away.



No way am I gonna let those Ruskies find me.

[In_The_Wind]

55. darned tootin'

[img][/img]

[HappyMe]

64. I think the OP needs a nice dinner

at a good Italian restaurant. Like the Olive Garden in Times Square.

[TheCowsCameHome]

69. No way. Ask them to deliver.

Too risky leavin' the safety of the underside of this desk.



And that Khrushchev fellow is one mean SOB.

[HappyMe]

71. Crap! I forgot about the

Khrushchev threat. Oh my! I had better get back under the bed.
Rob Lowe is right - I think they are putting listening devices in the cheese. I'll have my spaghetti without it.

[chrisa]

49. You're safer than anyone has ever been in history. There's no reason to be afraid.

There is a 100% chance you will die, though. Just probably not for another 69 - 100 years, depending on technology. Actually, maybe you won't at all if humans find out how to replace organs like one would a machine. Then you would be an awesome cyborg.

[Initech]

61. Sometimes it's best to turn off your TV and laptop and go live life.

That's exactly what conservatives, fundamentalist Christians, and the Fox Propaganda Network want - is an entire country afraid of their own shadow. If you let these things keep getting to you, you will be exactly right where they want you. If you don't and continue to think for yourself and examine both sides of any given issue, then that's how we win and can beat the conservatives at their own game.

[bobclark86]

63. The modern media in 4 seconds...

Do you know how many times we've come to annihilating ourselves, whether through war, illness, disaster and old-fashioned douchebaggery?

Take gun violence. Plenty on the news about people being shot, but the murder rate was dramatically higher when you were born (and was already on a slide then).

Take car accidents. There's always some car crash on the news, but there were three times as many fatal accidents in the 1930s than now, and there were a lot fewer Americans.

Take measles. Fatal cases 75 years ago: About 17,000. This latest outbreak? 0.

Take war. You think Iraq and Afghanistan are bad? The number of deaths of American troops are orders of magnitude below those of every other major American war. Nobody's really started an all-out brawl with us because we got "the bomb."

Here's my thought: Turn off the TV, switch from Democratic Underground to The Onion, and go live life. Go meet a girl (or guy, whatever) you like, go find a job that makes you happy (and provides enough money to live your ideal life... mine is pretty cheap, so a poor-paying job that helps people appeals to me), and live. Get your vaccines. Wear your motorcycle helmet. Wrap your tool if you don't want kids or the clap (and offer to pay for the pill for yo' lady, because you're benefiting, too). Eat what you want in moderation and ride a bike or something.

Oh, and follow the Golden Rule: "Don't be a dick."

[KMOD]

66. I afraid of you texting while driving

Please don't text and drive.

[cwydro]

73. !!

Yes!

[KamaAina]

68. When I was your age, it was mostly nuclear weapons

Reagan, you know. I used to do graveyard shifts at my college radio station. I remember one night, I put on a long cut, as DJs do , and retired to the back room for a . When I returned, I found myself terrified that the AP teletype machine in the control room would go off with news of nuclear war, and I'd have to broadcast the news to greater New Haven.

[tabbycat31]

72. We are all going to die

Nobody's immortal and death is not a matter of if but when. Whether that's tomorrow, 20 years from now, 50 years from now, etc, it will happen.

In the mean time stop being so afraid. You're young, so channel your energy into doing something about a cause that concerns you (climate change, medicine, etc).

[A-Schwarzenegger]

74. Also, unless you're in Brooklyn, the universe is expanding.

[HappyMe]

75. What happened to Brooklyn?

Some sort of warping of the time/place/space/universal differential portal doodad?

Or they just didn't sign up in time?

[A-Schwarzenegger]

79. From the biopic "What's the Point?: The Life & Times of Alvy Minivan2."

[HappyMe]

84. Well, there you have it.

Brooklyn is doomed. As are minivans.

[salin]

93. perfect response.

[Egnever]

125. .

[freshwest]

134. Looks like DU got spoofed, then!

[salin]

78. And isn't Oscar still on the loose?

[A-Schwarzenegger]

82. Along with the universe, he's expanding.

[salin]

83. so what's this about Brooklyn?

black hole? Brooklyn Triangle?

[HappyMe]

86. I think it will just be teeny tiny

and in danger of getting stepped on. Or something.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

88. It simply said, "No, we're not expanding, thank you."

[uppityperson]

76. I'm afraid you calling women "girls" will get you in some serious trouble.

[raccoon]

81. I second that emotion. nt

[minivan2]

87. It's the only thing I could think of

Changing the title right now.

[cwydro]

95. ...

[uppityperson]

110. Thank you, good job.

[cwydro]

90. A couple of us mentioned that upthread.

Actually surprised more haven't.

The OP could have just stuck with "guys" because that seems to be a kind of generic thing, like "y'all" down here.

The parenthetical was unnecessary and odd.

[The empressof all]

77. Meh....

You today will not be the You that "dies" Just as much as You are no longer the You that You were when You were Born.

It is Serendipity that this popped up on my facebook feed shortly after reading your post

http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/10/07/rebecca-goldstein-personal-identity/


There is nothing that You can really do about death. So try to have fun, cause as little harm as possible and be kind.

[kentauros]

80. A little bit of advice if you're still reading this thread.

I tend to click "Trash Thread" on the doomsday threads around here

Look y'all, I know there are all of these things we've done to the planet and may yet still do, but I don't have to be constantly reminded. My memory is pretty good, and I get a good "dose" of doom'n'gloom from the news. Yet another thread getting everyone down about how horrible will be the demise of the human race is tediously boring. And so, I trash those threads, and it cleans up GD (and other groups/forums) nicely

[hobbit709]

96. There's very little that I am actually afraid of. At 19 I figured I'd be lucky to get to 30.

there's a few things I have a healthy respect for. I quit fretting over things I have no control over a long time ago.

[cwydro]

122. I used to be convinced I would die before 40 lol!

I'm a good bit older than that now.

At 19, I was afraid of nothing.

Now I only fear losing family and friends to age.

[gladium et scutum]

104. The only thing

we have to fear, is fear itself. FDR.

[tabasco]

112. Living in fear and all

I'm betting you have a stockpile of guns

[olddots]

113. today is the first day

Of something or other

[steve2470]

115. ......

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12371043

[countryjake]

116. Happy Enchilada!

[Sheepshank]

117. awww, honey.

You should not lurk here and see the underbelly of negativism. This site is not a true reflection of the world out there. It is a microcosm of fairly like minded people all trying to prove a point. The world isn't exactly like that. Most of the nation could care less about meds and politics and are happy as little clams doing what they do best...living life and having carefree fun. There is a huge huge sparkling life out there. It's up to you to take a different path.

Start by changing your handle from minivan to corvette or tesla, or porche.

[cwydro]

123. I LOVE this post!

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

119. I'm even more afraid of idiotic strawmen. nt

[LiberalElite]

120. Take a break from paying attention to the

endless 24/7 news, turn off and tune out for a while. Take a media/internet break. (I was 19 several decades ago.)

[Man from Pickens]

126. This may help!

[jberryhill]

127. What is your fear doing for you?

Is there something wrong with you?

Do you know where your next meal is coming from? Do you know where you will sleep tonight?

If your answers to the last two questions were "yes", you're fine.

[yeoman6987]

128. Go out with your friends and have fun.

You are too young to worry about things to that extent. The one thing to help change is to vote each and every election. You will make a difference that way. For now, keep aware of things but don't let them rule you.

[btrflykng9]

131. I can really relate to your sentiments here. n/t