Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not religious. Buddhist, a bit, more in study than religion. I was asked this though. By a 14 year old, on that verge of agnostic, and wondering why things in real life, don't exactly match up with fantasy novels. You know, such as the bible. I didn't really know how to answer, which is odd for me. I knew I couldn't answer that question, without asking him a question or two first. Unfortunately, I couldn't even really format the question that I needed. His question was, ultimately, and I did talk to him for hours afterwards, "Why would god create a plant, that is illegal?" He stunned me when he said, "Poison ivy isn't illegal." It was simplistic, but I was proud of the fact that he was thinking outside the box. I didn't have answers. Well, I did. But, I didn't want to give "religion" style answers. "Why are there nine planets?" "God made them" (Compliments of my third grade teacher, and her clearly infinite wisdom of all things except proper diet, since she was fucking huge). It warms my soul, to watch young people. Teenagers, are fucking annoying to old people like myself. In addition to not being able to figure out complex issues, they also can't figure out "Why does she talk to me, but ignore me around her friends?" Anyone over teenage years, has an answer to that, I'd imagine. But what's cool about it is to see young people questioning government, laws, religion. It's a sign of progression. Religion, is a stalemate. Want proof? It was written thousands of years ago, when people couldn't even spell words like "Rebellion". And it stands strong as the "Firm truth" of the majority of the world. Despite, the fact that it talks about people being eaten by fish.....meditating in the belly, and poofing out a prophet. What struck me as oddest, was that most kids do not question things like this guy does. Most of them enter teenage life, on an educational soup prepared by their church, parents, government, and schools (Whom still to this day, recite the pledge of allegiance to god.) I like free thinkers. It's VERY common that I find them amongst people in their 20's, 30's, etc. Very rarely, do I find them in teens. Now don't get me wrong. I see a lot of teens whom just rebel against everything, regardless of what it is, but very few who genuinely "question", and work on finding out answers. When I was a teen I rebelled a shit ton, but I only knew what was wrong, I didn't know what was "right". I knew they were telling me wrong shit, and I refused to believe it, but it took me many years to figure out what I felt was right. Do you think kids are getting brighter these days at an earlier age, or are they being held to stupidity the same as always? No offense to any young people here. I have little doubt that if you found this forum, you fall into the "Smart" category.
More kids are using the internet and finding out information, the last place on the world that you can really have free speech and freedom. Which the USA is trying to fix, but they will never be able to limit the internet when you have MILLIONS of people working against a small team to break into something secure. Happens all the time.
I quite liked this post. I am 18 and I tend to question many things and I find myself questing many things especially laws and religion and the choices the government makes. Whereas most of my friends don't really seem to care. I do definitely notice that teenagers are progressively becoming less and less religious, most people I know do not believe in god or do not go to church. The world is full of hypocrisy and in my opinion, especially with the advancement of technology and popularity of the internet more and more people are starting to question the decisions that are made.
Teenagers have a lot to consider. Talk to one person, and it could ruin a social life. That totally wasn't why I started this post, but you did ask. Plus there's a million possibilities here. All people, mostly want to be nice. Could be she wants to be nice, but has no interest in you. Could be, she's interested in you, but you don't fit the social norms, or the category she fits in. (Luckily, they go away after high school, but doesn't help much IN highschool, right?) Could be, she pities you. Talks to you out of guilt. Could be she's just playing hard to get. Expecting you to rise up above the other 900,000 people that hit on her, and prove you're....ya know, better than the 900,000 other people, who are already shooting for her. Could be, it's confusing. Even as a 32 year old adult, I can't always figure out exactly what I want from one day to the next. When I was a teenager, it was minute to minute. Sometimes, I can't figure out what I want for breakfast. Let alone, in a life partner.
Good. Keep questioning. The ability to follow, is an ability that anyone can have. The ability to question, is an ability that only bold mother fuckers dare. Darwin questioned. The church HATED him. Fortunately he was smart enough to combat them throughout his life. Even when he died, the christian church published an article that stated (Not a quote, I don't remember the exact quote), "Charles stated in his final moments that he saw god" Reality was, he said to his wife (This is fact, and an exact quote) "I am not afraid to die". The church twisted it for a while, to imply he found god, and relinquished all his beliefs on evolution. In reality, I'm pretty sure most religious people are very afraid to die. 1) Could go to hell. 2) If not, deep in the human soul, everyone knows eternal happy afterlife is bullshit. Darwin just saw himself as one piece of the puzzle. Nothing important, and not destined to go to heaven or hell. Some of his latest accounts were fairly dark, as he explored the possibility of his own death. But in that, he accepted it. He doesn't look down on us from a heaven above. But he sure as fuck, changed the world. He wasn't content dying because he was going to a phenomenal place. He was content dying because he just left one.