...on hardships and 'knowing' real life...

I would like to take this moment to address a topic that has been a long time coming. Some people on this board have been through a world of total and complete shit. Actually, I would go so far as to say that everyone has gone through their own, individual tough times and bleak periods. Sometimes, people go through something so horrible and hard that they make the claim that they are the only ones that know true hardship, based on the fact that those around them have not had the same experiences. Now, I will say this, merely as an example: if Shark were to say to me, “You have no idea how hard this is.” I would naturally have to agree – I have not a clue what it is like to be in Iraq, to kill someone in battle and see friends and comrades die around me, and I would never claim it so. Something like the above situation is, for certain, quite a hardship to deal with. However, that does not discount any OTHER individual’s hardships in their life. And, it doesn’t mean that said hardships make you any more knowledgeable or wise. My good friend, Corey, is routinely having things happen to him, and putting himself in bad situations, that boggle the mind; and he is none the wiser for his wear and tear.

For me, I spent two years in a psychological battle, struggling to find something in my field. I was reduced to working at Radio Shack, and then for Convergys. Now, Radio Shack is a shitty job, working at fast food would give more pay. RadioShack also does not care about their employees enough to pay them anything they could live on. I was there for almost a year, and then, I got let go. Not because I wasn’t a good salesman, in fact, I was the top guy on the floor; it was because they had to let someone go, and I was that unlucky someone. The reason I worked there for so long is that 1) I had trouble getting anything else in this horrible job market and 2) at least the title of ‘sales associate’ had a level of prestige to it above ‘burger guy.’ Convergys, on the other hand, is a great job; that is, IF you have the patience for it, and IF you don’t have your sights set on a dream you’ve had for years. Now, this may not SOUND like anything too hard. But, it was the psychological struggle with this that was so hard. Knowing that I had a degree, that I was capable, and that with each passing day, I’m growing closer to the fact that I may have to give up or at least put on hold my dream of working in construction and design…THAT is the hardship I had to endure. I also had to deal with the fact that my college changed my major on me, from Drafting to Construction Management. My wife, my beautiful, wonderful Angel, got me through all of this, and for that, I’m grateful. But I reached a point where I felt that it was ME, that it wasn’t the economy; that I didn’t know what I was doing.

Now, that isn’t to say that I know the trials of war, or that I know what it’s like losing a child. However, it doesn’t make mine any less painful for me. In fact, it also doesn’t mean that I don’t have a solid handle on what life is all about. I was once told that I didn’t know what it was like to be an adult, to be “out in the real world”, that, in fact, no one knew what it was like but them. That, of the people they knew, no one came even close to 'knowing' the real world and life. That, my friends, is total and complete bullshit. Just because someone hasn’t been down the same road you have, doesn’t make you any more of an authority on adulthood or life or the real world than anyone else. We’ve all been through rough times, and every rough time has it’s worth and merit. There is no such thing as a “worse than yours” hardship. I don’t discount anyone saying that they have been through some bad shit. What I can’t stand is when they make the claim that they’ve had it worse than anyone, that you can have no idea what “real” pain is, that you don’t know what it’s like the “the real world.” That, to me, shows that recognition is desired for these hardships, that they are just trying to get some attention and create drama. Why? I don't know; I can't fathom why anyone would wish to be recognized for horrible events in their lives. Perhaps it's just a need for that attention that I mentioned. A need for sympathy.

I wasn’t really going anywhere with that, just ranting. Carry on.