>>820002I was going to tell you my life story, but fuck that. I'll just say that she's right up to a point. at some point, you have to take responsibility for your own failures and lack of growth. however, formative years might set you up for failure in ways that are difficult to overcome, even well into adulthood. also, a great deal is outside of one's control:
- you might want a job, you might spend dozens of hours filling out applications, but you can't make someone give you a job.
- you might want a sexual partner, you might spend dozens of hours and hundreds of dollars trying to court a woman with gifts and attention and whatever, but you can't make her want you.
the "bootstraps" part is where I put in all the effort to try and earn a better outcome, and the "shit that's out of my control" part is where the world tells me to fuck off despite my best efforts. still, you have to keep trying, because if you don't, you won't even be in a position to get fucking lucky. you miss all the shots you don't take. finally, I'll say that some people had so many cards stacked against them that they were non-starters before they even got a chance to "fail to launch".
I have a neighbor, he's probably in his late 20s now, he just wanders up and down the streets all day and night, high on meth. there's a local dealer he associates with around here. he's dyslexic, he's got ADHD, and all his life his family told him he wouldn't amount to shit. his father was a lecherous drug addled woman beater, and that's what he evolved into as well. his mother isn't much better, she's a lush who smokes like a chimney; both she and this guy are on government assistance, so that's how they afford any sort of lifestyle. this girl might think that he's not a lost cause, but she'd be wrong.
a great deal of one's outcomes can be attributed to luck of the draw, but you have to be there actually drawing cards. although many people exaggerate their woes, there are some out there who I don't blame for not wanting to play the game of life anymore.