Be Enlightened in Class, not at a Bar
I've said this before and I'll say it again: I love college and I am deeply appreciative of many of the opppurunities it has afforded me. Being surrounded by drunk and drinking people, however, is not one of those oppurtunities that I savor. (Let's just say, last night was slightly traumatic.)
But I really don't get what people see in alcohol, and in being drunk. I mean, do people enjoy losing control and being confused and doing stupid things? Maybe I'm alone on this, but I actually like to know what I'm doing and to be in control of my own situation.
Somebody once tried to convince me that drugs were great because they allowed him to see everything on a deeper level, to understand more. I just don't buy the "enlightenment theory" on drugs and alcohol. If you want to be enlightened, go to class sober and learn something. Isn't that what you're here for anyway?
posted by Eli7 @ 9:36 AM
9 comments
9 Comments:
You seem to have an arrogance about you. You haven't gotten drunk, but you know that people are stupid for enjoying alcohol. You haven't tried them, but you know people don't have enlightening experiences on drugs.
How are you so smart, and why is everybody else so dumb?
I've argued this many times with friends, too. What's the point of recreational drinking? If it's, say, at a wedding where it will "loosen you up" and help you be mesame'ach the chasan/kallah more than you normally would, then at least you're using it for good. But just to "stam" drink? What's the point?
When you're drunk you aren't making conscious decisions; you're just "going with the flow," a way many our age would prefer to live their lives. For others, it provides an escape from the painful reality that is their life.
I feel sorry for the former because they should gain the power to take control of their lives instead of letting "fate" control it for them. I feel even worse for the latter who can't extricate themselves from the gloom and depression and think the only way out is artificial happiness that is bound to fade once they sober up, leaving them depressed again and can lead to disaster if they get too drunk.
...Another one of the "perils" that some cannot handle when attending a secular university. ;)
Whoa! Jewish Atheist, while I don't deny the fact that I am arrogant on many fronts, that wasn't my intention here.
The people that I was with who were drunk last night are people who I actually respect in a normal setting. They are some of the smartest and hardest working people I know. But they were drunk, so they were saying stupid things and not getting work done.
Is that fun? Maybe I'll just never know.
Eli,
It's obvious that people enjoy getting drunk, but because you don't think you would enjoy it, you imply that something is wrong with them. Perhaps they didn't get as much work done as you, but maybe they have different priorities.
I'll have to agree with JA about the priorities. Most people (at least here) don't go to college for the learning, but for the whole "student life".
Alcohol makes us a little less inhibited, a little free-er to express ourselves - which is a reason for four cups of WINE (not grape juice) on seder night. Obviously in a Jewish environment it should be used in the correct way - in it right place and in moderation, but it can also open the heart of many. I'd guess you have never been drunk - and would not advise it, but a little sometimes can be good. Have you ever been to a fabrengen? - on second thoughts don't!
This is probably nothing to do with what you are mixed up with - pure inebriation for the fun of it, but this seems to be a pet topic of mine, for some strange reason.
Just wait till you get to law school....
Ah, yes, bar nights.
Ah, yes, students drinking beer in the lounge and in Crim Law.
My coworkers frequently talk about the hangovers they have gotten and I always ask "Why do you do it if you get so sick?" That seems to be a rhetorical question.
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