"Beyond Bethel"

"Beyond Bethel"

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For me... I wouldn't say that life at Bethel, or during that general
chunk of time, was the best time of my life... not to say that it was
insignificant, because it wasn't...

But that's where I will draw the line.

The reason I don't consider school, high school, to be the best time
in my life is because it really wasn't. It sucked. I was surrounded
by assholes in my grade and subsequent grades. I was in an
institution that worked it's ass off to crush creativity and promote
conventionalism and worked it's best (though definitely not to par
with other schools) to churn out the prototype lawyers and doctors and
teachers that would further the current standard.

And I hated it because it seemed like everyone played along.

Well, except for you people... which is what makes that time in my
life as significant.

No... at least for me, the best time in my life (so far) has been
college. I would gladly go over and over to college... though I would
want to see what graduate school is like before I completely commit to
that claim. (I've heard glorious tales of graduate school that make
undergrad seem... trite.)

I honestly feel that for the most part, those who claim that high
school was the best time of their lives tended to be the preps and
jocks... the ones who ended up working at the Burger King down the
street years later (or if you were a girl-prep then the ones who ended
up working at Fox's year's later). Getting stuck in that "high school
was the best time in my life" mentality will inevitably only slow a
person down and make them long for something that really wasn't all
that great in the first place.

If I had to choose between having the climax of my life at sixteen to
eighteen, as opposed to later (where I would have more opportunity to
really enjoy it/exploit it), I would choose later.

The only other reason people think high school was the best time in
their lives was because it worked to create and churn out
friendships... but if one really wanted, they could take that upon
themselves. That's why, after all, we have such things as poker
nights, Jimmy day's, Zach-o days, and BBQ's at James'.

When I said that I longed for some of the old days, I was more trying
to convey that I think that's what people do no matter what they have
now. I think there is a sort of appeal to having nostalgia about the
past. I know that in some way, in the future I will look fondly at
now, no matter how much it sucks.

This is probably why stories of time travel and altering the past
still appeal to many, if not all at least once in their lives.

I lost my train of thought... so in the end... Mary Kay Letourneau was
released today... Mommas lock up yer little boys!