Despite euthanising my beloved Nyako today, Dawn (one of my nearest & dearest friends) & I had a great day. We went to a bunch of places, shopped, acted stupid & just had a blast. Dawn is recently engaged to Justin (I am as close to him as I am with her). So, of course, the subject of weddings came up. We were talking with some friends of hers about how weddings have gotten out of hand.
Weddings today are more of a show & a way of keeping up with the Jonses. I went to a wedding recently of a close friend of mine. It was beautiful, but it was too much, overdone. It was at Chelsea Piers in the city (very nice…VERY posh). The GUESTS were arriving in evening gowns & tuxes. It was gorgeous, but it was in no way a reflection of who the Bride really is. But it was a SHOW. And more & more that’s what they are. Who can throw the bigger & better wedding? Who cares?! It’s not about the wedding, it’s about the MARRIAGE. You go to a wedding to support your friends or family in their celebration of love. It’s about the emotions & caring & being with people you love. It’s NOT about who wore the Vera Wang wedding dress that cost $3,000. You only wear the damn thing once & there are beautiful dresses that cost significantly less. Why waste so much money on one night? Why not celebrate with your loved ones & save the money for a down payment on a house or invest in your retirement, or SOMETHING logical.
We also talked about how high school proms are getting out of control. Same issue as the weddings. These teenagers are buying dresses that cost several hundred dollars! They HAVE to go in a limo & “live it up.” I went to my junior prom, but not my senior prom. I bought a dress that cost somewhere between $60 and $100. A group of friends & I rented a limo TOGETHER. I went to the dinner & it pretty much sucked (except for resolving and reuniting with my best friend after a 3 month “break”). Everyone else in the group went out to the Hamptons. I went home. Not a big deal, but looking back, it was not worth the money then. It DEFINETLY is not worth the money people are spending nowadays. But god forbid your teen doesn’t have the BEST prom. Who cares? Is it vital to his or her life & well-being? In the long run, is it really that important to them? Does it make or break your entire life & future? If my family spent that money on me, I would hope it was because I needed serious surgery or hospitalization or something along those lines. But, and I’ve said this before, “parents” today feel that they HAVE to spoil their kids. They could NEVER say no to their babies. Their kid has to have the best. I believe in giving children the best, but that includes giving them a good education, making sure they have what they NEED, and most importantly, LOVING & SUPPORTING them. Children need to learn the word no, otherwise they have no sense of reality, do not know how to function independently, aren’t strong in character, etc. I never wanted, I’ve had a very fortunate life, but I learned the word “no” from an early age. I learned the value of hard work & that not everything would be handed to me. And I greatly appreciate what has been handed to me. But kids today aren’t learning that. They’re going to “Ivy League” pre-schools! They expect to get lavish birthdays, expensive proms & extravegant weddings. Granted that’s all nice, but that should never be a “given.”
This kind of shit bothers me. American kids are so spoiled. They expect the world while other societies (Europe, Asia, etc). don’t have these issues. They teach their children responsibility & reality. They are aware of the fact that there is REAL suffering in the world (third-world countries, wars, poverty, starvation, etc.). It depresses me that we no longer address the real issues in the world from the environment to guerilla warfare. I’m not jealous of these spoiled children, it just sickens me because their thinking is so close-minded. Everyone is becoming selfish & not thinking of other’s needs. No one is seeing the big picture. It seems like not many people get what life is REALLY about now. It’s such a shame. There is so much more to life that fancy, fleeting, unobtainable things (like a prom). Life is about people & experiences. It’s about who you surround yourself, the people who are in your life, who support you & who you support. It’s about what you experience in life, what you’ve done in your life (with your work & otherwise). You need to learn from your friends, family & experiences. It’s all about growing & being the best person you can be. It just seems like not enough people realize that. That saddnes me deeply. But, so long as the people in my life know how much they mean to me & as I can keep growing & giving & changing & becoming the best person I can be so I can give them more. It’s all I can do. I just wish more people in the world felt that way. I’ve known so many good people who have been walked on & hurt by those selfish people & that hurts me. Those people deserve so much more, but so few appreciate the good people for who they really are. I do hope my efforts to give the good people in my life the best that I can is enough, because those people deserve only the best. I want to try to make it up to them, for all the times they’ve been hurt & walked on, etc. So, here’s to the people in my life, that you get the best that life has to offer, youdeserve simply the best. I love you all!
