It's pointless: When doing nothing is more pointless than doing something pointless.

[1still_waters]

Ever heard someone say they won't do something because it seems pointless?
(This isn't primarily about higher education.)

I've heard this often from adults in their late 30s or 40s in regards to pursuing more college education, like a Masters or Doctorate degree.

They'll talk about how it could take a long time, and how by time they get the degree they'll be old.
Or they'll talk about how depressing it is to be in school.
In the end, the pursuit of the goal is viewed as pointless for one reason or another.

My reply to such people is usually along the lines of, "Well it may take you ten years, but ten years(Could be any amount of years, don't get hung up on the amount. It's just a random number.) from now you'll either be a person with "fill in the blank degree", or you'll be a person without it. Either way at the end of the ten years you're still gonna be there, so which situation would you rather have?"

Something else hit me as I thought about scenarios like this.

Yes doing something that's pointless can be discouraging.
It's even MORE pointless to do nothing!
When you do nothing you achieve MORE pointlessness.

If one is really against pointlessness, shouldn't they choose to do something, instead of nothing, considering that nothing yields more pointlessness?

In my scenario above, there is MORE pointlessness in not having more education.

Ok so what's my point in this whole rant?

It's possible to be MORE pointless when you choose to do nothing because of a fear of being pointless.
If you're really against being pointless, the last thing you should do is nothing.

 

[JesusChica1991]

You know what else is pointless? Blunt pencils.

 

[1still_waters]

You know what else is pointless? Blunt pencils.

[video=youtube;0Jv_XR6RMAI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Jv_XR6RMAI[/video]

 

[ww_21]

Yes doing something that's pointless can be discouraging.
It's even MORE pointless to do nothing!
When you do nothing you achieve MORE pointlessness.

I like the way you think.

 

[Jullianna]

It took me several years to go back for an advanced degree, but I don't regret it. I DO use what I learned, but I would do it again even if I didn't because I did it for me. I love learning, though I realize not everyone does. It also opened doors for me professionally, as I work in a field dominated by men. It gives me an edge I didn't have.

My mom spent her first years out of high school touring as a back up singer for major country stars, then I came along. As time went by she regretted not attending college, so at the age of 38 she went back, majored in sociology, taught for a few years and even owned her own magazine. Age doesn't have to close doors unless you let it.

 

[Rachel20]

Ever heard someone say they won't do something because it seems pointless?

Yes.

Ecclesiastes 1:1-2

These are the words of the Philosopher, David's son, who was king in Jerusalem. [SUP]2 [/SUP]It is useless, useless, said the Philosopher. Life is useless, all useless.

In my scenario above, there is MORE pointlessness in not having more education.

Ecclesiastes 1:18
[SUP]18 [/SUP]The wiser you are, the more worries you have; the more you know, the more it hurts.

 

[1still_waters]

Yes.

Ecclesiastes 1:1-2

These are the words of the Philosopher, David's son, who was king in Jerusalem. [SUP]2 [/SUP]It is useless, useless, said the Philosopher. Life is useless, all useless.







Ecclesiastes 1:18
[SUP]18 [/SUP]The wiser you are, the more worries you have; the more you know, the more it hurts.

Proverbs 3
13 Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;
those who hold her fast will be blessed.
19 By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in place;
20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.
21 My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight,
preserve sound judgment and discretion;
22 they will be life for you,
an ornament to grace your neck.
23 Then you will go on your way in safety,

 

[Rachel20]

Proverbs 3
13 Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;
those who hold her fast will be blessed.
19 By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in place;
20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.
21 My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight,
preserve sound judgment and discretion;
22 they will be life for you,
an ornament to grace your neck.
23 Then you will go on your way in safety,

Oh I've heard from some wise people that, some folks may be educated beyond their capacity for genuine comprehension.


1 Corinthians 1:25
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

 

[1still_waters]

Yes.

Ecclesiastes 1:1-2

These are the words of the Philosopher, David's son, who was king in Jerusalem. [SUP]2 [/SUP]It is useless, useless, said the Philosopher. Life is useless, all useless.

Philippians 1

21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

 

[1still_waters]

Proverbs 17:14

Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

 

[Rachel20]

well.

Christ didn't go to the learned to choose the 12.

1 Corinthians 3:19
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness";

 

[Rachel20]

Proverbs 17:14

Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

 

[1still_waters]

well.

Christ didn't go to the learned to choose the 12.

1 Corinthians 3:19
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness";

Acts 22:3
3 “I am verily a man who am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city of Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.

Acts 5

33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34 but a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35 Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.


Acts 18

Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures.

 

[Stephen63]

Ever heard someone say they won't do something because it seems pointless?
(This isn't primarily about higher education.)

I've heard this often from adults in their late 30s or 40s in regards to pursuing more college education, like a Masters or Doctorate degree.

They'll talk about how it could take a long time, and how by time they get the degree they'll be old.
Or they'll talk about how depressing it is to be in school.
In the end, the pursuit of the goal is viewed as pointless for one reason or another.

My reply to such people is usually along the lines of, "Well it may take you ten years, but ten years(Could be any amount of years, don't get hung up on the amount. It's just a random number.) from now you'll either be a person with "fill in the blank degree", or you'll be a person without it. Either way at the end of the ten years you're still gonna be there, so which situation would you rather have?"

Something else hit me as I thought about scenarios like this.

Yes doing something that's pointless can be discouraging.
It's even MORE pointless to do nothing!
When you do nothing you achieve MORE pointlessness.

If one is really against pointlessness, shouldn't they choose to do something, instead of nothing, considering that nothing yields more pointlessness?

In my scenario above, there is MORE pointlessness in not having more education.

Ok so what's my point in this whole rant?

It's possible to be MORE pointless when you choose to do nothing because of a fear of being pointless.
If you're really against being pointless, the last thing you should do is nothing.

I don't totally agree. If you're already in a career job, then yes it helps. But if you haven't started yet, a degree doesn't help.

If you're older, it doesn't help at all. In city & state govts for example, younger people are hired all the time over older adults. Not because they're younger, but because they aren't independent thinkers. Bosses know independent thinkers move up the ladder quickly, meaning they won't keep them long. Also, Independent thinkers know when the boss is dumping their own work on them.

 

[IloveyouGod]

Yes, It's possible to be MORE pointless when you choose to do nothing because when you do nothing, you're not gonna gain anything in return. You're not gonna gain any pointless or none pointless achievements. But the thing is, even though people know this fact, they "Might" still choose not to do anything; WHY? because by doing something pointless, what they will gain will still be pointless. But they gained something and to gain something you must give something else in return whether it's your time, money, effort or whatever it is. So if you compare what you are gonna give versus what you will gain n' what you will gain is gonna be pointless, the ratio might not be good. Things might not add up well. Meaning, I might put A LOT more of my time, money, effort etc. etc. and even though I gained a pointless thing which is better than gaining nothing, STILL, it's my loss cuz I gave MORE than what I gained.

So at this point this pointless achievement that I've made must mean A LOT for ME. It might be pointless for others. But not for me.

 

[BananaPie]

I think this thread has a point.

 

[just_monicat]

well, higher education only means something if it matters enough to you. early out of high school, i used education to placate the objections of family and sleptwalk through at least one year of it, though i did love learning, as a concept.

but i wanted to be somewhere else for that bit of time. a year or two and a bite of reality sandwich would've done me more good than racking up private school tuition about art history.

when i restarted a bit later, it was a different story. i valued it then, sat in the front row and got my money's worth. and as jullianna said, advanced degrees are well worth the time and trouble if they represent and fulfill something for you. i will always be one of those who espouse lifelong learning.

my biggest pet peeve is to see kids who are going to school but have zero desire or passion for it. i'm not talking about undeclared majors, but kids that are wasting their time showing up for something THEY don't want to do.

instead, i encourage them to go get an internship, or start trying to figure out what you want to do and learning to stand on their own feet with their limited options. perhaps nothing is more motivating than the sober truth of reality.

 

[Jullianna]

Proverbs 17:14

Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

You are so right.

"Some folks are educated beyond their capacity for genuine comprehension" and some are not.

 

[rachelsedge]

I both disagree and agree with this.

When someone says something is pointless, a good question would be, "Well, then what are you doing instead?" People say dating is pointless. Okay, so how are you going to find a husband/wife besides that? Not asking in a sarcastic/condescending way, but in a way that asks them what their other plan would be.

However, sometimes when people say something is pointless, it's because they don't value the thing, the perceived outcome of the thing, or the resources it takes to get the thing at that moment in time. For example, I think at this point in my life, it would be pointless for me to go to grad school because I do not know what I would study, I would have to move to even be close to a school, and I don't want to rack up tens of thousands more in debt on top of what I already have from my previous degree just because I can. I'm not against learning. I'm just saying that for me, right now, it is not worth it. Maybe in the future that will change, but currently it is "pointless" and I don't think that's an inherently bad thing.

I don't know if that's what you were trying to get at or if that made sense.

 

[Jullianna]

well, higher education only means something if it matters enough to you. early out of high school, i used education to placate the objections of family and sleptwalk through at least one year of it, though i did love learning, as a concept.

but i wanted to be somewhere else for that bit of time. a year or two and a bite of reality sandwich would've done me more good than racking up private school tuition about art history.

when i restarted a bit later, it was a different story. i valued it then, sat in the front row and got my money's worth. and as jullianna said, advanced degrees are well worth the time and trouble if they represent and fulfill something for you. i will always be one of those who espouse lifelong learning.

my biggest pet peeve is to see kids who are going to school but have zero desire or passion for it. i'm not talking about undeclared majors, but kids that are wasting their time showing up for something THEY don't want to do.

instead, i encourage them to go get an internship, or start trying to figure out what you want to do and learning to stand on their own feet with their limited options. perhaps nothing is more motivating than the sober truth of reality.

I like the way you said this. My younger brother partied far too much in younger days and barely made it through college. Knowing how many people would have loved the opportunity he took so lightly irritated me at the time. He went back a couple of years ago for an advanced degree, took it far more seriously and did extremely well.