Nintendo needs to release new 2 PLAYER games. One awesome thing about the old Mario games was that you and a friend could play the story mode together. Every time they come out with a new one... Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy, etc... I hope for it, but it never happens. I don't want a game with separate multiplayer modes, I want a game that the adventure story mode can be shared by two people (and it not be a stinkin' "party" or sports game) - just like Super Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario World.
I think one of the problems with having fake meat would eventually be animal overpopulation.
I mean, look at India.
"India now has so many cattle, according to Professor Ram Kumar of the India Veterinary Council, that there is only sufficient food for 60 percent of the cattle population. This means that of an estimated 300 million calves, bulls, and bullocks, some 120 million of these animals, especially in arid regions (and elsewhere during the dry season and droughts when fodder is scarce), are either starving or chronically malnourished. Because the majority of Indians are Hindus, and thereby hold the cow sacred, many consider the killing of cattle even for humane reasons unthinkable."
(http://www.satyamag.com/oct98/sacred_cow.html)
I don't think you really understand what I'm saying, but that's okay; I won't bother trying to re-explain *all* of it. My thought process is sympathetic towards teenagers, which yours obviously is not. You forget that, unlike you, teenagers haven't accepted the world for what it is. They don't *think* like adults do. Why is it that becoming an adult requires telling yourself that, "Well, this is as good as it's ever going to get. I should just accept it, get over it, and move on"?
You said, "So when did homework become "pressure" instead of something you're SUPPOSED to do? What you're laying out is the groundwork for stupid teens; all the lazy have to do is say "too much pressure!" and they miss out. Later, these morons are the drunkards that throw beer kegs in campfires for fun. They thought basic science was too much pressure? Nope, it's the beer keg that ends up overpressure." Maybe if you got to know some teenagers who are these "drunkards" you'd learn that they are not necessarily the lazy kids. Some of them are the bright kids, the smart kids, the kids with a 4.0 GPA and work hard at their grades.
Several things you say only add to my point. Such as: "....and if your parents consistently forget to pick you up, I'll bet you've got more pressure at home," and "No such safe haven exists." Isn't that what I said when I said, "In America today no such 'safe haven' exists for most highschoolers." I would not lie and tell someone that a safe haven existed if it didn't, what I said was that a safe haven *should* exist. However, as we both pointed out, it doesn't, which is part of my point in the first place.
Side note: when I say "...if they fail, they still have somewhere safe to go," I am not saying literally "to go to." What I mean is to have someone to turn to. It's the same as saying "When I am having a hard time, I go to my friends." That doesn't mean you go to live in their house or even spend a lot of time with them - it means you have their support.
I know what positive pressure is. I said earlier that, "Pressure can be a good thing; just as adrenaline/nervousness can help someone be a better actor in a play." I know what it's like to work a job. I held a job for over a year (and left on my own because I thought it wise to get more schooling). I worked construction for 40-60 hours a week, was paid unfairly (I was typically paid for 5-10 hours less than I worked, was paid for only one holiday while required to take off more than just that one, and other stuff I won't go into), was under constant pressure from a greedy boss and a foreman with a sharp tongue. I liked my job most of the time and I stayed for over a year out of my own choice. I enjoy doing my best and earning a good night's sleep. Did I work hard to please my boss? Yes. Did I work hard to please myself? Yes. It was, however, ultimately empty. What was I doing? Just making money. I have no family of my own yet, so there is no purpose in providing for them because they don't exist. I didn't plan on going to school again right away, so there was no purpose in saving up for that. I had a few bills, but they were not burdensome. The fact is that most kids haven't yet accepted the idea (and a rather poor idea, if I may add) that life is about making money and trying to be happy. Maybe that's the purpose of a lot of adults, but teens haven't yet "accepted" that purpose. Why do adults accept that purpose? To pay the never ending bills and try to find some satisfaction? Teens don't necessarily have those bills to deal with. You're exactly right when you say that, "Adolescence is where most people discover who they are." The problem is that teens are often expected to meet the same standard adults are, all the while... they are NOT adults! They don't know yet who they are or who they want to be, and yet they are expected to act like it. So that's what they do, they start acting in order to please those above them. You are right when you say, and I'm paraphrasing here, that teenagers need to develo
Forgive me for not using the Preview button before. Here is my previous reply broken up into paragraphs so you don't hurt your eyes trying to read it.////
Sir, it is not about "reduction of homework." It is about the reduction of pressure on the individual, of which reduction of homework may or may not play a part depending on the specific school or individual student (I say this because I am forced to speak generally, because I do not know every single school or every single student in the world).
Think of it this way: a normal high school student today is required to be at school at 8AM or before. That means they need be awake by 7 or earlier, depending on how far of a drive it is to school; and if they ride the bus, it is more often earlier - I know students who, in order to ride the bus, have to get up at 5:30AM. Then they arrive at school where, depending on the student, they will spend the next 6-11 hours (think about sports, band practice, cheerleading, after-school meetings, etc; not to count the latch-key kids, or the ones whose parents forget to pick them up). Students are often expected to spend at least 45 minutes on homework for any particular class; which means, if they have 5 classes, which is normal, they have to spend 3 hours each night doing homework. Add into that some time for friends, maybe, and a little time to eat, and you have for a fairly long day.
Back up a little. While they are at school, they are taught by teachers who care little about them (there are exceptions, yes, but that is not normal). To quote 0racle (http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=225066&cid=18 226026), "...[are] just not wanting to deal with kids at all, they just told their students to sit down and shut up for an hour and then assigned homework that should have been covered in class." They are taught by teachers who play favorites, who have no respect for their students, who look down on their students, who don't believe their students will ever be anything in life, who teach because it's "their job," and who demand respect rather than earn (or deserve) it.
Parents often try to live through their kids, or have higher than needed expectations for their kids. They measure their kids by the society as a whole, rather than appreciate the child for who he or she is and then seek for their child to grow from that. What I mean is, the standards are set by society in order for each school or student to "be better than everyone else," rather than "be the best that I can be." Take, for example, a couple quotes from Slashdotters who commented before me (to the best of my knowledge, these comments are not taken out of context): "Yeah...I want to put my kids in that school. They'll get into Stanford for sure!", "How about we wipe their tushies and tell them they won't have to work hard to make something of themselves? Howabout just have them skip college (whole lotta more school work plus paying work)? Just tell them that a real work day is only about 6 hours, and you never have to take some work home with you, or stay late to finish that work so you don't have to take it home?" Life becomes a competition in highschool, and this carries over into the workplace as students graduate. Several responses to this "competition" are: "I accept the challenge and will do anything to rise to the top," "I just want to get by," or even "I don't want to compete so I quit." You can see these responses in action when you watch highschoolers; there are those who seek to exceed, there are those who are just there, and there are those who have given up and spend their time causing trouble or zoning everything out.
Regardless of what response a teen gives, nearly all of them wear masks. They are not themselves while at school, they are not themselves while at home, and they are not themselves while around most of their friends. On top of that, their mask changes for each group that they are around; and they see no problem with their masks contradicting each other as long as they are
Sir, it is not about "reduction of homework." It is about the reduction of pressure on the individual, of which reduction of homework may or may not play a part depending on the specific school or individual student (I say this because I am forced to speak generally, because I do not know every single school or every single student in the world).
Think of it this way: a normal high school student today is required to be at school at 8AM or before. That means they need be awake by 7 or earlier, depending on how far of a drive it is to school; and if they ride the bus, it is more often earlier - I know students who, in order to ride the bus, have to get up at 5:30AM. Then they arrive at school where, depending on the student, they will spend the next 6-11 hours (think about sports, band practice, cheerleading, after-school meetings, etc; not to count the latch-key kids, or the ones whose parents forget to pick them up). Students are often expected to spend at least 45 minutes on homework for any particular class; which means, if they have 5 classes, which is normal, they have to spend 3 hours each night doing homework. Add into that some time for friends, maybe, and a little time to eat, and you have for a fairly long day.
Back up a little. While they are at school, they are taught by teachers who care little about them (there are exceptions, yes, but that is not normal). To quote 0racle (http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=225066&cid=18 226026), "...[are] just not wanting to deal with kids at all, they just told their students to sit down and shut up for an hour and then assigned homework that should have been covered in class." They are taught by teachers who play favorites, who have no respect for their students, who look down on their students, who don't believe their students will ever be anything in life, who teach because it's "their job," and who demand respect rather than earn (or deserve) it.
Parents often try to live through their kids, or have higher than needed expectations for their kids. They measure their kids by the society as a whole, rather than appreciate the child for who he or she is and then seek for their child to grow from that. What I mean is, the standards are set by society in order for each school or student to "be better than everyone else," rather than "be the best that I can be." Take, for example, a couple quotes from Slashdotters who commented before me (to the best of my knowledge, these comments are not taken out of context): "Yeah...I want to put my kids in that school. They'll get into Stanford for sure!", "How about we wipe their tushies and tell them they won't have to work hard to make something of themselves? Howabout just have them skip college (whole lotta more school work plus paying work)? Just tell them that a real work day is only about 6 hours, and you never have to take some work home with you, or stay late to finish that work so you don't have to take it home?" Life becomes a competition in highschool, and this carries over into the workplace as students graduate. Several responses to this "competition" are: "I accept the challenge and will do anything to rise to the top," "I just want to get by," or even "I don't want to compete so I quit." You can see these responses in action when you watch highschoolers; there are those who seek to exceed, there are those who are just there, and there are those who have given up and spend their time causing trouble or zoning everything out.
Regardless of what response a teen gives, nearly all of them wear masks. They are not themselves while at school, they are not themselves while at home, and they are not themselves while around most of their friends. On top of that, their mask changes for each group that they are around; and they see no problem with their masks contradicting each other as long as they are never exposed for who they truly are. Teenagers are afraid to be themselves. At school, they play along with teachers to please them; at home, they play along with their family to fool them into thinking t
It talks a lot about this - not getting rid of homework, but if you read the book you might understand why lightening up on homework might not be such a bad idea.
The problem exists not just in schools, but in our society as a whole. It grew when we decided that a world without morals would be a good thing; and that the best successes in life are the people who make the most money.
"Let's just teach kids facts; not how to live or how to get along with other people." We are amazing. Right? We're Americans. We deserve every good thing. Right? Isn't that what every commerical and billboard tells us? "Get 'this' now! Faster, better, more convenient for you... because you deserve it." "Believe in yourself, because you are so great." "Do whatever you want, there are no rules. People are just glorified animals, so it doesn't really matter if you kill them, or rape them, or hate them." "You deserve to be free. Morals are bad because they will restrict your life. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise; and if they do, report them to the media so everyone can laugh at them for having some stability in their lives." "Love is just a feeling, so it doesn't really matter if I divorce your mom. It doesn't matter if I beat her or have an affair - I can do what I want." "Let's censor every religious conversation or symbol because people might get offended; they shouldn't be able to think for themselves. On second thought, let's just censor anything to do with the Bible because it's just a stupid book that restricts peoples lives."
50% of people in America who've been married have also been divorced. Half of kids have a single parent. That parent is busy trying to keep their family from starvation or trying to please their boss at work. There's no time for kids. Even people with two parents... most of them start out in a daycare from day one and it just gets worse from there. The teachers at school are only there 'cuz it's their job, and most of them don't even enjoy it. Why would they care anything about their student's lives? Minors aren't stupid. They know when someone really cares about them, and more often then not they only can get that from their friends. Friends are a big deal. It's the most attention they ever get from someone; and even that is often bogged down and destroyed by pressures to do drugs, smoke, become an alcoholic, become addicted to porn, etc. And why not? Why would they even want to be alive? No one else gives them any hope or gives them a reason to live. So let's just do whatever we want and destroy our lives, because *nothing really matters and no one really cares anyway*...
When you begin teaching people (not necessarily even from just a textbook, but with our lives and our own behavior) that there is no right or wrong, there is no guaranteed truth, and they can do whatever they want with no real consequences then what else would you expect? There is freedom within boundaries; outside them lies only chaos. Suicide is up, drug use is up, alocholism is up, divorce is up, emotional problems are up, videogame sales are up... all because people are trying to escape reality. And why not? Reality is trash. The best you can hope for in reality is to live a long time so you can make money, buy stuff, hope it satisfies you, and eventually die.
Slashdot Mirror
Nintendo needs to release new 2 PLAYER games. One awesome thing about the old Mario games was that you and a friend could play the story mode together. Every time they come out with a new one... Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy, etc... I hope for it, but it never happens. I don't want a game with separate multiplayer modes, I want a game that the adventure story mode can be shared by two people (and it not be a stinkin' "party" or sports game) - just like Super Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario World.
I think one of the problems with having fake meat would eventually be animal overpopulation. I mean, look at India. "India now has so many cattle, according to Professor Ram Kumar of the India Veterinary Council, that there is only sufficient food for 60 percent of the cattle population. This means that of an estimated 300 million calves, bulls, and bullocks, some 120 million of these animals, especially in arid regions (and elsewhere during the dry season and droughts when fodder is scarce), are either starving or chronically malnourished. Because the majority of Indians are Hindus, and thereby hold the cow sacred, many consider the killing of cattle even for humane reasons unthinkable." (http://www.satyamag.com/oct98/sacred_cow.html)
Hey, thanks for your response.
I don't think you really understand what I'm saying, but that's okay; I won't bother trying to re-explain *all* of it. My thought process is sympathetic towards teenagers, which yours obviously is not. You forget that, unlike you, teenagers haven't accepted the world for what it is. They don't *think* like adults do. Why is it that becoming an adult requires telling yourself that, "Well, this is as good as it's ever going to get. I should just accept it, get over it, and move on"?
You said, "So when did homework become "pressure" instead of something you're SUPPOSED to do? What you're laying out is the groundwork for stupid teens; all the lazy have to do is say "too much pressure!" and they miss out. Later, these morons are the drunkards that throw beer kegs in campfires for fun. They thought basic science was too much pressure? Nope, it's the beer keg that ends up overpressure." Maybe if you got to know some teenagers who are these "drunkards" you'd learn that they are not necessarily the lazy kids. Some of them are the bright kids, the smart kids, the kids with a 4.0 GPA and work hard at their grades.
Several things you say only add to my point. Such as: "....and if your parents consistently forget to pick you up, I'll bet you've got more pressure at home," and "No such safe haven exists." Isn't that what I said when I said, "In America today no such 'safe haven' exists for most highschoolers." I would not lie and tell someone that a safe haven existed if it didn't, what I said was that a safe haven *should* exist. However, as we both pointed out, it doesn't, which is part of my point in the first place.
Side note: when I say "...if they fail, they still have somewhere safe to go," I am not saying literally "to go to." What I mean is to have someone to turn to. It's the same as saying "When I am having a hard time, I go to my friends." That doesn't mean you go to live in their house or even spend a lot of time with them - it means you have their support.
I know what positive pressure is. I said earlier that, "Pressure can be a good thing; just as adrenaline/nervousness can help someone be a better actor in a play." I know what it's like to work a job. I held a job for over a year (and left on my own because I thought it wise to get more schooling). I worked construction for 40-60 hours a week, was paid unfairly (I was typically paid for 5-10 hours less than I worked, was paid for only one holiday while required to take off more than just that one, and other stuff I won't go into), was under constant pressure from a greedy boss and a foreman with a sharp tongue. I liked my job most of the time and I stayed for over a year out of my own choice. I enjoy doing my best and earning a good night's sleep. Did I work hard to please my boss? Yes. Did I work hard to please myself? Yes. It was, however, ultimately empty. What was I doing? Just making money. I have no family of my own yet, so there is no purpose in providing for them because they don't exist. I didn't plan on going to school again right away, so there was no purpose in saving up for that. I had a few bills, but they were not burdensome. The fact is that most kids haven't yet accepted the idea (and a rather poor idea, if I may add) that life is about making money and trying to be happy. Maybe that's the purpose of a lot of adults, but teens haven't yet "accepted" that purpose. Why do adults accept that purpose? To pay the never ending bills and try to find some satisfaction? Teens don't necessarily have those bills to deal with. You're exactly right when you say that, "Adolescence is where most people discover who they are." The problem is that teens are often expected to meet the same standard adults are, all the while... they are NOT adults! They don't know yet who they are or who they want to be, and yet they are expected to act like it. So that's what they do, they start acting in order to please those above them. You are right when you say, and I'm paraphrasing here, that teenagers need to develo
I understand your point; but did I require you to read the book? Did I say you're going to get a bad grade if you don't read the book?
Forgive me for not using the Preview button before. Here is my previous reply broken up into paragraphs so you don't hurt your eyes trying to read it. ////
Sir, it is not about "reduction of homework." It is about the reduction of pressure on the individual, of which reduction of homework may or may not play a part depending on the specific school or individual student (I say this because I am forced to speak generally, because I do not know every single school or every single student in the world).
Think of it this way: a normal high school student today is required to be at school at 8AM or before. That means they need be awake by 7 or earlier, depending on how far of a drive it is to school; and if they ride the bus, it is more often earlier - I know students who, in order to ride the bus, have to get up at 5:30AM. Then they arrive at school where, depending on the student, they will spend the next 6-11 hours (think about sports, band practice, cheerleading, after-school meetings, etc; not to count the latch-key kids, or the ones whose parents forget to pick them up). Students are often expected to spend at least 45 minutes on homework for any particular class; which means, if they have 5 classes, which is normal, they have to spend 3 hours each night doing homework. Add into that some time for friends, maybe, and a little time to eat, and you have for a fairly long day.
Back up a little. While they are at school, they are taught by teachers who care little about them (there are exceptions, yes, but that is not normal). To quote 0racle (http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=225066&cid=18 226026), "...[are] just not wanting to deal with kids at all, they just told their students to sit down and shut up for an hour and then assigned homework that should have been covered in class." They are taught by teachers who play favorites, who have no respect for their students, who look down on their students, who don't believe their students will ever be anything in life, who teach because it's "their job," and who demand respect rather than earn (or deserve) it.
Parents often try to live through their kids, or have higher than needed expectations for their kids. They measure their kids by the society as a whole, rather than appreciate the child for who he or she is and then seek for their child to grow from that. What I mean is, the standards are set by society in order for each school or student to "be better than everyone else," rather than "be the best that I can be." Take, for example, a couple quotes from Slashdotters who commented before me (to the best of my knowledge, these comments are not taken out of context): "Yeah...I want to put my kids in that school. They'll get into Stanford for sure!", "How about we wipe their tushies and tell them they won't have to work hard to make something of themselves? Howabout just have them skip college (whole lotta more school work plus paying work)? Just tell them that a real work day is only about 6 hours, and you never have to take some work home with you, or stay late to finish that work so you don't have to take it home?" Life becomes a competition in highschool, and this carries over into the workplace as students graduate. Several responses to this "competition" are: "I accept the challenge and will do anything to rise to the top," "I just want to get by," or even "I don't want to compete so I quit." You can see these responses in action when you watch highschoolers; there are those who seek to exceed, there are those who are just there, and there are those who have given up and spend their time causing trouble or zoning everything out.
Regardless of what response a teen gives, nearly all of them wear masks. They are not themselves while at school, they are not themselves while at home, and they are not themselves while around most of their friends. On top of that, their mask changes for each group that they are around; and they see no problem with their masks contradicting each other as long as they are
Sir, it is not about "reduction of homework." It is about the reduction of pressure on the individual, of which reduction of homework may or may not play a part depending on the specific school or individual student (I say this because I am forced to speak generally, because I do not know every single school or every single student in the world). Think of it this way: a normal high school student today is required to be at school at 8AM or before. That means they need be awake by 7 or earlier, depending on how far of a drive it is to school; and if they ride the bus, it is more often earlier - I know students who, in order to ride the bus, have to get up at 5:30AM. Then they arrive at school where, depending on the student, they will spend the next 6-11 hours (think about sports, band practice, cheerleading, after-school meetings, etc; not to count the latch-key kids, or the ones whose parents forget to pick them up). Students are often expected to spend at least 45 minutes on homework for any particular class; which means, if they have 5 classes, which is normal, they have to spend 3 hours each night doing homework. Add into that some time for friends, maybe, and a little time to eat, and you have for a fairly long day. Back up a little. While they are at school, they are taught by teachers who care little about them (there are exceptions, yes, but that is not normal). To quote 0racle (http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=225066&cid=18 226026), "...[are] just not wanting to deal with kids at all, they just told their students to sit down and shut up for an hour and then assigned homework that should have been covered in class." They are taught by teachers who play favorites, who have no respect for their students, who look down on their students, who don't believe their students will ever be anything in life, who teach because it's "their job," and who demand respect rather than earn (or deserve) it. Parents often try to live through their kids, or have higher than needed expectations for their kids. They measure their kids by the society as a whole, rather than appreciate the child for who he or she is and then seek for their child to grow from that. What I mean is, the standards are set by society in order for each school or student to "be better than everyone else," rather than "be the best that I can be." Take, for example, a couple quotes from Slashdotters who commented before me (to the best of my knowledge, these comments are not taken out of context): "Yeah...I want to put my kids in that school. They'll get into Stanford for sure!", "How about we wipe their tushies and tell them they won't have to work hard to make something of themselves? Howabout just have them skip college (whole lotta more school work plus paying work)? Just tell them that a real work day is only about 6 hours, and you never have to take some work home with you, or stay late to finish that work so you don't have to take it home?" Life becomes a competition in highschool, and this carries over into the workplace as students graduate. Several responses to this "competition" are: "I accept the challenge and will do anything to rise to the top," "I just want to get by," or even "I don't want to compete so I quit." You can see these responses in action when you watch highschoolers; there are those who seek to exceed, there are those who are just there, and there are those who have given up and spend their time causing trouble or zoning everything out. Regardless of what response a teen gives, nearly all of them wear masks. They are not themselves while at school, they are not themselves while at home, and they are not themselves while around most of their friends. On top of that, their mask changes for each group that they are around; and they see no problem with their masks contradicting each other as long as they are never exposed for who they truly are. Teenagers are afraid to be themselves. At school, they play along with teachers to please them; at home, they play along with their family to fool them into thinking t
You guys should read the book, "Hurt: Inside the World of Today's Teenagers." At least read the summary to see if you're interested: http://www.amazon.com/Hurt-Inside-Todays-Teenagers -Culture/dp/0801027322/sr=1-1/qid=1171911875/ref=p d_bbs_sr_1/105-6743750-7895649?ie=UTF8&s=books.
It talks a lot about this - not getting rid of homework, but if you read the book you might understand why lightening up on homework might not be such a bad idea.
The problem exists not just in schools, but in our society as a whole. It grew when we decided that a world without morals would be a good thing; and that the best successes in life are the people who make the most money.
"Let's just teach kids facts; not how to live or how to get along with other people." We are amazing. Right? We're Americans. We deserve every good thing. Right? Isn't that what every commerical and billboard tells us? "Get 'this' now! Faster, better, more convenient for you... because you deserve it." "Believe in yourself, because you are so great." "Do whatever you want, there are no rules. People are just glorified animals, so it doesn't really matter if you kill them, or rape them, or hate them." "You deserve to be free. Morals are bad because they will restrict your life. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise; and if they do, report them to the media so everyone can laugh at them for having some stability in their lives." "Love is just a feeling, so it doesn't really matter if I divorce your mom. It doesn't matter if I beat her or have an affair - I can do what I want." "Let's censor every religious conversation or symbol because people might get offended; they shouldn't be able to think for themselves. On second thought, let's just censor anything to do with the Bible because it's just a stupid book that restricts peoples lives."
50% of people in America who've been married have also been divorced. Half of kids have a single parent. That parent is busy trying to keep their family from starvation or trying to please their boss at work. There's no time for kids. Even people with two parents... most of them start out in a daycare from day one and it just gets worse from there. The teachers at school are only there 'cuz it's their job, and most of them don't even enjoy it. Why would they care anything about their student's lives? Minors aren't stupid. They know when someone really cares about them, and more often then not they only can get that from their friends. Friends are a big deal. It's the most attention they ever get from someone; and even that is often bogged down and destroyed by pressures to do drugs, smoke, become an alcoholic, become addicted to porn, etc. And why not? Why would they even want to be alive? No one else gives them any hope or gives them a reason to live. So let's just do whatever we want and destroy our lives, because *nothing really matters and no one really cares anyway*...
When you begin teaching people (not necessarily even from just a textbook, but with our lives and our own behavior) that there is no right or wrong, there is no guaranteed truth, and they can do whatever they want with no real consequences then what else would you expect? There is freedom within boundaries; outside them lies only chaos. Suicide is up, drug use is up, alocholism is up, divorce is up, emotional problems are up, videogame sales are up... all because people are trying to escape reality. And why not? Reality is trash. The best you can hope for in reality is to live a long time so you can make money, buy stuff, hope it satisfies you, and eventually die.