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[Willfor]

A woman I know doesn't believe in evolution because she says there's no evidence, and that she can't put algae in a dish and have it evolve into a man. I would've pointed out that we have seen evolution in progress with bacteria becoming resistant to penicillin, and that even the punctuated equilibrium model of evolution doesn't occur anywhere near fast enough to turn algae into an animal (let alone a man) overnight, but I hate getting into arguments about evolution, and her argument would've just been filled with unlogic and contradictions as usual. She can believe what she believes, but she needs to at least learn something on what she's talking about.

The (first) reason your argument would fail almost immediately is because most of the current anti-evolution propaganda includes a micro-evolution clause as it's valid, observable science. ie: bacteria evolve and adapt, but they still remain bacteria. It is only if you get past that stage that you will get into unlogic and contradictions.

/pedantry.

[Tellemurius]

Tell them that everything is running by electron jumps and watch them scratch their heads with that.

[Willfor]

Tell them that everything is running by electron jumps and watch them scratch their heads with that.

The fact that you think this would have any effect whatsoever makes me sad. Back when I was a creationist this tidbit of information would have made me LESS convinced of your argument because it makes so much sense from the Christian perspective.

Though to be fair, I was a little bit weird and ahead of the curve.

[Vector]

Still? Ha. I screwed up any chance of a 4.0 by taking Welding in the first semester of my freshman year. B- after some seriously METAL hard work. Asides, I have at least a couple A-'s. I haven't really worried about my GPA so much as learning. I'm sitting at about a 3.8-3.9-ish. I've always felt bad for the people who carry a 4.0 all the way through high school while neglecting everything but academics. They only get screwed over in the end because colleges want people that know how to be people.

Yeah, I have a C on my transcript because I spent my first semester sophomore year basically doing a crash-course in social skills, which is something I needed a lot more than linear algebra =/  This semester hasn't been too good, either, but... well, whatever.  I've discovered that I care less about getting perfect grades despite overwhelmingly bad circumstances than I do about keeping my health and sanity.  My grades are actually worse because I cared more about grades than health early in the semester.  So, well, I guess I've learned my lesson and both grad school and I can deal with that >________________>

[Tellemurius]

Tell them that everything is running by electron jumps and watch them scratch their heads with that.

The fact that you think this would have any effect whatsoever makes me sad. Back when I was a creationist this tidbit of information would have made me LESS convinced of your argument because it makes so much sense from the Christian perspective.

Though to be fair, I was a little bit weird and ahead of the curve.

Oh come on, the reality that all creatures are a literal super-complex circuit board doesn't effect anyone?

[Willfor]

Tell them that everything is running by electron jumps and watch them scratch their heads with that.

The fact that you think this would have any effect whatsoever makes me sad. Back when I was a creationist this tidbit of information would have made me LESS convinced of your argument because it makes so much sense from the Christian perspective.

Though to be fair, I was a little bit weird and ahead of the curve.

Oh come on, the reality that all creatures are a literal super-complex circuit board doesn't effect anyone?

It generally makes Christians more excited because we're finding out how God holds the world together using the smallest of "objects". True power being held by the insignificant is a basic tenet of Christian theology.

[Tellemurius]

What, i don't see the connection between this and god, and im catholic.

[Criptfeind]

What the fuck. Is this a religious debate on the sad thread? GTFO

[SalmonGod]

I've discovered that I care less about getting perfect grades despite overwhelmingly bad circumstances than I do about keeping my health and sanity.

Too many people don't understand this. 

I get criticism for allowing myself free time while also complaining about not having enough time for important things.  Yeah, I take 2-3 hours a night for myself to relax if at all possible.  I never met my grandfather (whose name I inherited) because he worked himself to death in his mid-30's.  My dad's had a stroke in his mid-40's.  I've suffered drastic health issues myself from pushing myself too hard.  Plus I'm almost guaranteed to suffer severe alzheimer's when I'm older.  I'm not going to wait until then to enjoy myself a little.

Same thing for sleep.  I'm tired all the time.  I also require some daily solitude to function properly... which I can only get by staying awake longer than everyone else in the house.

[Stone Wera]

A woman I know doesn't believe in evolution because she says there's no evidence, and that she can't put algae in a dish and have it evolve into a man. I would've pointed out that we have seen evolution in progress with bacteria becoming resistant to penicillin, and that even the punctuated equilibrium model of evolution doesn't occur anywhere near fast enough to turn algae into an animal (let alone a man) overnight, but I hate getting into arguments about evolution, and her argument would've just been filled with unlogic and contradictions as usual. She can believe what she believes, but she needs to at least learn something on what she's talking about.

The (first) reason your argument would fail almost immediately is because most of the current anti-evolution propaganda includes a micro-evolution clause as it's valid, observable science. ie: bacteria evolve and adapt, but they still remain bacteria. It is only if you get past that stage that you will get into unlogic and contradictions.

/pedantry.

It remains bacteria, but it's not the same strain of bacteria. There's always variation in each generation of organisms, no matter how miniscule, and over time the tiny variations stack and add up into what appears to be an entirely different organism. The variations being so minute that it's hard to exactly pin the point at which one organism becomes another entirely, one might say that it's another species entirely, others may disagree. We use the term species for the generations we see and have found, but everything in between is often overlooked. People often talk about the missing link between man and apes, and that's wrong, because it give the impression of a chain with each link being a different species, when no matter how many you find there will still be a link to find between the others. It's a lot like measurement, there's never an increment small enough, even when you're down to some billionth the size of an atom, it can still be smaller than the one before it.

But like I said,

I hate getting into arguments about evolution

So let's just get back to being miserable, then.

[Vector]

Too many people don't understand this. 

I get criticism for allowing myself free time while also complaining about not having enough time for important things.  Yeah, I take 2-3 hours a night for myself to relax if at all possible.  I never met my grandfather (whose name I inherited) because he worked himself to death in his mid-30's.  My dad's had a stroke in his mid-40's.  I've suffered drastic health issues myself from pushing myself too hard.  Plus I'm almost guaranteed to suffer severe alzheimer's when I'm older.  I'm not going to wait until then to enjoy myself a little.

Same thing for sleep.  I'm tired all the time.  I also require some daily solitude to function properly... which I can only get by staying awake longer than everyone else in the house.

Yeah, seriously.  My professor's seizures and health being completely shot at 55 made me go "Well fuck, my life isn't so bad that I want it to be half as long as I could reasonably expect it to be given medical advancements."

Good lord, I have enough mental problems that I'd rather take it a little easy and occasionally do poorly than push myself super-hard and get even more mental problems, like what happened last time.  I am a significantly happier person when I'm relaxed enough to cook my own meals and have my dishes done more frequently than "once every week and a half," and when my bed is made, and when I can take a shower every day or every other day, and when I can get at least 8 hours of sleep every night.

Sadly, said mental health issues make it kind of hard to get life's little things done even when I want to, because I'm constantly fighting whatever rut I'm in, or my seeming inability to spread out work over a period, or any number of days when I end up so depressed and lonely that I can't really work.

There's a certain point where overworking just isn't worth it.  I've learned from hard-earned experience that just forcing myself to go without doesn't do much good, either... it just makes me feel crazy =/

*sigh*

I guess this is one of those days where I just feel kind of fucked up.  But that's okay, too, because I'm starting to accept that.

[Nadaka]

wow... I graduated with something like a 2.8 because I was working 50-60 hours a week and dating a crazy girl, both girl and work were over an hour drive from school. So yeh, didn't sleep for most of 2 years, totally flunked out one whole semester and ended up missing drop date on a couple classes I needed to loose. I did manage to ace every class that mattered.

[ein]

My GPA last time I checked was a 2.6.
It's supposed to be higher, and when you average it out with previous years' it's about 3.5 or so.
I don't really give a fuck, so the only classes I don't do good in are English classes. :b

[Solifuge]

My brother-in-law is a brilliant, dedicated, and driven man. He's barely older than I, but teaching at a university, giving presentations alongside academic peers who are decades older than him, and works wonders with his money allowing him to take my sister on trips all over the world. He pays for this in constant stress, a horrible chain-smoking habit, medium-high alcohol intake, and little time to pursue anything else in life. The products of his lifestyle look tempting, but the cost is more than I'd be willing to give up. A primarily destination-based life seems terribly bland and unsatisfying compared to a journey-based one.

@Vector: I think I've suggested as much before, but you do seem like you could use meeting some friends whom you share significant interest-overlap with. It helps solve the loneliness thing pretty handily, and having people to remind you to look after yourself helps. Finding a new circle of friends, after I lost my old one to a series of relocations, has done wonders for my happiness and general sanity, in so many undetectable ways. Even something as simple as Livestreaming, to share some things I'd normally do by myself, with folks on the internet makes me happy.

[Megaman]

Success is a very strange thing, you need something to drown what you've done to get there/what you still need to do while you're still there.