I never thought of myself as being old-fashioned, but more and more, I am seeing evidence that the world has gone on, and sort of left me behind. Either that, or I've grown up, and my mind has matured, and I've left the world behind. Or a bit of both. One thing that's for sure is, I am thinking a lot more similarly to my dad nowadays than before. The following are principles I've learned which have changed my wayz:
Others don't necessarily know what's best, or even what's better. This is the fruit of years of being affected by peer pressure, resulting in eventually the realization that the people around me aren't necessarily smarter than me and know better. While it is good to listen to other people's opinions and perspectives, it is a bad idea to overrule my own judgment to follow what others think. Ironically, teenagers are accused of thinking that they know better than their parents, but they take the opinions of their peers so seriously and feel it necessary to be approved by them. I think that teenagers become adults when they stop thinking their peers are always right. This applies to the acceptable way to dress, the acceptable way to act, the acceptable music to listen to, the acceptable activities to engage in, etc.
Looks can be deceiving. Actually, more generally, things are not as they seem. Unfortunately, most of the time, it is not until I am living it that I then have the full picture. This happened with buying a new laptop, buying a new house, and starting a new job. Therefore, it is a good idea to have a large margin with which things may go wrong but will still end up okay.
When listening to people, consider what they say, what they don't say, and where they are coming from. Not everyone is someone who knows what (s)he is doing and/or a kind-hearted person who wants to help others out. Or, not everything should be taken at face value. For example, negative reviews for a computer in which the points are weak and show the reviewer to be incompetent or impatient should be discounted.
With this as the foundation, I think:
Alcoholic beverages are stupid. You pay money to drink something that doesn't taste good and isn't good for you.
Parties are overrated. Sure, everyone dresses up pretty and there's lots of activities going on and pretty sights to see, but nobody is really being themselves. I doubt any deep, long-lasting relationships develop at parties, contrary to what Hollywood would have you believe.
I'd much rather save my money on unnecessary things and spend it on necessary things that ensure I don't end up at retirement age without any savings and in poor health.
