Something that really annoys me

Yeah seems you are right, unfortunately seeing how many people do it, it is human nature.

Unfortunately there's lots of bad things, like violence for example that are also part of human nature.

Yes, humans are quite good at injecting negative energy into the world. That's why we all play ukuleles...to help balance things out by creating lots of positive energy. :)
 
Yeah seems you are right, unfortunately seeing how many people do it, it is human nature.

Unfortunately there's lots of bad things, like violence for example that are also part of human nature.

Yes there is, and while playing the ukulele is a fun, and on the surface it appears to be just the most loving, non-judgemental, wholesome activity that there could be, we aren't going to impact human nature significantly enough to change it.
 
I am still waiting for my first ever Uke to get to me, it's supposed to be here on Monday, but may be delayed by a day or so, due to a mechanical failure (I guess the UPS truck broke down, lol). Anyways, I am bored, so time for an off-topic post.[/I

Something that really annoys me is that whenever I bring up my Cigar and Pipe smoking hobby (tobacco only, no marijuana or other substances) or talk about all the fast food I like to eat, etc, etc I often get people telling me "you shouldn't smoke, it causes cancer, lung disease, etc" or "that food will give you a heart attack, high blood pressure, you're going to get diabetes" etc.

What's annoying is that, I am about a month from being 25 years old, young, but plenty old enough to understand the effects of different food types, and of tobacco smoke. I don't need people telling me things which I have known for a decade, if not more, already.

I am sure I can't be the only person who is annoyed by others telling people the obvious, especially if it's something that affects only them.

You do not need to tell people things that literally everyone knows, it's not helpful, it's just annoying, as annoying as Jehovah's Witnesses knocking on your door.


Not being funny but why post this on a Ukulele forum? There must be pipe smoking forums?
 
Your remark of "why should people. be told to look both ways crossing a street" was on my mind on the way home from a gig today. Went past a school as it was getting out. Saw kids walking across the street without slowing down or even glancing to see if a car was coming. Later, after getting a coffee, saw some guy around 25 crossing the street without so much of a glance to see if it was safe. Being a small town and retired teacher at the school; I'm contacting the safety resource officer and mention he should step up the "look both ways before crossing the street" with the students and writing our small town paper. So if anything, your thread has made me more aware of the value looking both ways.

BTW, congrats on the new uke. May you enjoy the fun of learning the instrument and welcome to the forum!
 
Thank you, still quite new.

Yeah, kids do some really dumb sh*t. I Went to Wendy's in the spring for lunch, there were high school kids on their lunch break, and they were just running across the parking lot without looking without care, I had to make a sudden stop, because one literally bolted out a few feet in front of my car.
 
Yes there is, and while playing the ukulele is a fun, and on the surface it appears to be just the most loving, non-judgemental, wholesome activity that there could be, we aren't going to impact human nature significantly enough to change it.

Music is a powerful force. It can make you smile, laugh or cry; it can lift depression or ease anxiety. It can be a catalyst for creativity. It increases endorphins, which can bring temporarily relief from chronic pain. And, from personal experience, I know that when you learn to play an instrument, it can change your life. Ukulele players alone might not be able to significantly change human nature, but through the power of music, individual lives can be changed, either temporarily or permanently. Today’s world needs more music. If playing more ukuleles will get us there, then I’m all for it. :)
 
I am still waiting for my first ever Uke to get to me, it's supposed to be here on Monday, but may be delayed by a day or so, due to a mechanical failure (I guess the UPS truck broke down, lol). Anyways, I am bored, so time for an off-topic post.
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Something that really annoys me is that whenever I bring up my Cigar and Pipe smoking hobby (tobacco only, no marijuana or other substances) or talk about all the fast food I like to eat, etc, etc I often get people telling me "you shouldn't smoke, it causes cancer, lung disease, etc" or "that food will give you a heart attack, high blood pressure, you're going to get diabetes" etc.

What's annoying is that, I am about a month from being 25 years old, young, but plenty old enough to understand the effects of different food types, and of tobacco smoke. I don't need people telling me things which I have known for a decade, if not more, already.

I am sure I can't be the only person who is annoyed by others telling people the obvious, especially if it's something that affects only them.

You do not need to tell people things that literally everyone knows, it's not helpful, it's just annoying, as annoying as Jehovah's Witnesses knocking on your door.

I’ve been thinking about this for a day it too. Yes, it can be annoying when folk tell you things that are (what we perceive to be) common knowledge. To my mind there are two groups of people who give unwanted or unsolicited comment: those that want to help you and those that want to influence you.

For those that want to help me and have my best interests at heart I am grateful if sometimes frustrated by repeat messages and poorly given messages. One can but be glad to be loved enough by those people that they would choose to spend their time and their efforts looking out for us - but smothering someone with love isn’t helpful.

For those that want to influence me for their own purposes I would (mentally at least) suggest that they went away, such folk are generally best avoided but if you can’t do that then handle with caution.

I won’t add to what’s already been suggested about smoking and care of one’s body. It easily gets to the point of preaching at people and however well intended that’s sometimes that’s still just not helpful.
 
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I think it is a mistake to think that other people have annoyed you.
Firstly it awards them a power they actually do not have -- and it makes you a victim.
Secondly it shows a lack of awareness that, in actual fact, you create your own feelings, and it is completely up to you what kind of feelings you create.
If you don´t like being annoyed, then understand that it was your choice to feel thus, and other options are available.
For example, if someone cuts you up in traffic, you can either rant at ¨The Fool! and get hot and bothered maybe affecting your own driving, or you can assume he´s racing for the local maternity ward, and wish him luck, and go your way feeling fortunate it wasn´t you. It´s up to you how you feel Twiggy, you make your feelings.
 
Conveniently, I have no car so I rarely have to worry about crazy pedestrians. I have been in the financial district in San Francisco, and had to put my arm out (more than once) to stop a pedestrian next to me from stepping in front of moving cars. I suppose that person could have been mad at me for touching them. You never know how people will react.
 
On Oahu, we have way more pedestrian deaths than the national average and, yeah, the obvious advice of looking both ways has been missed by far too many. Most are engulfed in their smartphone and earsbuds. They wouldn't notice a huge firetruck with sirens blazing even at 10 feet. I live across the street from a fire station and have personally witnessed many near misses of smartphone zombies...
 
This thread popped up and made me think of my son, who is now in his mid thirties. He just bought a new car on Saturday. A nice one too. Better than mine. He lives in LA and he texted me some pictures of it and then called me up. Before he ended the call I told him to drive careful and watch out for the other guy. When he first started driving as a teenager every single time he went out I would remind him to drive carefully and watch out for the other guy. He would assure me that he would. After a few years of that the started humoring me when I told him. Then he got into his twenties and got defensive when I told him and he would tell me that he wasn't a child. Mid twenties he got annoyed with me always telling him. Finally in his thirties he has gone back to assuring me that he will drive careful and watch out for the other guy, not to worry. Funny how maturity works.
 
Funny how maturity works.

It certainly is funny how things work out, as a parent and grandparent I find myself looking at younger versions of myself and offering practical help and guidance (so that they don’t suffer unnecessarily difficulties and so that my mistakes aren’t repeated by them).

I definitely liked the driving tip - it applies to a lot of other things too - and have learned to (try to) watch out for what the other Guy might do ... never underestimate the stupidity of folk.
 
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¨never underestimate the stupidity of folk¨
I think I see where you´re coming from Graham.

With me, it´s fairly straightforward.
When I make a mistake, it´s because anyone can make a mistake.
When others make a mistake, it´s because they´re stupid.
And a fool is someone who doesn´t know something I have known for the past ten minutes.
Sadly, I´m fairly typical ...
 
¨never underestimate the stupidity of folk¨
I think I see where you´re coming from Graham.

With me, it´s fairly straightforward.
When I make a mistake, it´s because anyone can make a mistake.
When others make a mistake, it´s because they´re stupid.
And a fool is someone who doesn´t know something I have known for the past ten minutes.
Sadly, I´m fairly typical ...

To me there are various forms of stupidity and some are more understandable than others. We’ve all made mistakes and later thought ourselves stupid for making whatever the mistake was. We’ve all discovered ways to complete a task and then wondered how we could have been so stupid as not to have made the discovery earlier. Some of us have driven in a way that we later realised was reckless and are thankful to still be alive, we know that what we did was stupid and now make a habit of compensating for younger versions of ourselves. Some people, vandals, destroy public property and other things of value; IMHO that is completely stupid and my hope is that such people reap the rewards that they deserve and are persuaded of their error.
 
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Yeah, kids do some really dumb sh*t. I Went to Wendy's in the spring for lunch, there were high school kids on their lunch break, and they were just running across the parking lot without looking without care, I had to make a sudden stop, because one literally bolted out a few feet in front of my car.

You should tell them to stop doing that thing that's detrimental to their well-being even though they've probably heard that advice a bunch of times, because their behavior indicates that they don't understand.
 
Thank you, still quite new.

Yeah, kids do some really dumb sh*t. I Went to Wendy's in the spring for lunch, there were high school kids on their lunch break, and they were just running across the parking lot without looking without care, I had to make a sudden stop, because one literally bolted out a few feet in front of my car.

Smoking is another dumb thing that kids do because they think they're invulnerable. If you checked out the folks who smoke, I'll bet that the majority started when they were kids and became addicted. Most adults who smoke wish they'd never started, but stopping is not easy.
When I was in grade five, a friend stole a carton of Black Cats and hid it in a hollow tree in the woods where we played. We'd go down after school and smoke. When they were gone, most of us bought cigarettes and continued smoking. After I moved out of my parents home, I tried many times to quit, but it's not an easy addiction to overcome. I finally quit 44 years ago when I found out that I was gonna be a father.
 
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