Living for the struggle

So all this talk of New York City vs. San Francisco vs. London made me think about something.

People say that living in New York is hard. And you know what? It is. It takes a long time to get around, the ancient, creaking infrastructure is more often hindrance than help, "F*ck you!" is a standard greeting, and getting your cable fixed takes one week, minimum, and you need to present to somewhere an hour's travel away between a ludicrously short set of business hours. My brother said that "The thing about New York City is that there's a Big Hassle every month or so. This month it's the transit strike. It'll be a blizzard next and a water shut-down the next. Then it'll be summer and black-outs."

But it's so FUN to live in!

In a way, these minor hassles add to its color. I love having a nurse give me attitude because I ask her to do her job; because the New York way of handling that situation is to hand the attitude right back to her. I love having to rough it from time to time without some standard (but not strictly live-giving) utility, like no electricity, no cable modem, +electricity/-AC on a 40C day). I love the muttered, incomprehensible announcements on the trains, and the complete disinterest the guy next to you has for your own situation. Finding an apartment in New York is kinda fun because it's such a black-market, back-room sort of thing (leasing office? hah! My landlady runs out the record store downstairs, but she's amazing!)

San Francisco is so friendly, so clean, so efficient, and so easy. People are so nice and you don't have to put up with attitude all the time. The trains are beautiful examples of smoothness, and they run mostly on time. The infrastructure is all new (because the entire city had to be re-build after the earthquake in 1908) and it's not nearly as roach or mouse-infested as New York.

But if I wind up there, I have a feeling that I'll miss the struggle of living in NYC the most. The little daily annoyances that keep the place interesting.

How do you like your life? Easy or a bit rough?

I am moving to San Francisco in about two weeks, and coming from a much smaller city it really sounds more like how you just described New York. Caltrain hit a car last week and my boyfriend didn't get home from work till about 10 at night because of the delays-- previous to that were some construction delays, after a truck caught fire and melted part of an overpass somewhere leading up to the Bay Bridge (which is also in need of repairs which will happen sometime soon, for 20 year old earthquake damage). Even on a good day it takes him about an hour to get to work. The place is jam-packed with people, a lot of them insane and pretty scary.

So I guess I'll be finding out how I like it pretty soon, heh.

I like choosing my challenges Hard work all the way, unless my effort is being wasted.

TBH - I see many of those annoyances you talk of (especially commuting) as a waste of life. Once I lived in a nice unit 10 minutes ride through a green park next to a river from my work. Loved it.

Additionally, I really dislike people giving me 'attitude' for no reason - I cant imagine missing that.

so yeah - I guess I like my life easy and rough

I like the struggle, but appreciate being able to relax.

Being challenged, having to struggle through life is what makes people stronger, more experienced and more capable. If that struggle was taken away and life was made easy in every single way, I'd be bored. My job for example provides no challenge - I find myself easily bored and considering changing to a more hectic job, even if it isn't as well paying.

'Druids always choose the hard way; it encourages natural selection!'

See and I love Oregon and miss it terribly...

I think I like being near the struggle but being removed from it. The plight in Milwaukee is similar (a gang shooting this year, try one or two a day here). Having spent nearly a year down there and getting to know people, Milwaukee holds a place close to my heart. I want to make it better for the people who cannot leave. I want to make it someplace that they can be proud to say we're from. If your from Wisconsin and say you're from Milwaukee, they think you're a gang-banger and all bad. Milwaukee has a lot of problems, mental health facilities are shut down, rehab centers run out of money, cops are jaded, drugs and gangs are literally everywhere. I only lived there for a year but it made an impression on me. Mom always said I wanted to save the lost puppy dogs, and I found a really big one

Just been watching the guys in Iraq on the news an stumble onto this thread. Going back there next year for my third time. I know this thread is purely objective and not in any way trying to draw comparrisims to people in Iraq, Africa etc but really makes me laugh. I mean we all complain if the internet go's down for an hour or if we have to work a little unpaid overtime. I complain when I work a seventy two hour shift and I'm having to make stuff to fix an engine cus the government can't/won't pay to supply the stores. I still feel bad when I look at the army though being shot at by people there suppsosed to be helping who want to kill them and they have to dig trenches to sleep in. Well, off my and finish my

I prefer the easy life, there's enough hardship and suffering out there. Experience of it will help you grow as a person but too much will twist you. To wish it on yourself is silly, even if it is just the little things like a tube strike or a powercut.

tasmania

me, it is a bit of both too..,
I live in the jungle now, and I love some aspects of it, but other times I feel I am struggling. Like will there ever ever be a day, a whole day, where nothing bites me? please oh please. What a fantasy that has become.Or I dont have to face some poisonous dangerous scary critter? I dont have power half the time, and so storing energy in batteries, planning things like that, and getting sufficient water, and setting up the lanterns for when I dont have power, and carrying in all the stuff I want and need- cause there is no store, and is no road-- well, some days it is just annoying.

Others, I like how it slows me down, makes me strong and aware, and active in my own life. Take nothing for granted, to be sure!

I appreciate that you're seeing the positives here Doc, and I can see how it might be.. interesting for a couple of months but I really wouldn't be able to enjoy those annoyances long term.

 Written by: darkness-before

there's enough hardship and suffering out there. Experience of it will help you grow as a person but too much will twist you.

nice quote!

ARISE, THREAD FROM LIKE FOREVER AGO! MUWAHAHAHAAAA!!!

Okay, I've been living in San Francisco since 2007.

....Aaaaaand I'm officially a bad person cause I still don't know where the hell hippie hill is.

Been so busy with school I've not been around here, and actually with the low ceilings and all I've barely practiced at all. Haven't even been to any dance classes in a while either and I'm really feeling the deprivation here.