I am a new bottle of wine.

(Let me start off with the overused confession: I have been lurking this site since I was an awkward 14-year old, and its followed me into my early twenties now. (PS: Akragon, if I give you my cat Agent, will it still be necessary to kiss that... "cat"? ))

I am a new bottle of wine to be shaped by the future.

In smaller terms, I'm a strapping, young soon-to-be 21-year-old with hopes for the future that will probably never become reality. But that may be just a symptom of my youth. When I confess that my hope is to become a farm owner who is completely self-sufficient and off the grid, people tell me to get some real dreams and get back to work. They are right: I don't understand how much work it will be to own my own farm and to earn a living off of the land. Every day the governments of the world tighten the nooses around our necks. But if it is still possible to do that by the time I'm wise enough to raise animals, I intend to prove to the world that there is some hope still to be found. "Fight the good fight," as it were.

I still can't seem to decide what "the good fight" actually is, though. I haven't exactly done my best over the years to cultivate intelligent thoughts that were entirely my own. My parents have always been poor, and I was never able to attend any "high end" schools. Public school was the route I took in my early years - and I flew through it with terrible ease. I was always astonished when I was the only one genuinely interested in subject matter, and saddened when my quest for more knowledge was plucked from the stem in its earliest spring by so many frivolous things: standardized testing, the lack of encouragement, and the punishments for failure to succeed. Inquisitive minds are shut down early.

I listened to the rabble while not truly taking any side and believing both to be flawed. My ten-year-old mind called for war in the wake of 9/11 (the event which ultimately served to wake me from the state of slumber much of the people reside in). And I have since been thankful I was not older, and did not have the power to put such immature, fear-driven desires out into the world. I have some dreadful news: I may be young, but I am not stupid. I may not challenge myself like I should, but I have not buried the questions that keep asking themselves. I have only silenced them. For one so young to already be so tired of hearing, "That's just the way it is," in reference to all the world's wrongs - is that normal? Is it, "socially acceptable?"

I decided to join because my neutral attitude has taken a turn for the worse. Something in me wants to go out and scream at the world to wake up and do something, and something else wants to run away and shut it all out, to live in a similar manner to a hermit in the quest to just make peace with the world as it is. Neither side is really helping, and both paths lead ultimately to ruin. My quest is simply to love myself and the world exactly the same. At this moment, I am not happy with either. I seek to grow myself, to age and mature like the bottles of wine stored deep within an ancient cellar until such time that I can positively impact the world.

To simplify that statement, my current motto is this: "Change yourself before you can change the world." Start with yourself, and watch the world ripple and react to your choices. But I want to make the right choices, and I am at the point now where I am frozen. I can't decide what to do. I can't decide whether to love the world or hate it all, whether to sing or to scream and I keep hoping and praying to whatever gods there are to embrace my quest for wisdom and just show me the way - but we all know it doesn't work like that.

I am a bottle of wine mere seconds before its flavor becomes developed. I don't want to become bitter, like my parents. My flavor will not be one of despair, but if it is my choice should become like the finest champagne to be shared eagerly with the rest of the world as a medicine for dejection. And I guess I am merely hoping to prune back some of the weeds creeping in my thoughts through some active discussion. Maybe meet some like-minded folks, or at least some folks who are not afraid to tell me why I am wrong, wrong, wrong.

So... Awkward hello, ATS.

Originally posted by moonskii

I am a new bottle of wine to be shaped by the future.

I'm an old bottle of wine shaped by the past.

Oo

Howdy sparkles

I lift my glass of Château St Georges 1966 up to you and say welcome to ATS...

Cheers

Kindest respects

Rodinus

Hello! Thank you for the warm welcome ^^

Never lose that fire - your lust for life and the pursuit of knowledge.

It is posts like this that give me hope.

I'm almost 30 and am desperately attempting to rekindle the flame so unique to youth and newness. It is that enduring spirit which will help you carry on and light the world around you.

Bravo!

reply to post by moonskii


What a fantastic intro new friend!! So glad you joined us
Im with the welcoming committee ..here's you some cheesecake



Enjoy your stay
Peace and love
-nat the blue eyed cat-

reply to post by moonskii

In smaller terms, I'm a strapping, young soon-to-be 21-year-old with hopes for the future that will probably never become reality. But that may be just a symptom of my youth. When I confess that my hope is to become a farm owner who is completely self-sufficient and off the grid, people tell me to get some real dreams and get back to work. They are right: I don't understand how much work it will be to own my own farm and to earn a living off of the land. Every day the governments of the world tighten the nooses around our necks. But if it is still possible to do that by the time I'm wise enough to raise animals, I intend to prove to the world that there is some hope still to be found. "Fight the good fight," as it were.

If most people your age were as wise as those words, then this would be a far better world.

On a sidenote, if most people your age were as wise as those words, we'd grow up with a lot less regrets. I know I can say that with honesty in remembering how foolish I was, lol.

Best of luck and welcome to ATS.

...you had me at "wine".

And I'll stop there, before I start looking like a cougar.

Welcome! Hope you enjoy your ATS experience! Look forward to hearing more from you in future!

Here there be dragons. Hello and welcome!!

Welcome new guys..

reply to post by moonskii


Good morning Moonskil and welcome to ATS. An excellent introduction...................You are very well spoken for one so young, I have a feeling that is not attributed to our public school system so you are to be commended for taking your thirst for knowledge into your own hands.

I enjoyed so much of what you wrote and look forward to seeing your thoughts in the forums. I rarely give advice, even when asked, so I will just remind you of something I forget so often. The MSM always throws me off my game. They tell me what I should think instead of reporting the facts and allowing me to form my own opinions. i fall for this ploy time and time again. It is only by visiting ATS and reading some intelligent posts on the subject matter that I begin to look at things from all angles.

I'm not here to advocate everything on ATS is pure truth. I am simply letting you know this site will help you think freely, give alternatives to the official story (OS) and allow you to express yourself freely.

Example (Just for fun) Todays top stories on ATS

Leaking Nuclear Tanks, Russian Plane fired upon over Syria, and of course alternative views on the tragedy in Boston.

MSN . COM Top movers

Kim K's Baby Bump, Justin and Selena and Dwight Howard tweets an apology

Entertainment and sports.......Keeps most peoples minds off the real issues of the day.

I'm excited you are here and welcome once again!

Tez

reply to post by moonskii

Welcome to the site as an official member. Normally I'd offer you the standardized "new member" blurb with links to the T&Cs and so forth but I have a strong suspicion that you have perused the relevant on-site literature already, so I'll dispense with that and just say that should you have any query at any time, please feel free to contact any staff member for advice.

I appreciate your "new wine" metaphor. It's a very ancient one that in some form or other is found in a diversity of cultures. So here's an additional thought on the subject: you know that quite commonly, bottles of wine lying in their racks and being aged, should occasionally be turned. There are various reasons for this, but as this is not an oenological discussion per se I'd only comment that even as our own awareness matures, it can be beneficial if it is metaphorically turned around sometimes. Otherwise, we can become fixed on one perspective and the result of that can be detrimental to the whole. Ultimately, even if we eventually turn again to where we were before, what happens on the way there can add some flavour to life.

You've already been warned of the dragons. There are various other creatures that lurk here as well, but you have doubtless encountered them during your time of lurking and have marked out their lairs and the likely places where they lie in wait to prey on the unwary, or at least instill fear and dread with their snarls from the darkness.

Mike

reply to post by moonskii


I'm an old bottle of whine

But will welcome you to the tribe nontheless.

Wow. This is the most welcome I've ever felt anywhere! Thank you all for the words of encouragement, and I look forward to butting heads with the best

Now if I could just get my bearings straight...

Welcome to ATS! You do not sound like a 20-year-old. You must be blessed with wisdom beyond your years.