I recently got a job as a software developer/computer programmer.
This is weird for several reasons. One of which is that when I was in high school, one of my goals prior to being thirty was to become a computer programmer to pay for seminary. I just did it in reverse. The programming I’m doing is pretty top level, but it’s all new to me and in many ways is more frustrating than some of the “harder” stuff I learned in college.
Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God. (Matthew 5:8)In my opinion, the beatitudes here in Matthew are Jesus' declaration that "the good life" is available to the people who are not typically seen residents in such an honorable estate. His idea, that those who suffer or are lightly esteemed can be blessed, is rooted in the Old Testament. It can also be found in Plato and the stoics ("Better to suffer injustice, than to commit injustice."). The difference is that Matthew is making the claim that only through Jesus and his ministry the good life with God is definitively available, or rather through Jesus and his teaching can it be actualized with certainty. For Matthew seems to see several Old Testament figures as blessed in similar ways.
Now, the message of the four gospels is not merely the happy parts of Matthew 5:3-10. Indeed, there is more to being pure at heart than simply being good for a while and then seeing God and enjoying the good-life. Jesus, who would qualify as pure in heart in an exemplary fashion, certainly sees God. But his single-mindedness led him directly to the cross, where Matthew says that Jesus cried:
A few days ago Tim Hunt, an important medical researcher made a remark to the effect that women in laboratories are easy to make cry, easy to fall in love with, or too easily fall in love with the men. What he said was a joke (he’s married to a top scientist in her field!) based on some of his observations over time.
My first thought was that all of the people who talk all the time about how science is literally no different from what expert scientists say (like when Richard Dawkins is quoted as though he understands philosophy just because he is a former biologist). But, that same group, it seems, found Hunt’s remarks so offensive that he has been asked to resign from his job doing important research to fight cancer! The feelings of a small group of people are considered more important than his research now! The fact of the matter is that lots of women are scientists and the ones who are wouldn’t be deterred by a remark like that, just like men aren’t deterred from leadership positions when journalists claim that women are better than men at leading.
One of my favorite bands is Lovedrug. It’s hard to say when I discovered them, perhaps when I still lived with my parents. I distinctly remember thinking that their purevolume page was super awesome. Anyway, this song off of their second album, which I ordered on half.com and somehow received an advanced copy of, love before my friends got the actual thing is one of my favorites. The singer’s voice takes some getting used to, but the concept in the song is pretty cool. The character is a bit of a white knight kind of guy (showing over much affection to a girl who is not interested), but if you think of it as though things were occurring on a more cosmic or epic scale, then it’s pretty awesome.
If you cannot read for pleasure, start. It can be anything: history, how-to books, philosophy, great literature, popularized science, theology. I recommend a bit of everything. But learn to read for pleasure in the same way one might lift weights for pleasure. That way, even if something feels boring or unpleasant in the moment, it could be good for you when you finish. In order to make time for this you’ll need to watch less television, but it is worth it because reading for pleasure improves your ability to study by increasing certain brain functions that correlate with empathy and problem solving.
Learn to budget. Write a budget and stick to it rigidly. This will save you a lot of trouble in college and in your early thirties when many people are buried under massive debt from their college years while still working in entry level positions with low income.
I mentioned cooking when talking about the morning routine. People often joke about how bad they are at cooking. Do not let them intimidate you. People who say such things are simply admitting that they are bad at following (or more likely refuse to) instructions. Cooking is fun, produces tasty things, and gives you options for dinner. Ask your parents, buy a cookbook, or use internet videos, but cooking is great fun and an important milestone for approaching adulthood.
If your parents do not possess this knowledge, then I recommend using the internet (with their permission) in order to do simple things like check tire pressure, use a compressor, and check fluid levels. If you have other opportunities (perhaps asking a friend’s parent to teach you), then jump at the opportunity. Basic tune ups can save you thousands when you’re older. I also say vehicular, because many young people no longer perform the basics of bicycle repair and upkeep. Regular oiling, tub changes, and tightening are key to safety and efficiency in cycling for exercise and travel.
One of the major problems in high school curricula today is that students are taught to regurgitate so much material, that they rarely ever produce their own knowledge. Learning to program teaches you to problem solve in a way that is hardly analogous to any class except Calculus in high school and gives you opportunities that are able to be pursued even by students who live in apartments without garages or opportunities to do house or automobile repairs themselves.
Your morning responsibilities immediately become your own when you move out. I recommend that you make them your own in high school or earlier. A good morning routine actually starts the previous night, but more on that later. A morning routine will help you in three key ways:
If you do not buy your lunch, then the morning (or the night before) is a good time to prepare your food. Again, preparing your own is cheaper than buying the school lunch (unless you’re on assisted lunches), and if you make your own food you’ll save time for your parents so that they can have a more relaxing morning.