Dropping Out and Running Away

hey everyone. this is my first time posting here. for a long time i have hated school. i've hated what the world is turning into, or has already turned into. i'm 16 years old at the moment and for months now, i've been planning to run away from home and live on my own for a while.

it probably sounds like i'm rushing into things but with the alternative of wasting away, working nine to five, i would much rather die. i don't think i could live with my self if i just let life pass me by like everyone else seems to do. i've talked to a few people about this (only on the internet because no one i know personnally would take me seriously) and i've thought about problems that might arise down the road.

my plan is to leave home sometime soon and leave a note for my parents (even though they probably won't agree with my decision, i still love them) telling them that i've run away and that i will return in a week or sooner. i live in a small town and not a large city, so i'm not too worried about getting murdered or anything like that.

this being my first time as a homeless person, i don't want to get in over my head and go too far away from home so i'll just stay near my town. it is a fairly wooded area everywhere so i'm pretty sure i could just take a tent with me and live in there for the week.

well, i thought would give you some info before i popped the question. does this sound like an okay plan? i would just like to get some feedback from people who have really lived like this. i figured i would just do this one week trip and if i really couldn't do it, then there would be no harm done and i'd just return home. but if it was something that i felt was possible for me to do, then i could just continue.

Anyways, any help you could give would really help me out because i don't want to do this under prepared.

My honest, straight up, no bullshit asessment.

You seem to think running away is going to somehow fix something.
What I'd like to hear from you is how it will actually fix anything?

Konstantin

i just want to get away from all the bullshit i have to put up with on a day to day basis. that's basically it. i don't want to wake up one morning when i'm 80 years old and realize that i have wasted my entire life following what others say. i just want to live my life the way that I want, and not for somebody else. i've thought about this for a long while and i'm pretty sure this is the only way to escape it. i hope this answered your question.

i appreciate that your not trying to sugarcoat it for me, because i realize that some days, living homelessly will not be as romanticized as i want it to be.

i don't want to wake up one morning when i'm 80 years old and realize that i have wasted my entire life following what others say.


You might find this worth a read.
http://www.classicallibrary.org/tolstoy/ivan/

Mark Nadja from Amazon summed it up better than I could.
I was your average middle-class, middle-aged married white guy. This book is a terrifying wake-up call to such guys--and I suppose to their female counterparts--to the life-not-well-lived, alas, the path most-taken.

The premise is simple. A solid career guy with all the trappings of `success'--secure job, nice house, presentable wife--lifts his arm one day and feels something go `twang' inside him. No big deal, he thinks. Probably tweaked a muscle or something. Except the little pain doesn't go away. Its not ever going away. It's a message--a message of mortality. The Grim Reaper is at the door. Time's up.

Now this is bad enough news, for sure. But that's only the beginning of this novel of existential horror. For as our hero lies a-dying he sees the life around him--the carefully tended garden of his years--as if for the first time. That is, he sees how bitter, fraudulent, and full of decay and vermin it truly is.



i just want to live my life the way that I want, and not for somebody else.


Then homelessness is not what you are looking for.
As a homeless person you are forever being moved on and bossed around by others. Isolation will reduce that, but not stop it.
As for it being a small town and safe, trouble comes in all forms and sizes.
Packs of marauding 10 year olds anyone?
Linky: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/29/homeless.attack/index.html

Check out sk8rs thread as well,
http://forums.homeless.org.au/showthread.php?t=320
Even if you decide you want to do this, it's full of useful stuff by a person who lived the life you are thinking about, forewarned is after all forearmed.

Perhaps another choice would be to find a life that is not homeless but at the same time not merely filling shoes made by other people. That is you seem to want to be homeless beause you don't want to be where you are now, not because you see anything truly good in being homeless, but rather simply because it's different to the situation you find yourself in now.

Either way,
I hope you make the right choice.

Konstantin.

The other day I had ice cream for breakfast and watched mtv, vh1 and channel v for three hours. Then I went over to the shops and bought a cd and recognised that my unknown craving that had been annoying me all morning was for a BLT and chips from the Coffee Club. So I got a paper and read that while I had my BLT and a coffee. I didn't have any work planned for the day so I wondered pretty much pointlessly around Wooleys for an hour until I knew what I felt like for dinner... pancakes with lemon and sugar on some and cream and strawberry jam on the others. So I got that and on the way out of the shops this random old guy asked me for a light. We ended up talking for an hour or so over a few ciggs about politics and foreign policy. He was an old Greek guy and was very interesting to talk to. Then on the way home I called a friend and asked if they felt like pancakes for dinner which was a yes. So we vegged out and watched a few dvds and listened to a few songs on my new but partly disappointing cd. Then we talked for a few hours more until the point that we had created a whole new game involving rice and a big spider web. Then the sun started to rise so we discussed a few fishing spots over the UBD and eventually decided we were too tired to go so got some sleep. Got up at about 5pm and felt like working so I had some more ice cream for breakfast and worked for 12 hours.

My point being, get a job doing something you don't hate, rent a room somewhere you like to live and enjoy all the freedom you want to do whatever you want. Your 16 so you can get a job and save up and go camping in New Zealand with some friends over Christmas.

Living in the woods for 7 days might be a good start for you but beyond that there are too many fun things you can do that living in a tent pretty much stops you from doing.

Dominic and Konstantin made some excelent points. Gonna try some redundant comments here.
hey everyone. this is my first time posting here. for a long time i have hated school. i've hated what the world is turning into, or has already turned into. i'm 16 years old at the moment and for months now, i've been planning to run away from home and live on my own for a while.

Your way of thinking: "If I'm on fire, I should drown myself".


it probably sounds like i'm rushing into things but with the alternative of wasting away, working nine to five, i would much rather die. i don't think i could live with my self if i just let life pass me by like everyone else seems to do. i've talked to a few people about this (only on the internet because no one i know personnally would take me seriously) and i've thought about problems that might arise down the road.

First and foremost, dunno why you talk about death that easily. It's not something to take lightly. I think you'll be shitting your pants when the time is there, just like the vast majority of people.
So you wanna waste away on the streets? You COULD try to find a job that you like.
If you thought about problems down the road then you wouldn't be considering this.


my plan is to leave home sometime soon and leave a note for my parents (even though they probably won't agree with my decision, i still love them) telling them that i've run away and that i will return in a week or sooner. i live in a small town and not a large city, so i'm not too worried about getting murdered or anything like that.

If you love someone you'd rather NOT make them worried like that.
What's the point of leaving for a week (not suggesting it should be any longer)? What's your goal?
IMHO places are danferous as long as there are people.



this being my first time as a homeless person, i don't want to get in over my head and go too far away from home so i'll just stay near my town. it is a fairly wooded area everywhere so i'm pretty sure i could just take a tent with me and live in there for the week.

Like going camping. :)


well, i thought would give you some info before i popped the question. does this sound like an okay plan?
No, why should it?


Anyways, any help you could give would really help me out because i don't want to do this under prepared.

I bet you can prep yourself for a week in the woods no problem. Should to be fun. Nature can really retune the brain. :D Why not write a letter to your parents you've gone camping? Less dramatic, more to the point, safer (as you'd tell them where you are) and with the same end result minus the worried parents.

Just my two cents.

first off, i'd like you to know that i've read over what you've all said, a few times over, and i haven't immediatly dismissed any of it.

Boxboy, i might not have worded properly, but i don't want to "waste away" on the streets. i was saying that i'd rather die than live a bourgeoisie or in other words "respectable" life, if "respectable" means selling your life away. i don't mean to sound cool or anything, but i do take death pretty lightly. i've thought about it for a long time, and i kind of look forward to finding out what the hell it's all about. but i do not have a death wish.

the problems i was refering to were just needs i would have to meet on a daily basis. food, water, shelter. not to say there won't be problems down the road, but no matter the lifestyle, we all have problems we have to face and i think i'll be able to handle mine when the time comes.

As for telling my parents that i'm camping, i think it is a pretty good idea, but it will be hard to tell them. to tell you the truth, i wouldn't really like to call it running away (sounds too negative) but that is what i am doing. i'd rather tell them but my parents will not understand and it will end up with them yelling at me and then when i actually run away, i might end up not being able to talk to my parents anymore. by leaving them a note, i give them a chance to collect their thoughts and when i come back they can hopefully talk to me more calmly and they might be more accepting.

Dominic, i've thought over this for a while and is the reason why i chose to become homeless. Many of the things i could still do, but there are some things i would not be able to. Those things are things i feel i could live without (most material possessions). you said i should get a job that i don't hate. that means that i would end up with a job that i don't mind or i even like. the way the world is set up, i have to jump through hoop after hoop, whether it be grades in school or university and so on, so that i can have the priveledge of selling my life away. even if i did all this AND found a job i enjoyed, it would still be another place i have to wake up to in the morning regardless of if i want to go or not. sure, i might have some freedom afterwards if i'm not too busy doing chores around the house or paying the bills. the only reason, that i can see, to do this is for stability. If i get a job and a house, i can be pretty sure that i will wake up tomorrow and still have breakfast and a roof over my head. But why subject myself to a normal life, a half-life, just for that? why not simple skip the middle man (saving up money, or waiting for the weekend) and just go 'camping' whenever i felt like it?

Konstantin, when i first read what you said about me not wanting really to be homeless, i thought that you may be right. i thought about it, and i'm not sure that i would want to live in a house with all the luxuries i have now. I'm not sure if i want to lead a predictable lifestyle like that ( i don't mean to bash people that would prefer this, but this is just my preference). That page about the kids beating that guy up is pretty freaky, but it is kind of like a axe weilding maniac killing you while you're camping, not very likely to happen (if it is, then i'm going to stay the hell away from ten year old children :D ) as for people pushing me around, i expect a lot of that kind of stuff, but i don't really care. it is the other subtle kinds of ways of being pushed around that i don't like. i'm talking about things like school, jobs, and society. physically they don't do too much to restrict your freedom ( in canada anyways) but they always dangle incentives in front of you to get you to follow them, if it's school, they say study hard or you'll be a bum, or you'll flip burgers the rest of your life. if it is at work, they say, work hard and shut up or you'll get fired and you will probably get a worse job then you have now. And then there is society who tells you to follow the rules and be "respectable" or you'll end up a bum and an outcast. I've decided not to play their game anymore, and not let them coerce me into doing what they want me to.

sorry to make it so long, but i kind of went off on a rant. anyways, i appreciate the help that you are giving me :D. Konstantin, i plan on reading that book and looking at that thread, they both sound very interesting. it is my choice to make, but i am not above taking advice from others. i hope that you will write(type?) back to me some things that i might not have thought about yet and i also hope i covered everything that you told me about. i'll always try to keep an open mind, but for now, it's three in the morning and i'm exhausted. g'night:D

Apologies in advance for the sarcasm.

first off, i'd like you to know that i've read over what you've all said, a few times over, and i haven't immediatly dismissed any of it.

Wow, thanks.


Boxboy, i might not have worded properly, but i don't want to "waste away" on the streets.

Indeed. You don't want to waste away in normal, everyday society.

Tell me, how will you NOT waste away on the streets?


i was saying that i'd rather die than live a bourgeoisie or in other words "respectable" life, if "respectable" means selling your life away. i don't mean to sound cool or anything, but i do take death pretty lightly. i've thought about it for a long time, and i kind of look forward to finding out what the hell it's all about. but i do not have a death wish.

Boy, you gonna be surprised about yourself when you meet the grim reaper face to face.


the problems i was refering to were just needs i would have to meet on a daily basis. food, water, shelter.


Yea those are as easy like... An allowance from mammy and daddy. Won't be hard at all... :rolleyes:


not to say there won't be problems down the road, but no matter the lifestyle, we all have problems we have to face and i think i'll be able to handle mine when the time comes.

And you'll come out of it with your body and mind 100% intact, because you're just smarter than all those people who didn't have the luck to have your kind of divine intelligence and didn't survive.


As for telling my parents that i'm camping, i think it is a pretty good idea, but it will be hard to tell them. to tell you the truth, i wouldn't really like to call it running away (sounds too negative) but that is what i am doing.

Really "bourgeois" of you. Sounds almost like a "bourgeois" vacation. And reaction. "I don't like it here! I'll take another brand please. Jeez, what horrible customer service."


i'd rather tell them but my parents will not understand and it will end up with them yelling at me and then when i actually run away, i might end up not being able to talk to my parents anymore. by leaving them a note, i give them a chance to collect their thoughts and when i come back they can hopefully talk to me more calmly and they might be more accepting.

Because THEY are the ones who need to collect their thoughts. :D


Dominic, i've thought over this for a while and is the reason why i chose to become homeless. Many of the things i could still do, but there are some things i would not be able to. Those things are things i feel i could live without (most material possessions).

And redundant stuff like mental stability, lack of addiction, self-esteem, self- respect, ... Who needs those?


you said i should get a job that i don't hate. that means that i would end up with a job that i don't mind or i even like. the way the world is set up, i have to jump through hoop after hoop, whether it be grades in school or university and so on, so that i can have the priveledge of selling my life away. even if i did all this AND found a job i enjoyed, it would still be another place i have to wake up to in the morning regardless of if i want to go or not. sure, i might have some freedom afterwards if i'm not too busy doing chores around the house or paying the bills. the only reason, that i can see, to do this is for stability. If i get a job and a house, i can be pretty sure that i will wake up tomorrow and still have breakfast and a roof over my head. But why subject myself to a normal life, a half-life, just for that? why not simple skip the middle man (saving up money, or waiting for the weekend) and just go 'camping' whenever i felt like it?

So you're one of those people who thinks homelessness = freedom. Can't wait to see the look on your face when you find out the truth. :D


Pfft, call me lazy. But I don't see what sense it would make to keep focussing on your misconceptions.

You think the daily struggle for survival as someone who is homeless is in any way easy, or even bearable. You think the vast majority of people who are in this situation do it or fun.

I'm really the last one to be demeaning about your frustrations and your craving for freedom but this is too crazy. You have dozens of opportunities to HAVE freedom, if you'd only do some effort now. Yet you discard those opportunities as not worthy of your superb understanding of what the good life really is.

Boy, are you in for a surprise. I only feel sorry for your parents.

ok...woww...ur 16....when u get a little older your opinions might change.then what will u do, u will be stuck, most people who i have spoken to say getting of the streets is really hard.

if u were my kid and you just left a note i would be deverstaded and angry. i dont think spending a week away will help them calm down any....id be more cross/upset. dont you think that maybe thats a tad selfish on your part......maybe try 2 talk about it with them first at least, they might even get you a desent tent?


hey...........not every1 has a dull 9-5 job.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
i mean there are all types of jobs....u cant have tried them all surly.........?????????
my other half had 24 jobs, and a year bac packing b4 he found a job he likes. his 26 now! and theres still so much he has to experince! so how could you have possibly done it all tried it and disregarded it.....already.!!!!!!

i went to college and uni....great social life all hour partys great experinces... but now by choice.. im an artist/illustrator. i work what hours sute me, and whenever i get jobs. theres no steady paycheck its scary sumtimes, dunno if the old baylifts will be knocking at the door, but its something i lov. its my passion. its exciting.

there are 1000s of werid jobs that are not mind dulling ..., in fact i only know 2 people with 9-5 jobs and even their jobs are interstingly differnent.

there hav been times when things hav been hard like exam time or gas bill day...and i thought about hiding away. but wheres the challenge, the get up, the fight.

besides bordem isnt something you can escape its somthing u can change. it will follow you.

at 16 theres so much you havent experinced......... you cant possibly have decided you r fed up with socity yet, explore life a little more b4 u dismiss everything that socity has to offer!

another thing, there are lots of people who dont have the oppitunities you have, you should make the most of you life not runway from it. i think thats a little lazy! grrrrrr!


box boy is rite::::

""""You have dozens of opportunities to HAVE freedom, if you'd only do some effort now. Yet you discard those opportunities as not worthy of your superb understanding of what the good life really is.""""""

what is this with the """"normal life"""" thing. theres no such thing as a normal life. whats normal. whos 2 say!!!!!!!!!!
who has the rite 2 say,or judge normality.....????????

So you're one of those people who thinks homelessness = freedom. Can't wait to see the look on your face when you find out the truth. :D
Come on BoxBoy some warning please, I fell off my chair for fucks sake. That was too funny.

You know what, I'd like to see the look on her face too.

This thread is getting insulting.

It's insulting to people who are genuinely homeless.

I think thoughtmaker should go camping and free herself from reality and responsibility and adulthood and be a stupid kid and go get herself hurt, as much as possible. Maybe then she could write a novel about it. Alice in Realityland.

thoughtmaker you are so bullshitting us. Why won't you just put it out on the table what you have to say / have experienced or admit you are just Alice in Un-realityland.

sorry i double posted. asdhfkljhdfklajshkjhlkjhlkjhlkjhlkjhlkjhlkjhlkjhlk jhlkjh <---- 35 characters

by the way, i'm a guy and i do not mean to be insulting to homeless people. i realize that most of them have it very hard. all of the below is just what i think, and you must acknowledge that because i'm doing this in a different setting, i might make it sound like i will think it is easy. in a lot of places it is not easy to do. i'd just thought i'd get that out.


Quote:
Originally Posted by thoughtmaker
first off, i'd like you to know that i've read over what you've all said, a few times over, and i haven't immediatly dismissed any of it.


Wow, thanks.

i was simply trying to say that i am trying to be open-minded about taking all ideas. there's no need to be rude, just to get your point across.

as for the 'normal' thing, i just meant the average lifestyle. if someone kills someone else, that is not normal because people, in general, do not just murder people. that's differen than labeling something as 'good' or 'evil', which i think are just labels.

qoute: another thing, there are lots of people who dont have the oppitunities you have, you should make the most of you life not runway from it. i think thats a little lazy! grrrrrr!

yes, it is true that many people do not have the same opportunities as me, but if i chose to not take advantage of them because they will lead me somewhere i don't want to. i also agree that i am lazy. when it comes to things i do not want to do, i will generally not do them with great enthusiasm, if at all. however, if someone asks me to help them or something similiar, that is different, i usually help them. i believe you should do favours for people or else how can you expect people to help you when you need it.

i don't think that i should accept things they way they are and just roll over. if you see a way to make life better, then why not try to change it?

i agree that here are a lot of jobs. maybe even some i might like. but it is the sacrifice of freedom. having to do it every day. even if you chose the hours, you still MUST have to do them. if it was something i enjoy doing, it would ruin it for me. the deadlines and sense that i relied on the next novel i cranked out would sustain me would be far to restricting.

how will i not waste away on the streets? again i think it was a misunderstanding (probably because i wrote it so late). i mean i won't turn into a zombie of sorts. i won't get caught up in the day to day monotony. like just making it throught the day and not living for it. as for telling you how i'm not going to die on the streets, that's a bit like telling someone how they are not going to die working nine to five. i'll be honest, i don't really know how it's going to turn out because i've never had the experience, but that's exactly why i am taking it slow. i'm going to test how thick the ice is before i jump on it. as i look at it now, it does not seem that hard. i'm sure it would be a lot different in a city or something, but i think that i could survive where i am now.

qoute: Really "bourgeois" of you. Sounds almost like a "bourgeois" vacation. And reaction. "I don't like it here! I'll take another brand please. Jeez, what horrible customer service."

it's easy to take someone's words and fling them back at them if you warp them enough. i meant that to say 'running away' has negative connotations that come along with it. it sounds much more pleasant to say 'seeking freedom' and i figure that it would maybe sound better to them.

the comment about the mind and body staying 100%. if you're determined enough, when times are bad, you should be able to pull yourself through it. i think the main problem most homeless have (people who do not choose to be) is that they view it as negative. i know most people do not chose to be homeless and that is why they think it as negative. they allow themselves to sink deeper and deeper like this and somtimes get addicted to drugs and alcohol, which makes their problem even worse. i think they might be able to get through whatever their trouble was if they viewed their position in a more positive light. i believe that if you do this, in most cases, then homelessness can equal freedom. i do not do any drugs or drink. personally, i don't see the point. if i stay positive and i am able to live this way sufficiently, then what reason should i have to have no self-esteem or respect.

you say that it is impossible for homelessness to be bearable. i know for a fact that their are people who are people who are happily homeless by choice and i hve spoken to a few of them. one in particular, is about my age, and i have spoken to him and he is not without his problems but he is overall living comfortably, as a homless person.

the opportunities the both of you tell me about don't appeal to me. if i follow through on them, they will only lead me to what i consider, a half-freedom. i am fed up with society even though i've been alive for 16 years. that's been long enough for me to realize that i don't not like what is going on in the world. people starving in other countries while we eat comfortably. it sickens me to think about it really. in the pursuit of money and power we forget what is really important. i'm not a very social person. for the most part, i can't stand other people. it's not because of their views or anything. it's because they refuse to think of their own. it's becoming more and more rare that people ask why? when given an order. that is the leading reason that we continue building factories and other shit that is killing the world as well as the people living on it. people generally just don't give a shit anymore.

i don't try to pretend to be all knowing, but i do know that if people as a whole don't waking up, we're going to be severely fucked up down the road. I know what you're thinking too. you say what the hell is running away going to do. the answer is not a whole helluva lot, but i can't, with good concience, help continue what we are doing. i know it will be tough, but i know that i can do it because the only other option is what i've talked about above.

dominic, your second post appeared after i was done the one i did above. if that did not put it 'all on the table', let me know what you want me to say. i also have decided it's probably for the best if i followed your suggestion and just tell my parents. i hope it will keep them from worrying about me too much.

I didn't suggest you tell your parents.

Either get genuine and post the truth or I'm going to really get sick of your fairytale and just ban you from the forums.

You really don't belong here. That is what I understand from what you have posted Alice. Either get real with us or get lost.

Princess, I see you changed your earlier post. Now you claim to be a guy!? How wonderful that must be for you, when will you become a man?

This forum isn't for people who want to navel gaze.

"""It's insulting to people who are genuinely homeless.

I think thoughtmaker should go camping and free herself from reality and responsibility and adulthood and be a stupid kid and go get herself hurt, as much as possible. Maybe then she could write a novel about it. Alice in Realityland.""""


go dominic!

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wait i thought this was about some kid running away?
what the fuck? i just read over some of the last posts and what? something about alice....fairytale..... guy?
sorry im lost ignore my last post

suite_pee, there is hopefully no more problem now. i came on this forum hoping to get some people who might help me. i didn't come here looking for a debate on whether or not homelessness is easy, i was dragged into it by you guys who had to challenge everything i said. i just wanted help. maybe get some people who have been homeless before to step up and give me some advice about living on the streets.

i didn't expect people to completely accept the idea of what i am doing, but i also hoped that they would realize it is something i have to experience for myself. i was looking for people to tell me their experiences and give me their advice, whether or not it agreed with what i want to do. i did not expect you guys to insult me at every chance. i don't believe that my problems are something of an 'un-reality land'. you may not agree, but the least you could do is have an open mind, because to me, they are quite real. i also know now that i was naval gazing in my posts above, but i couldn't help it because they became too rant like. i don't really have anyone to talk to about this kind of stuff, so when i do, it usually all comes out at once. what i was doing wasn't helping but i got caught up in the 'debate' we were having. that's not to say that naval gazing is bad. i think it is better to realize and focus on one's problems rather than to ignore them.

i would like to say that if you have nothing constructive to say, keep it to yourself please, so that maybe i can get some real help instead of just a barrage of insults. i may have disagreed with your opinions before, but at least i kept it civil. i didn't resort to insults to get my point across or to belittle yours. that being said, i really hope we can get past all that and maybe you can help make this 'trip' a little easier on me.

and for the record, i am a guy. you guys can call me a girl if you want. i don't really care because it doesn't matter.

also i know you didn't tell me to tell my parents, dominic. that was a bit of advice i got from tera.

i also would like to apologize if i seemed to mean to insult homeless people. i didn't mean to at all.

Are you expecting to face situations on the street where an appropriate response is 'come on, manners please, I was nice to you...?' expecting that it will get you through? Since you are rural you may have a chance, but if you were in the city, day one the living piss would be knocked out of you and everything you have standing up would be taken from you.

Whatever plans you make, write them down because I think you will only ever write a book about this chapter of your life some day, but never really live it.

You don't like hearing straight talk, well the closest you have come to straight talk with us is being a fucking winger.

You have no place on the street from what you have said so go live in the woods, have your adventure - but be careful... if you happen across a real homeless person, well, that sure will be interesting for all if it happens.

And yes, your posts are entirely insulting to people who are genuinely homeless. If you intend to post again I suggest you read as many of the other threads in this forum as possible to hopefully get a clue, then show some respect.

suite_pee, there is hopefully no more problem now. i came on this forum hoping to get some people who might help me. i didn't come here looking for a debate on whether or not homelessness is easy, i was dragged into it by you guys who had to challenge everything i said. i just wanted help. maybe get some people who have been homeless before to step up and give me some advice about living on the streets.

i didn't expect people to completely accept the idea of what i am doing, but i also hoped that they would realize it is something i have to experience for myself. i was looking for people to tell me their experiences and give me their advice, whether or not it agreed with what i want to do. i did not expect you guys to insult me at every chance. i don't believe that my problems are something of an 'un-reality land'. you may not agree, but the least you could do is have an open mind, because to me, they are quite real. i also know now that i was naval gazing in my posts above, but i couldn't help it because they became too rant like. i don't really have anyone to talk to about this kind of stuff, so when i do, it usually all comes out at once. what i was doing wasn't helping but i got caught up in the 'debate' we were having. that's not to say that naval gazing is bad. i think it is better to realize and focus on one's problems rather than to ignore them.

i would like to say that if you have nothing constructive to say, keep it to yourself please, so that maybe i can get some real help instead of just a barrage of insults. i may have disagreed with your opinions before, but at least i kept it civil. i didn't resort to insults to get my point across or to belittle yours. that being said, i really hope we can get past all that and maybe you can help make this 'trip' a little easier on me.

and for the record, i am a guy. you guys can call me a girl if you want. i don't really care because it doesn't matter.

also i know you didn't tell me to tell my parents, dominic. that was a bit of advice i got from tera.

i also would like to apologize if i seemed to mean to insult homeless people. i didn't mean to at all.

I have no idea why I'm doing this. I plead temporary insanity due to lack of sleep, your honor. :D

First and foremost. I wasn't insulting you. If I had been insulting you, then it would've been very clear. I was just sarcastic and a bit annoyed. Perhaps I should've spent more time on the packaging. :)

Next up: The people who responded to your questions for information DO have some experience in the subject. So don't immediatly throw away their comments, even tho you might not like them.
And IMHO I think Dominic is more than right to react like he did. (can't wait to see his next raction)


Because (and this is as nice as i can say it, it's not an insult, just a strong way of telling it) you don't know shit.

If you did you wouldn't even consider homelessness. If you did you would take your opportunities like school, parents, a stable home (at least I hope so for you) because many people in society can only dream about that.

I'll tell you in a different way: I've known people of your age who lived on the streets. Hell, I've lived with them. And now over half of them are dead. Not when they grew up. just one by one they died from this or that. No, age doesn't matter you see. You'll think "how's that possible?" I tell you how: people don't give a shit. Society doesn't give a shit. When you work (doesn't really matter what kind of socially inacceptable job, everything's better than being homeless) society cares a bit about you. If you're homeless they'd rather not even see you. So you expect there's some companionship among homeles people? Now here's one of the moments that suprised look on your face comes in. :D
No there isn't.

If you won't take it from me, just believe the threads you read here or Dominic.

That's enough drama, here's the summary:

Don't even think about it. If you have problems (ones you haven't told us about) then seek help, but whatever you do, don't even think homelessness is in any way an improvement.
It's no freedom. Freedom is in your head. And trust me, there's little room for freedom if your mind is filled with fear, anxiety, the search for everyday basics, mental instability, stress, depression, drugs, ...
Either wake up or shut up.
Do what you have to do to finish school and then do a job you like, any job (for example hentai artist with a love for staircases, yes they exist) and rebel in that. But not by ruining your life. And thus insulting everyone who didn't have the chances you have. (not to mention the services you'll be stealing from them)


Good luck. :)

""""i would like to say that if you have nothing constructive to say, keep it to yourself please, so that maybe i can get some real help instead of just a barrage of insults."""---thoughtm

i believe that all comments have been "constructive" helpful and true.!!!!!!, you just choose not to lisern! i agree with dom, read other posts, and wake up!!!

box boys last message is compleatly rite. read it. study it, learn it and understand it.

theres plenty of people out their who need those """material possions"" your so quick to disregurd........a bed, a room, a shower. simple things... socks, pants, jumpers, gloves, the luxery of a pillow. the way you r acting, you dont deserve them so give them to someone who does. pack all your clothes, toys, tv, cd player, and give them to a shelter!

:( it might be for a wek in your head, that'swhat I thought 30 years ago!I'm 48 now, aand just got a place to live one month ago. be srtong and do what you have to sdo. make a lifefor yourself. it really is lonely, especially when you get older

i'd like to apoligize to the people i accused of insulting me. i was getting annoyed and i took it the wrong way. i wouldn't dream of living homeless in a city, from what i've seen, and i've never been homeless, i don't think it would be easy. i do live in a rural area so it seemed easier, but i guess i didn't really mention it before. the comments i was talking about were the ones that straight out said i stupid or insulted me. i'm not sure about who was doing this because it is hard to tell from just typed words. i hope, even if we disagree on some things, we can all get along now :D .

what seem like misconceptions about homelessness to you, seem like workable ideas to me. we've had different experiences. i know that being homeless in some places is not easy at all and i don't plan to live in those places. i think the reason i was annoyed was because A) i thought you were mocking me and B) i've heard from other people that do happen to live this way, that it can work. now that i've heard all your opinions on it, it seems to me, since i don't have experience, the only logical thing to do is to try it out. Otherwise, i'll spend the rest of my life wondering 'what if?'

i can maybe do it for a week like i said before and then go back home. if it goes well i can try again later for a longer period of time. if i hit a snag, then still, i can just go home and either find a solution to the problem, or if i realize that it is too hard to live homelessly, then i can still go home and give up on the idea. no harm done.



here are some questions i have about being homlessness.

in my mind, food and water seem very easy to get where i live. the only thing i'm worried about is staying out of the elements. the tent, if it's good and is put up well, i figure will keep me out of the wind and rain, but not the cold. i live in Canada, Ontario and in the winter, it gets really fucking cold. other than just getting a really warm coat, hat and mitts, how can i stay warm? i don't think even with all that stuff on and a sleeping bag, that i can stay warm in my tent.

also i was wondering, if someone figures out that i am homeless (i will be the only one in town) will they treat me like crap? do you think people in a small town would be a little more compassionate towards me? am i likely to get thrown out of a store just for being homeless, even if i mind my own business and don't bother the other customers?

i think maybe one of the reasons some homeless people find it hard is because of addictions to drugs or alcohol. i don't plan on using any because i don't really like the idea of either of them. do you think this will make it much easier on me than you guys said before?

all in all i knew that on the streets, their probably wasn't really a 'companionship of the homeless' so to speak, but i just wanted to get some help here, because if not for giving advice,sharing experiences or to help other people, then why else would this site exist? if any of you could help me with my questions above, i would appreciate it a lot.

hey.
i know how you feel.
yeah you probbly dought it but its true.
im planning the exact same thing right this second and have been for
3 weeks now. im just not sure where to go.
My plan is a bit diffrent though.
Im not planning to return.
My family and i dont really get along much and argue alot.
I used to get abused untill recently a few months ago.
Now its more threats and verbal abuse.
They havent hit me for a while cause the police have witnessed his agretion the last time i got caught and taken back home.
The police dont do much casue they are friends with my parents and My older sister who is 16 denise it all cause she doesnt get hit.
Well anyway.
my advise is be real carefull. dont stop and rest until your pretty far.
the longest i have lasted for a runawy is 7-8days.
do what ive done. Catch trains *jump them* go till you reach the last stop.
hidse out somewhere like a park or something or do what i did. Meet some ppl you dont know on the trains *your age or sumthing. The ppl i became friends with where 17 they where really nice expecialy one of them her name was shelley* See if you can hang with them for the day or stay with them for a few days or even if they knwo a place that you can stay for a while.
Thats what im going to do again when i leave soon.

Hello Tibbathy, and welcome to the homeless forums.

It would seem that you have a lot of things going on in your life at the moment .. :confused: .. Well, you've come to the right place as you will find plenty of friends on the forums many of whom have problems of their own, and others that have been there and done that. So there will be plenty of advice coming in for you, and I can assure you that no one is going to hate you here.

You will remain anonymous, and you can write what you wish .. or if you prefer you can use the private message facility to communicate with our female members, some of whom I'm sure will be very interested in your situation. Just be careful not to give out your personal e-mail address or phone number e.t.c. use these forum facilities.

You sound as though you've got things pretty well sussed Tibbathy, and you seem to have your wits about you so keep logging in and see what the response will be ... :) ... All the advice you get can only assist you so there is no harm in sticking around for a while.

In the meantime click onto and read:

http://forums.homeless.org.au/showthread.php?p=10527#post10527

Best wishes,

hey,
what happened thoughtmaker? can u give us an update? reading this thread, i dont agree with some of the things said, mainly about

'if you're determined enough, when times are bad, you should be able to pull yourself through it. i think the main problem most homeless have (people who do not choose to be) is that they view it as negative. i think they might be able to get through whatever their trouble was if they viewed their position in a more positive light'

i think that shows a lack of understanding. & i disagree with the comments about the opportunities open 2 him. if those opportunities arent things he wants then they r meaningless

anyway, what i really wanted to say is is think something is wrong. a 16 yo doesnt just decide they want to live as homeless. i think he sounds depressed. something isnt right. thoughtmaker, what do u want to do all day apart from hunt for food & water? just sit & think? walk around when its gonna be so cold? be alone with u and ur thoughts as ur possessions run out and just wander? it isnt freedom to not be able to do things u want, to have fun, spend time doing things u enjoy. why dont u like being around ppl? what do u LIKE doing? dont u want to DO things? u say u dont want life 2 pass u by but what will u be doing out there just sitting around?

i work in a crappy job, but at a well respected employer. the reason i do it is to provide basic rights for myself &2b able to do the things i want at other times, to try to enjoy myself.

everyone is different but i just dont think ull find happiness in what ur planning. let us know.

it didn´t go exactly as planned :) but before i get to that i thought i would apologize first. reading over the comments i wrote before, it made me seem kind of, how do you say... snobby? i´d like to say now that some people find homelessness harder than others and are in different situations. i´d also like to say that i still ´think´ i can be homeless, but of course, i really don´t know.

anyways, here is what happened after i ran away.

i was only out for a day. it was nice, pretty much what i imagined it to be. freedom to do what i liked, but i know that it was only one day and i can´t judge anything by that.

anyhow, near the end of it, i was spotted by my friend´s mom who drove me back to my house. my mom had also called the police, i assume, because they showed up to talk to me about how stupid i was and so on, probably trying to get me to say that oficially a ´runaway´ (away from home for more than 24 hours, i think)

my parents were sad and felt like was just going to run away again at anytime and i eventually went back to school. i think i finished grade eleven, but then when grade twelve started i just couldn´t bring myself to go anymore.

it turns out my plan sort of worked because my parent´s took my depression a little more seriously and allowed me to drop out (sort of, i ended up going to an alternative school, but stopped going to that and so i don´t go to any school anymore. i don´t even think it´s legal because i´m only seventeen now)

i spent a few months at home and then me and my family went to mexico for christmas. we arranged with relatives i have living there to let me live with them for a few months (five, possibly eight now)

now my family is back home in canada and i´m living in mexico, one year older.



before all this, i was severely depressed. even now, i´m not sure i´ve gotten completely over it.

what do i do all day? lately all i´ve been doing is sleeping, meditating and using the computer occasionally. the thing is, i don´t mind it either, which would probably answer your other question about why i don´t like to be around other people. people and i just aren´t interested in the same things.

even now though, my mind had been entertaining thoughts of running away from where i am in mexico and start being homeless.

anyways, just thought i´d let you know i didn´t die or anything on my little ´trip´.