Posts by rapidgull3

I was watching some highlights last night and it got me thinking about the sheer, cold-blooded nature of professional sports. We all love to talk about the superstars, the guys getting the massive contracts and the shiny endorsements, but there’s a much quieter, much more ruthless side to this industry that rarely gets the spotlight. I’m talking about the "middle class" and the rookies—the guys who are essentially just pieces on a chessboard being moved around to satisfy some arbitrary cap number or a coach's whim.

It’s easy to forget that for every legendary player, there are dozens of guys who live in a state of constant, crushing uncertainty. You can put in the work, you can show up to camp ready to grind, you can nail your drills, and it still doesn't matter. One day you’re part of the squad, feeling like you finally made it, and the next, you’re staring at a notification on your phone telling you that your time is up. There’s no ceremony to it. No "thank you for your service" speech. You’re just... gone.

I remember talking to a buddy of mine a few years back who played high-level ball in Europe. He’d spent years grinding through different leagues, always hoping the next jump would be the big one. He told me that the hardest part wasn't the physical exhaustion or the jet lag; it was the mental toll of never knowing if you’d have a job in three months. That kind of instability isn't just stressful; it’s soul-crushing. When your entire livelihood, your identity, and your physical health are tied to a roster spot that can vanish in a heartbeat, it changes how you view the game. It stops being a pure pursuit of glory and starts being a desperate fight for survival.

This constant churn—this "one in, one out" cycle—is what keeps the league functioning, I get that. The business logic is sound. Teams need flexibility, they need to manage their assets, and they need to gamble on new talent. But I wonder about the human cost of that efficiency. We treat these players like commodities, and in a way, they are. They are assets on a balance sheet. When a team decides to swap one asset for another, they aren't thinking about the guy who just lost his paycheck, his locker, or his sense of purpose.

It makes me wonder how much of the "passion" we see on the field is actually just a byproduct of this desperation. When you realize that your window is so incredibly small, does that drive you to play better, or does it just turn the game into a source of constant anxiety? Is it even possible to enjoy the "beautiful game" when you know the machine is always looking for a way to replace you with someone younger, cheaper, or slightly more efficient?

I also think about the fans. We cheer for the guys, we buy the jerseys, and we get emotional when they succeed or fail. But we don't really see the fragility of their situation. We see the highlight reel, not the quiet moment in a hotel room after a roster move wipes out a player's season. It creates this weird disconnect between the spectacle we consume and the reality of the people providing it.

I’m curious to hear what the die-hard fans here think. Do you view these roster shifts as just the necessary "business of football," or do you think the sheer volatility of these careers is something we don't talk about enough? Does knowing how precarious these jobs are change how you view the players?

My mother was diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia, which landed her on Social Security disability. She stays home constantly and rarely leaves the house. Things were manageable when I was a kid because she actually took her medication and stayed on schedule with her sedative injections. But once I hit high school—and continuing through my mid-thirties now—she refuses to hear a word about doctors or meds. If you bring up treatment, she snaps that she’d rather die than see a physician. This year, she left the apartment exactly once, and that was only because we had to meet a notary regarding my grandfather's estate settlement. She acted like a toddler there; my uncle and I practically had to guide her hands to show her where to sign the papers. Later, when the family went out for drinks, she spent 90% of the time sitting there in silence. When the waiter asked for her order, she couldn't answer, so my dad and aunt had to order for her. Her attempts at conversation were just disjointed, inappropriate questions that had nothing to do with what anyone was talking about. Fortunately, everyone present understood she was mentally unwell. I remember my uncle snapping at her a few times, saying, "That doesn't matter right now!" which caused her to shut down. At home, she rambles incessantly about nonsense that bears no relation to reality. If you try to pivot to anything practical, she loses it. She’s obsessed with delusions—claiming neighbors throw dust into her apartment, talk through the walls, or spy on her. And if I even mention moving out, staying over at a friend's place, or working late, the drama starts immediately. She screams that I'm being "corrupted" by outsiders trying to tear our family apart, claiming she raised me solely for herself and no one has the right to interfere. Even though I have the option to stay at a friend's house, I hesitate because she always tells me she'll be waiting for me. I have done it a few times, only to be met the next morning with her in tears, demanding to know where I was and threatening to call the police. If work runs late, she starts yelling again, claiming my boss is exploiting me and that she's calling the cops. Honestly, I almost wish the police would actually show up while she's in one of these states. Maybe if they saw the reality of the situation, they'd finally take her to a facility since she refuses to seek help herself.

Laura Collins8 said:I’m inclined to agree with what someone else mentioned earlier: a person’s core essence really solidifies somewhere between the ages of three and five. Sure, we learn from our mistakes—we absolutely do—but that isn't the same thing as undergoing a fundamental change in character. Any shift you see after that point is likely just a temporary mask or some sort of performance... ☕

I agree. Everything after that is just superficial layers built on top of that foundation. You can't alter the base itself; if you tried, you'd be tearing down the entire structure of the personality.

Overtime isn't just about hours; it's about mental capacity. Once someone hits their wall after five, six, or eight hours of intense focus, they’ve reached a saturation point. If you force them to stay longer, they aren't actually working. They're just zombies staring at a screen.

Gerald Morgan4 said:What exactly are the excuses for?

I wasn't referring to one specific thing, just speaking generally. But if you want examples: being late, forgetfulness, lack of focus, slow processing, brain fog, stuttering, obsessive thoughts, and so on. Basically, any excuse used when someone fails to perform. This leads to a serious issue: people hiding mental health struggles often end up being labeled as "weird" or "lazy" by those around them.

Instead of debating whether we should rule out organic causes before jumping into psychotherapy, everyone here is just obsessing over psychiatrist fees. If that's the topic, start a new thread. Admin, where are you?

Either those people are clueless, or they’re living such comfortable lives that they have zero empathy for anyone else's struggles. Telling someone dealing with mental health issues that they're just being lazy or incompetent is incredibly tactless and shows a complete lack of compassion.

It stands to reason that an initial psychiatric evaluation should include a brain CT scan to ensure the organ itself is functioning properly. Only once organic causes are ruled out should psychiatrists and psychologists proceed with psychotherapy. Otherwise, therapy risks being futile and medication intake becomes pointless if there is no effect.

I deal with this constantly. I lose my bearings in the middle of street grids, wandering through grocery store aisles—usually while trying to keep track of my dad at the mall—between warehouse racks, or navigating hallways at a new job. The worst part is that sudden, jarring sense of total disorientation where I just freeze, having no clue which way to turn, even if I’ve walked that exact path a dozen times before. Sometimes I’ll realize I’ve just been walking in circles. If anyone else deals with this, please weigh in with some advice. Should I start carrying a notepad around just to sketch out maps?

Is an adult's personality truly unchangeable because it’s a biological fact, or just because people lack the patience to try and retrain them? If the former is true, then the behaviors we picked up as kids are essentially set in stone for life. It would mean the old saying "a leopard can't change its spots" is actually right, reducing us to nothing more than our genetic programming. But if it's the latter—if we just stop trying—then that’s a pretty depressing thought.

What’s the deal with that news about a clinic opening up in the States to treat homosexuality?

I’m all for it. Honestly, we’ve crossed a line. I respect anyone putting in extra hours or grinding through weekends and holidays, but if those overtime shifts are the reason people have zero time for their families, themselves, or friends, then we have a problem. If this culture is why much of today's youth—not everyone, mind you—is turning into a bunch of delinquents, then overtime and weekend work should be banned. We need to send exhausted parents home to actually raise their kids. Of course, in an era where corporate profit outweighs human life and greed knows no bounds, I doubt we'll see any real change. The root cause of our social decay is simple: parents are too terrified of losing their jobs to spend time parenting, and CEOs are so blinded by the bottom line that they can't see past their own bank accounts. It’s all the same cycle. We need a strict five-day, eight-hour work week. Period. No more, no less.

Is it considered insanity if someone exhibits every single personality disorder simultaneously? I mean having symptoms from all of them at once—narcissistic, dependent, bipolar, grandiose, sociopathic, psychopathic, schizoid, schizotypal, and so on. Or does "insanity" refer to possessing the symptoms of every mental illness all at once (schizophrenia, depression, neurosis, psychosis, etc.)? Or perhaps it's when someone displays all the symptoms of both personality disorders and mental illnesses combined. 😕

I am emphasizing every symptom because my logic is this: if a person has a specific psychological personality disorder or illness, it isn't insanity. It can be diagnosed and treated. But if we are talking about all the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment become impossible. At that point, the person is simply insane. Do you agree with this view, and how would you actually define insanity?

goldenpilot20 said:

Based on the article above, it looks like he was perfectly healthy. That actually makes this tragedy even worse; it implies that seemingly normal people are capable of committing horrific acts. 😲

A man owns a house, works, has two cars, a wife, and two young kids—according to the news reports. Then he murders them all before killing himself. Is this even remotely normal? What could possibly drive someone to such an act? Can a psychological breakdown or a financial crisis really be enough reason to wipe out an entire family and then commit suicide? I can't wrap my head around the logic required to commit a crime like this. I’ve read that in the US, people kill their families and themselves when both spouses lose their jobs or go bankrupt, but I find that hard to believe. Is pride really so overwhelming that they'd rather die than ask for help? Regardless, the children are completely innocent here.

It’s been rough, but I’m finally starting to feel human again after three days of this. Work is actually going well right now. I just hope this streak holds.

darkbison81 said:Why don't you just step up, take some responsibility, and help your mom once your dad is gone? Isn't that enough of a reason to stay alive—helping someone so they don't end up alone in a facility? That’s your mother. Even if she does end up in an institution, don't you feel like you should be there for her, loving her and supporting her, even if it's just through visits, kind words, or the little things?

If you can't find the strength to stop looking for ways to escape a tough situation, why not ask for help? Reach out to a professional who can actually show you how to face life and fight back. People survive much worse than what you've listed here.
Don't think I'm judging your suicidal ideation, but I do think you're being unfair to your mom, who is clearly going to need you. Besides, maybe your psychology issues (anxieties, insecurities—it's not like you have a terminal illness) are solvable. And maybe your financial problems are solvable too ($6000 is still better than being $20,000 in debt...). Honestly, leaving your mom in the gutter without even trying to fix relatively manageable problems (since unsolvable ones *do* exist...) is just plain sad...

Care about my mother?! That's horrific. When I was seven or eight, I remember three instances of incest while my father was at work. There is zero chance I am "caring" for her. In fact, she is one of the primary reasons I'm even considering suicide, alongside everything else I mentioned. On another note, I start a new job tomorrow—my first since being unemployed for a few years. During that time, I spent 1.5 years seeing a psychiatrist who provided zero help, and my panic attacks have already taken hold. I don't know if I can mentally handle or keep this job, especially with my panic disorder. As for the old woman, I am her child, but she raised me solely for herself. She claims she birthed me just so she wouldn't be bored and tells me not to interfere in her business. She's still harping on those same lines today, and I'm 33. So, it isn't just utility bills and my father's illness; it's her. I am terrified that the only thing standing between my mother and her own destructive impulses is my father, whom I view as my shield against her—a man she claims to hate. Once he dies, the only option left will be suicide. Dealing with her and everything else will be impossible.

Dana Morales64 said:Honestly, just find a job—you won't have the headspace to dwell on it anymore. Plus, you'll meet new people and actually build a social life, which makes those thoughts feel a lot less constant.🙂

Suicide will always be on my mind because the underlying issues aren't just going away. As a pessimist, I’m terrified that these thoughts will only intensify. Here is why: my mother’s schizophrenia, the fear of losing my father, my own lack of independence, my anxiety about facing life, and mounting utility debts of around... $6000 The insults keep coming. Even though I signed an employment contract, my lack of confidence leaves me spiraling. I’m constantly panicked about whether I’ll even keep this job. I have had a suicide plan fixed in my mind for a long time; honestly, I think about it every single day. Once my father passes away, I plan to slit my wrists at my temples and bleed out. It’s the only way to avoid the onslaught of negativity. If I'm gone, I won't have to deal with the panic, the insecurity, the inability to be independent, or the social anxiety. Once Dad is gone, the only future I see is my mother ending up in a psychiatric ward and me living like a vagrant on the streets because we'll be evicted from our house. Therefore, killing myself is the only logical way to stay ahead of it all.

I think that person is being sincere. They aren't actually as malicious as they believe themselves to be. A truly wicked person either refuses to admit it or lacks the self-awareness to realize what they've done.

How does someone deal with suicidal thoughts being on their mind every single day?