Growing Older On a Treadmill: Confessions of Nerdom, Beliefs, and Stagnation

By Greg Belle

Greg Belle believes that the ultimate purpose of life is to live, learn, love, work, and above all, teach. With that purpose in mind, Greg combines personal experiences with satirical commentary on the social and political issues that surround us in America and across the globe in an attempt to better the world, one reflection at a time.

Greg, who one day hopes he can jump off his own treadmill and step outside his comfort zone, believes we are designed not to inflict pain, but instead to help each other and, in the process, preserve humanity. While offering his take on a wide range of topics, Greg provides a poignant glimpse into his own challenging journey through life with the intent of helping anyone who might be “stuck” and uncertain of which way to head next.

Growing Older on a Treadmill shares reflections and anecdotes that encourage others to live, learn, love, work and teach, no matter what their obstacles.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Jan 24, 2017
• ISBN: 9781483463469

Book preview

Growing

Older on a

Treadmill

Confessions of Nerdom, Beliefs, and Stagnation

GREG BELLE

Copyright © 2016, 2017 Gregory Stephen Belle.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

Scripture quotes marked (ASV) are taken from the American Standard Version of the Bible.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-6345-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-6346-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016921366

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 01/04/2017

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

No matter what happens in life: live, learn, love, work, and teach.

Chapter 1

I am very troubled in today’s world. I don’t feel very comfortable here at all. I feel as though I am walking just to walk, running just to run, working just to work. I am doing activities so as to not seem bored or be burdened with the notion of boredom. I feel as though life has its complications and obligations; I cannot overcome these obligations and obstacles because of certain circumstances I am in. I try and try and try. I have accomplished much, but these accomplishments are insignificant compared to what life demands of me. Life commands people to set many goals as well as accomplish these lofty goals. It is through a person’s own will and determination and/or through a higher power that people can’t even fathom but believe in that allows one to continue the uphill battle of life.

It is the belief of this author that the ultimate purpose of life is to live, learn, love, work, and above all, teach. Each and every one of us are accountable and responsible for teaching—teaching something that ties together in understanding the human race as a whole because it is through our experiences that we can pass knowledge and skills on to the next generation so that next generation can pass knowledge and skills on to the next generation after them. In this way, life is never truly wasted but passed on, as well as furthering our growth to better our world.

The first action we must take in our lives is to just live. To live is to breathe. Through living, we witness experiences that will forever stay with us. It is also in part to broaden our level of comfort or know when something is not comfortable for us. Our limitations, if you can imagine, can stretch. Living gives birth to our imaginations. Living fosters creativity to imagination freely. To learn is to grasp what is known, but it is also the unknown to us by understanding what is or what is not there to expand our minds through living life itself. It all usually folds or circles back in on itself but through all of these five words to which I will give meaning. A true fact about learning is that we never can stop learning. It is an ongoing process that will never stop until we depart from this world. I know I’ve heard on many occasions the Beatles singing, All you need is love. I believe love is the connection through these five words I am able to give these meaning to. If you do not love, then what are your reasons to live and learn? To work is to earn skills and experience, skills that will help you to survive the dangers of life. Work goes hand in hand with learning. There is a reason why we work besides the money, so there is a conscious thought of love or hatred for the job because we’re working for the love of the job, money, or the people, or just out of a love to serve. To work is to be productive. If you are being productive, then you are working. It’s not always for the money, but it could be for the pleasure of work. Do what you love and you will never have to work a day in your life again. If work was only done to make money, then Donna Summer and Tennessee Ernie Ford would ascend to godhood.

To teach is to serve the purpose of learning. It is there to reiterate what people have learned throughout their lives. It is not just in a classroom. It is outside of life, a mentor, or teaching through personal experiences. There’s the feeling of showing or telling people what they have learned through one’s life experiences. Is this learning or teaching?

I know some of my readers will think of this as a no-brainer. There are some people in this world who do not get this because of how they are living or maybe due to some horrible challenges or circumstances in their lives. This is where the accountability and responsibility come into play. We as a society must be able to teach and even reteach people who just want to quit or give up on life. These are the kind of people who do not want or can’t be responsible or accountable for themselves. All of us on this earth, however, must be willing both to learn and to teach. I always have been. Some people don’t even want to bother because they have given up on me or other people in general.

What is truly sad, though, is that I have worked so hard, yet I get nowhere. I end up back where I started. I try and try to climb that treadmill but have gained no forward momentum and acquired absolutely no with which to further my life. I see people through the power of observation, both younger and older than me, growing and actually moving further than me. This sometimes overwhelms me with overt jealousy. I am old enough to have what they have or to know what their circumstances are because they have progressed further in life than I have, yet I am much older than the people I see in everyday circumstances. What I am trying to say is that I see people going about their business being very happy, showing optimistic emotion. I see the people I cross paths with have a house, a job, a spouse, and most of all children. I am much older than these people at least by a few years. I have worked very hard to get an education, only to find nothing is available for me so I can make a living and actually have these things for myself. As I have said before, I try and try again, over and over. Either I am a reject of society, or I am completely missing the point of life and should just give up.

That is why I decided to write this book. I took some time to write some articles for my college newspaper and long-winded, funny e-mails to people. For the most part, people have reacted positively to my writings. What do I usually write about? I write about things that are interesting to me, as I’m sure most people do on the Internet. I am an Internet- and tech-savvy person. The Internet has been my home for many, many lonely years. I suspect it will be for quite some time in my future.

If the Rolling Stones have time on their side, then I would like to give them a call and say, Hey, um, Keith, Mick, please give me some of your time because you sing how time is always on your side. I would really like to have a better life than the one I’m living now. There is nothing for me living in a small town in the state of Florida for twenty-plus years, and I need so desperately to move on. Sincerely, Greg.

I’m getting older, but I have been stuck in the same place for twenty-plus years. It feels like I’m eighteen. Even when I completely shave my face, I look in the mirror and still have my eighteen-year-old face. I went to college and furthered my education by acquiring a bachelor’s degree in communication.

I do have serious doubts sometimes about my college education. So far it hasn’t given me any advantage in my life. It has nothing to do with what type of education I have earned or by some standards have been given. What I mean by been given is the notion of people just handing you an education without really earning it because teachers and professors never really took the time to invest in me as a person. This gives me the feeling of, Okay, what am I supposed to do now? It is very confusing because other people like me, who have earned or been given an education, either don’t know where to further it or don’t know where to apply it in terms of a career. The people who were involved in my education, however, were very fortunate to invest their time and energy into my education. I thank them for it, and I would do so profusely if I ever were to see them again in passing. I only wish I could repay them, yet I cannot live on my own at the time of writing this.

I really wish I could give back to those people who believed in me the most because I would pay them back. I would do so a million times over. They were people who went through horrible circumstances just to get where they are today. The reason why I call this book Growing Older on a Treadmill is because at some point in one’s lifetime, one’s circumstances cannot be escaped from. No matter how hard we try, that treadmill forces us to run and walk at the same pace we always have always moved. The treadmill is a metaphor for running or walking, but you need only to stop and realize you are still in the same place the treadmill is in because the treadmill is stationary. The question I am proposing is this: Did I physically run a mile or a kilometer, or did I actually imagine running a mile or a kilometer without someone or something telling me I did just that while having a true experiencing of running or walking? How did I start running on this treadmill? Who gave me this treadmill? I can’t even afford to clothe or feed myself.

I have these questions, as well as, "Why the hell can’t I get a real job! I was a teacher’s assistant for a job skills class for the love of education! I spent too long in college to be broke and eating burritos and ramen while living with Mom and Dad! I’m X years old! Holy crap, did I replace a number with X? Wow, I hate algebra! Math was not my strong suit! Y is this happening to me?" These questions plague me because I feel as though I’m working hard and not producing anything that is benefitting me or my future. Someone is in the same predicament as me with the same bleak outlook on the future.

I find it funny that human society keep talking about the future, yet we have futuristic dates and times now in the twenty-first century. If you think about it, the future will be some year with a high number; people will tell fictional stories about said year. When that year actually comes around, whatever thing made that prediction will hope that story or narrative or movie will predict that year or the rest of the future of humanity almost to no end. People talk about the future as if some highly religious prophecy will come true. When that prediction actually does come true, whoever or whatever made it will want to be worshiped or recognized for foresight into the future. Told you this was going to happen is always the hardest to deal with from these people. They will live it up for