Who do you hold responsible for how far you've gone in life, and what you've done with educational opportunities?

Can always count on my grandparents for moral support, my parents never gave a crap since day one. its been a bumpy path, and the road ahead doesnt look that much easier, but im where im at because of me

It may seem strange but I had the kind of parents that were encouraging of every task I under took. They would always tell me - there's nothing you can't do if you really want to. They stood behind me and helped me with whatever support I needed.

Only myself! And I must say I did pretty well.

First and foremost, I hold myself responsible. My own parents have acknowledged that I turned out the way I did largely in spite of and not because of their influence, at least ethics and personality-wise. I'd say the same can be said of the influence of country and government as a whole on me.
The people who gave me my opportunities are definitely worthy of some credit, though. That's where I'd hold my parents responsible (financially), although my scholarships have helped big time. Also included are my teachers, my grandparents, and the people who erected the systems I operate within.
Lastly, I give a big heap of credit to my enemies for defining and shaping me in a very special way.

You sail your own ship! You hit the rocks its nobodies fault but yours:-)

Unfortunately, i never had it in me to appreciate much in my life while i was tending to all the baggage left over from Native residential school and what they did to my people, however i will say this much. I have raised my children differently and they are free to move on without all that clutter in the closet ... and for that i give thanks to God!

All of my friends and family were instrumental in supporting me in my pursuit of a good education. The academic side of it was all me.
It seems to be working very well as I am now at the best university in the country generally and my field in particular.

I'm not undecided. it's everybody else's fault except mine. what am I supposed to do? my life sucks. and as if that isn't bad enough, and painful enough, I'm expected to accept that it's all my fault. yeah, that'll make me feel better. well, if you want another suicidal bipolar 2 sufferer on your hands, I'll do the right thing, I'll do the honest thing and admit that really, I'm to blame for the whole sorry mess. but I don't think you do want another suicidal bipolar 2 sufferer, because this one would be on you conscience, not on your hands. you don't want to have to deal with that kind of guilt, do you? of course you don't. so why don't I just continue to totally abdicate any responsibility at all for my situation. I mean, it's working so well. you'd think that denial of that sort would cause some serious psychological problems. not really. I've got a whole raft of other, far more serious psychological problems going on, so the ones caused by the denial don't even get a look in. ok. phew. I think I successfully avoided anything that could be construed as "feelings" there. back to living a complete lie and having no idea who I am.

Oooohhh k? If you are suicidal, you need to be responsible and contact your doctor. Part of being bipolar is like being diabetic, you take responsibility to stay balanced, and not get suicidal or manic. If you do allow yourself to spiral when are are thinking straight, then yes, it is your fault. Otherwise you leave it up to the government to decide what's best for you when you predictably spiral into a state a self harm. And no, I cannot accept responsibilty for you not being in charge of your illness- like millions of others who suffer thru mental illness but choose to not make excuses. Call your doctor now.

thanks for being concerned but everything's good. that was meant to be comedy. didn't the last bit give it away? no? well, you can see why my sense of humour gets me in trouble so often. I can't believe it wasn't completely obvious. I've written this thing that's meant to be interpreted as a guy who's not really pissed off, he's just pretending to be. and you've replied like it's a business meeting. lighten up,woman. but maybe your interpretation was totally valid and I've got it wrong and it's not in the least funny. there's precedent. thanks again for caring. I appreciate it. you're a nice person.

We all care what happens to you. Well a lot of us anyway.
I am reminded of a book written by a professional psychologist. The title is my favorite part. It's called: 'Nobody's Perfect', by Dr. J. Browne, Psy PhD.
The thing is to chill and remember nobody has exclusive rights to be your judge. Let's look at their own track record first. If your life is messed up, first pat yourself on the back for being honest since most are living a total lie about all that. Then join the club knowing it's they that need to step up to the mike next and tell us what their problem is, as you already have. Good on you then for having the courage to do it.

It's not that I don't care. Bipolar is a very serious imbalance. I know several bipolar individuals that when on meds, are fine. It's when they don't want to take the meds, they are making a sane decision at that point, to be irresponsible- like drunk driving. I will not have anyone blame me for their refusal to take their diabetes medicine, not stop drinking before they drive, etc. Unfortunately, all too often, they are irresponsible in managing their own illness, and need a straightforward directive to go to their doctor and stop putting the responsibility on someone else. I've seen many a families destroyed because family members REFUSE to stay on meds, and go and spend their savings on a manic spree, or do something completely unlike their normal self. Respecting them as sane individuals and telling them to stop the nonsense and get to the doctor is the most friendly and caring thing you can do. Otherwise you allow them to continue to dwell in the misperceived "un" reality, that they have NO control over themselves.

thank you for being concerned enough to reply. a lot of people who were allegedly my friends didn't care. maybe it was too hard for them, I don't know. depressive diseases have a brilliant defense mechanism. they put you into a state that precludes recovery. all the things you're supposed to think and do, impossible. it's an ordeal. you're already going through one ordeal, and they say, yeah, just put yourself through another one at the same time. but the worst of it, the absolute nightmare, was over a few years ago. I've got a brilliant support crew and they're managing it brilliantly. things are ok. I mean, best in 20 or 30 yrs ok. but it still needs lots of work. hey, really, thank you very much. having a couple of honest, caring and informed people weigh in was seriously good. cheers.

I'm glad to know that things are looking up for you and I appreciate your clarifying your intents. Still just for all concerned one reason I had for sounding serious may have had something to do with an online friend I had earlier this year with BPD (The BP stands not for Bipolar but Borderline Personality, a far worse mental condition) who right in the middle of a dialogue we were having abruptly deactivated her account and attempted suicide. The crisis lasted well over a week wherein her sister (who lives in another state) had to phone the local police to rescue her..
Since then when anyone says they are in any sort of trouble regarding their mental health I tend to err on the side of caution and take it seriously till I get more info.
So on that note - thanks for the info. And may you have the good life we all deserve.

And as a footnote - I'd have to say that doing ok has been my personal norm for longer than I can recall. One of the initial preparation steps to the correct practice of yoga meditation is stated as: "...reasonable contentment with the material state". Not ecstatically nor euphorically happy, just not in pain, overly anxious, continually distracted or uncomfortable. Reasonable contentment means just that and is pretty much all most of us can realistically aspire to most of the time.

I totally agree with everything you said. thanks.

So good to hear that. Glad it was a false alarm. Sorry- HAD to respond as if it were for real- seen a couple of people REALLY use that approach to get the wrong kind of help- help that makes people run from them after a while. Again, glad to hear you're good :)

I understand. thank you. you know what's ironic? when I really was in trouble and screaming for help and being deadly serious, no one cared. weird huh?



I'm not as good as this, but I'm ok.

I made myself!

Life is all about first the hand we are dealt, then how we play it. And it's partly environmental and partly genetic. Not everyone is born with superior athletic abilities or genius IQ.

There is no single cause I can point to for my life station at this point except karma. I had parents that allowed me the freedom to pursue my dreams and passions and who were willing to pay every step of the way and a governent that wanted me to drop out of school and go fight a war it never intended to ever win. These two opposing factors had a lot to do with both my aspirations and limitations, but of course they are only the highlights. We all make choices along the way and through it all luck always is a major player on the field. When life gives you lemons you can give up and curse your luck or you can make lemonade. And at this late date in my life I am still learning that little trick. It hasn't been easy. But life is for learning so I am.

My grandmother

To quote Frank Sinatra, I did it my way.

I have made good & bad decisions hind site 20- 20.Our parents instill our values its up to us as responsible adults to accept or reject them.

I'm the only one responsible for my choices and decisions. No one else.

It was all me me me.... I started out as the assistant mop boy at the adult video arcade and after years and years of hard work, I am finally senior assistant mop boy.

I cant believe I didn't hook anyone with this. wtf people. I am seriously disappointed.

LMAO! Good one. Give it time. ; )

I built roads, I build my house, I built my fortune... I even make my own food and WMD's and IED's

In the end, it was I who made all the decisions about my future. I left home two months after I turned 17 and joined the Army.... No-one can claim me as their trophy or failure.

I could make a case for blaming my parents or my wife, and there would be some merit to both. I could blame God, too for that matter. But despite all that, the ultimate decision, despite any built-in or misguided bias by others, was mine.

after high school, I wanted so bad to leave the house, I wanted to discover my great opportunities and what the school had to offer me to join the workforce, but I do have one person to thank for believing in me, that I can do it by myself: my uncle

I pushed myself. Made an F, one time. After that I made the grades and graduated. Went to a Vo. Tech for about 6 months and then left.
Have a good one !

My family is also partly responsible for all my successes, while I am solely responsible for my failures. The buck stops here.

I have no one to blame but myself.

Yeah, same here.

First and foremost, my parents for giving me the opportunity to attend good schools through their sacrifice. Second, my teachers, many who were excellent.

I have learned much from my many coworkers over the years and own them thanks as well.

Only me. My parents were a great motivation, but what I have done is solely on my shoulders.

I picked up two college degrees. Scholarship money helped but so did my parents.... very much so. I am now part owner in a successful business with two brothers. We just expanded a couple years ago. I doubt any one of us could have pulled that off alone in a down economy, but we made it work.

I'm very happy for you! Your parents must be so proud of you and your brothers!

No gods, very little support. I credit myself.