error: other people do not think like me i met a man today in my computer science 231 course who was looking for a partner in the class. it happens i already have a partner, and if i did not have one who was a friend in the class, i would not allow myself to have one anyway. i'm not sociable, and i have a large distaste for other people at the moment. however, i started talking to this man as he began telling me that he was "starting over" from his first time at university. it seems that his first attempt at higher education was cut short by having to return to korea to serve in the korean army for 2.5 years. he said that over those 2.5 years everyone he knew had graduated from college and were currently occupying spots in jobs and other life activities that he would not be able to know for at least another 2 years. i asked him if he got anything from the 2.5 years he spent in the military. a responsive "no" came back at me. apparently, he did the same things everyday, run up and down hills, train, do other army things, etc. this does not seem like a particularly bad thing to me, at least. he was taken care of, he was fed, he knew what he had to do and what had to be done was not terribly difficult. he became physically fit and presumably had much time to think about other important things or let his mind wander. next, i asked him if it was a good experience. again, the negative was the answer. and once again, i assumed that it would be at least an interesting or memorable experience. to be able to remember days trudging through mud, to be able to hear the rain fall on top of you as you ran outside. or to gaze in the bright sun/sunset over the military field/training course. experiences with fellow officers, nights off where one was able to return to civilian "society" and look at things you could never have, like girls. but, i realize, people do not think like i do. for some reason people want to live in this doldrum work-a-day world and have nice office jobs with a wife and x amount of kids to come home to every day. i'd prefer to live outside of everything, away from everyone, have a few close friends, but generally live alone. i'd like to tour the world, eventually settling down on some remote shoreline or forest where no one would be apt to bother me. i don't care if i ever became lonely. being away from people in general would guarantee little or no spite from the tragedy of humanity.