A Strange View into a Different World

I had two experiences today that really let me take a peak into the non-Jewish world. But just happened to be during my Environmental Science lab.

Story #1
Well this story is about my missing lab partner. We were assigned lab partners about a month ago, and after one week this guy didn't show up again. He wouldn't return phone calls or emails either.
Anyways, this dude decides to show up today, all like "OK, lets get to work!"
Me, being the Jew, had a hard time telling him, "Well, you know you actually haven't been here for the entire duration of the building of the project (we're building solar hot water heaters) and we can't go back to square one to explain the whole thing to you."

My other partners and teacher took quite a different approach.

"He hasn't shown up, he hasn't done the work, he's out."

So as he was leaving the room, he announced, "Well this sucks, I'm gonna go downtown and empty my bank account out on some crack."

I was wondering what I would do it I had been put in a similar situation.

I'd probably do one of two things: either I'd go home and watch Star Trek for 6 hours or I'd go to the Beit Midrash for 6 hours (or a combination of both).

After my mind was cleared I'd go find out how to fix the problem, or I'd deal with it. I wouldn't look for some temporary fix to my problem (of course I did mention Star Trek, so maybe I would) but drugs? I mean, come on.
Obviously similar things happen in the Jewish world, but at least Jews have someone to turn to, a Rabbi, mentor, but a non-Jew without a good relationship with his parents, and who doesn't do well in school, who does he have to turn to?

Story #2
So after this incident, I went with one of my other lab partners to the Home Depot to pick up some supplies for our project. On the way over there he was listening to some music, which, to my musician ears, sounded horrible.

It wasn't just the arrangements, it the was the extreme profanity in the lyrics, I found it extremely offensive and disgusting.

But I didn't mention anything during the whole trip about it, and after we got back to campus I noticed that these colorful words were falling out of his mouth as well.

At some point in the afternoon he let out one of these swear words in front of the professor. The professor asked him to stop it, not because he was offended, but for my lab partners own good.

Then he went rambling on about how, when you get a job you can't use words like that, how it's unprofessional, blah, blah, blah.

I would have said the reason not to use swear words was that it's disgusting and vile. If you think about it, all swear words revolve around one of two things: sex & poop.

So here you're taking something that is one of the most beautiful things that a person can do with their body (you know the Gemarah does call if 'kodesh') and equating it with. . .well you get the picture.

That's what got me to stop using swear words, I used to be a real punk in high school, thought it was cool to sing Metallica (I still do, but shhhhhh, don't tell anyone) but when I realized this, I stopped. As one wise man I know put it, "It's a people express themselves, but if that's the best you can do, you have some serious problems expressing yourself. I don't think R' Moshe Feinstein ever had problems expressing himself, and I guarantee that he never used a swear word."

Anyways I thought it would be awkward to tell this to my non-Jewish lab partner, but I had to let it out, hope it didn't annoy you.

Thanks for reading (even those of us who happen to be in the back of a classroom during class right now).

I'm going to go to the Beis now and learn a daf Gemarah.

Shalom