what’s telling I suppose is that I fucking hope the end is near. i’m exhausted, depressed, sad, and generally realizing at 46 I am watching “peers” and family retire at 62, 64, 67, or 72 an then die a year later. While capitalism just eats up all it can of these people.
“I got people waiting for me” is what I say when I mention I don’t care if I wake up tomorrow; yet I’m certain there is some sort of Orpheus and Eurydice level trickery too.
If fewer people thought like this, and we came together to fight what’s happening, then it wouldn’t be this way. But everybody just wants to sit around and be sad about it instead of actually trying to make a difference.
And I get it- it’s overwhelming, and it’s a lot easier to say “I told you so,” than it is to say “We fought hard and won.”
But everybody just wants to sit around and be sad about it instead of actually trying to make a difference.
This makes me a little indignant to read because it shows me that you understand absolutely nothing about declining mental health and how much of an impact it can have on people, their well-being, and their ability to do … things.
If fewer people had your mentality, maybe the sad, depressed, and chronically stressed out people suffering from very real trauma could get the help they so desperately deserve.
Life pro tip: when someone says they are tired, they don’t mean they’re sleepy or lazy. It means they are beaten down so hard that their only sane course of action is to simply stay down, lest they get beaten more.
No, not everyone. And sometimes things are built up to keep enough people down and tired to prevent making a difference. One can have fought and won a few battles but still be losing the war, and be entitled to say “I’ve been telling you so”. Never generalize - many labeled “doomers” are simply people who have been trying to change the world, and the world is simply too big and they’ve seen too much.
While I sympathize with you for feeling exhausted and depressed, it’s frankly rather selfish of you to go from that to “and therefore everyone should die.” There are people who are doing okay and there are people who are exhausted and depressed but who still want to make a go of it. Don’t wish for the world to end because they’re still using it.
Thank you. My mom is 70 and still working and I can’t even tell her not to because at 43 I can barely support myself. I HOPE the fucking rapture happens
Despite challenges coming up, our world is broadly in the best state it’s ever been in. We are objectively at an all-time high in lifespans, quality of life and reduced war and violence.
You really, really need to turn off the news and social media (like this site) more and spend more time in your moments. I am speaking as one of your peers here. You are gonna regret spending too much time despairing over things you can’t change when you could find small joys in the miraculous world we have around us. You have likely been disheartened growing up in the same world I did thinking that we would have a future with food replicators and starships. That’s a hard one to let go of, I know, but there is still magic and wonder we can experience in our daily lives.
Yah you’re gonna die, we all will.
So make the most of your short time and go plant a garden, take a hike, raise a puppy, learn a new language, travel to places where people don’t actually dwell on the sorrows and learn from them.
No, I’m not giving you platitudes here, I am promising you, you will regret spending too much time in sorrow. The world will feel most wondrous and magical when you know your time is short, and you WILL wonder why you didn’t work harder to stretch that time out.
it really took a turn when i was 32. i held my wife as she died of cancer then had to tell the kids. yep the world sucks and i do what i can to help my community. but at the end of the day … I just got lots of healing to do for sure. thanks for your kind words. :)
I think this is why so many people are pulled into this kind of thinking. I can’t say I don’t sympathise. I do believe that a better world is possible, but it feels increasingly unlikely that I’ll get to see it.
I do what I can to push for things to improve, through political organising and supporting my community in whatever way I can, but it’s hard not to become morally burnt out when I know that I’m doing only a fraction of what I theoretically could be due to constantly struggling to keep my head above water. That’s how the capitalist engine continues to chug onwards as it does.
Here’s the part where I wish I could say something reassuring, but I can’t. I’m far younger than you are, so I know that if I’m feeling exhausted, then it would be trite and foolish to think I could make you feel hopeful about your future when I don’t even know if I have hope for myself. In lieu of hope, please accept this offer of solidarity. It doesn’t do much to change the suckish reality we find ourselves in, but nonetheless, it feels important to highlight that you’re not alone in feeling this way. For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re still with us, and I hope that you find some solace, in this life or the next.
First, thank you for having been a first responder. I’ve had to call upon them for various reasons and, having had a similar job, greatly appreciate the service.
Second, please don’t take their bullshit to heart friend, they’re just being a jackass. There’s never a reason to defend yourself against a simple “do something” comment unless it’s accompanied by meaningful, constructive advice, and then only if you choose to reply.
Soup kitchens and food banks are not usually looking for more food, but they’re ALWAYS short on hands. Food Not Bombs is also a good one if there’s a local chapter in your area. There are often tenant’s rights orgs out there that can use time, money, or expertise in legal matters (sometimes also just handyman skills).
Thank you for the information, but this is what the person I was replying to should have put in their first reply instead of just “do something”. Again, though, thank you for your reply, it’s genuinely useful.
what’s telling I suppose is that I fucking hope the end is near. i’m exhausted, depressed, sad, and generally realizing at 46 I am watching “peers” and family retire at 62, 64, 67, or 72 an then die a year later. While capitalism just eats up all it can of these people.
“I got people waiting for me” is what I say when I mention I don’t care if I wake up tomorrow; yet I’m certain there is some sort of Orpheus and Eurydice level trickery too.
So we just wait and watch the world burn.
If fewer people thought like this, and we came together to fight what’s happening, then it wouldn’t be this way. But everybody just wants to sit around and be sad about it instead of actually trying to make a difference.
And I get it- it’s overwhelming, and it’s a lot easier to say “I told you so,” than it is to say “We fought hard and won.”
This makes me a little indignant to read because it shows me that you understand absolutely nothing about declining mental health and how much of an impact it can have on people, their well-being, and their ability to do … things.
If fewer people had your mentality, maybe the sad, depressed, and chronically stressed out people suffering from very real trauma could get the help they so desperately deserve.
Life pro tip: when someone says they are tired, they don’t mean they’re sleepy or lazy. It means they are beaten down so hard that their only sane course of action is to simply stay down, lest they get beaten more.
Implying my mental health is perfect. You don’t know a god damned thing about me and my struggles. When I said everybody, I was including myself.
Fuck yourself.
sure. just remember: nothing I wrote indicates I don’t also try to make a difference where I can. ;)
No, not everyone. And sometimes things are built up to keep enough people down and tired to prevent making a difference. One can have fought and won a few battles but still be losing the war, and be entitled to say “I’ve been telling you so”. Never generalize - many labeled “doomers” are simply people who have been trying to change the world, and the world is simply too big and they’ve seen too much.
While I sympathize with you for feeling exhausted and depressed, it’s frankly rather selfish of you to go from that to “and therefore everyone should die.” There are people who are doing okay and there are people who are exhausted and depressed but who still want to make a go of it. Don’t wish for the world to end because they’re still using it.
Thank you. My mom is 70 and still working and I can’t even tell her not to because at 43 I can barely support myself. I HOPE the fucking rapture happens
Despite challenges coming up, our world is broadly in the best state it’s ever been in. We are objectively at an all-time high in lifespans, quality of life and reduced war and violence.
You really, really need to turn off the news and social media (like this site) more and spend more time in your moments. I am speaking as one of your peers here. You are gonna regret spending too much time despairing over things you can’t change when you could find small joys in the miraculous world we have around us. You have likely been disheartened growing up in the same world I did thinking that we would have a future with food replicators and starships. That’s a hard one to let go of, I know, but there is still magic and wonder we can experience in our daily lives.
Yah you’re gonna die, we all will.
So make the most of your short time and go plant a garden, take a hike, raise a puppy, learn a new language, travel to places where people don’t actually dwell on the sorrows and learn from them.
No, I’m not giving you platitudes here, I am promising you, you will regret spending too much time in sorrow. The world will feel most wondrous and magical when you know your time is short, and you WILL wonder why you didn’t work harder to stretch that time out.
it really took a turn when i was 32. i held my wife as she died of cancer then had to tell the kids. yep the world sucks and i do what i can to help my community. but at the end of the day … I just got lots of healing to do for sure. thanks for your kind words. :)
Weren’t things better in early 2019 than they are now?
I think this is why so many people are pulled into this kind of thinking. I can’t say I don’t sympathise. I do believe that a better world is possible, but it feels increasingly unlikely that I’ll get to see it.
I do what I can to push for things to improve, through political organising and supporting my community in whatever way I can, but it’s hard not to become morally burnt out when I know that I’m doing only a fraction of what I theoretically could be due to constantly struggling to keep my head above water. That’s how the capitalist engine continues to chug onwards as it does.
Here’s the part where I wish I could say something reassuring, but I can’t. I’m far younger than you are, so I know that if I’m feeling exhausted, then it would be trite and foolish to think I could make you feel hopeful about your future when I don’t even know if I have hope for myself. In lieu of hope, please accept this offer of solidarity. It doesn’t do much to change the suckish reality we find ourselves in, but nonetheless, it feels important to highlight that you’re not alone in feeling this way. For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re still with us, and I hope that you find some solace, in this life or the next.
thank you.
or you could do something
i dodo stuff. been a first responder for 20 years. help with my community in ways i can. heck I’ve even served on unelected boards/commissions too.
it’s possible to also be exhausted.
First, thank you for having been a first responder. I’ve had to call upon them for various reasons and, having had a similar job, greatly appreciate the service.
Second, please don’t take their bullshit to heart friend, they’re just being a jackass. There’s never a reason to defend yourself against a simple “do something” comment unless it’s accompanied by meaningful, constructive advice, and then only if you choose to reply.
not mutually exclusive
Dude’s not even stealing from his boss and crooked corporations to get ahead.
such as
Attempt to become the best croquet player in the world, as one example.
Or maybe something a little less lofty, such as becoming the most proficient underwater basket weaver in the county.
Feed homeless people or help tenants keep their housing. Like it just depends on what assets and skills one can bring to the table.
How does one go about feeding homeless people, or help tenants keep their housing?
Soup kitchens and food banks are not usually looking for more food, but they’re ALWAYS short on hands. Food Not Bombs is also a good one if there’s a local chapter in your area. There are often tenant’s rights orgs out there that can use time, money, or expertise in legal matters (sometimes also just handyman skills).
Thank you for the information, but this is what the person I was replying to should have put in their first reply instead of just “do something”. Again, though, thank you for your reply, it’s genuinely useful.