Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A lot of older people I know may not be cheerful because they are grieving the loss of someone they loved. Or perhaps they are dealing with pain and/or they do not feel well.
The hardest part of getting older, for me, is losing so many of my friends and family.
Anytime you use a phrase like "the majority of..." is a sign to not take you seriously. Then you go on and on complaining about how they...complain. Why do you feel the need to rant about old people, anyway? Just ignore the ones you don't like. We're going to ignore you.
How ignorant. Dont forget you'll be old one day, and you already seem grouchy and hostile. I've met some super sweet older folks much nicer than people my age. Sweeping generalizations like these are so pointless.
The majority of old people sound like a broken record, complaining about how they get no respect, how they don't feel valued.
Sorry, but your comment sounds like it comes from a broken, bitter person, complaining about older people. Their lives are likely much more difficult than yours and they could use some compassion from you.
honestly, when the generation before the baby boomers are all gone, it will be a sad day because they are the last generation worthy of any respect.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HappyCow011
The majority of old people sound like a broken record, complaining about how they get no respect, how they don't feel valued.
It's sad, but most old people of today aren't valued but its their own fault, it's because they have nothing valueable to offer.
I do not expects old people to keep up with the latest trends, to know the latest technology, to be hip with the latest entertainment, to keep up with the pace of globalization, to do physically demanding tasks, to even be able to work a job, to even be able to take care of themselves.
But what I do expect from old people is that when they had the ability to do these things, that they lived their life to the fullest, faced adversity, and ultimately came out of this experience with a level of ACCEPTANCE.
Some things went right, somethings went wrong, but ultimately they learned to accept themselves for who they are and found that all the external stuff is not important. They learned to be happy with life on life's terms. And having found themselves, they have a sense of SERENITY.
I expect old people to have something that young people do not yet have, the ability to LIVE LIFE ONE DAY AT A TIME. And that is a wisdom that I can appreciate in old people. That is an energy that I want to be around. I want to be around wise old people who because they can accept themselves for who they are, can accept me for who I am.
I don't need someone telling me what to do or how to do it. I don't need advise. But what I do need is someone who can accept me and encourage me. Someone who believes that I have the tools within me to figure it all out.
But the old people I come in contact with are bitter. They are complaining. And the very fact that they have so much anger, so much discontent, tells me that they have not found acceptance. That they have not found serenity. That in their 60+ years of life they have not mastered it.
It makes me feel that instead of facing their adversity, they instead numbed themselves with alcohol, television, unhealthy relationships, drugs, etc. And as a result they did not grow. They stayed adult children. And now in their old age they have no more wisdom than an 18 year old.
Sorry to be harsh, but its' their own damn fault that they have no value. And it is not too late for anyone to start facing the negative within them instead of spraying it all over the place.
Sorry, but your comment sounds like it comes from a broken, bitter person, complaining about older people. Their lives are likely much more difficult than yours and they could use some compassion from you.
I have always had younger and older friends which is the nature of being involved in the arts and I always wonder at the stereotypes people develop when they don't mix with different age groups. I have some fantastic older friends, older being 70's and late 80's, and yes some things have been difficult for them but they are the most amazing role models. One friend on her 80 birthday went to New Zealand and rode a hot air balloon, another is active in several art groups I belong to and her ability to push the boundaries in her art are phenomenal despite arthritis in both hands, and needing a walker, another is a peace activist and stands on a corner every Saturday for a couple of hours, others are volunteering for variety of organizations. Honestly I just don't relate to the stereotype of "complaining old people" trope at all. Sure there are a few around our small town that are grumpy, but they are hurting or grieving and need time and like you said a little compassion. There are a few others that are seriously bitter and grumpy but they have always been that way since they were young.
It depends on the old person. I remember when my long-widowed grandmother found a boyfriend. They used to talk about how awful the young people were. I used to think to myself "Can we go home now, mom?" His blood pressure was as high as the stock market under Donald Trump. Still, it was sad when he stroked and my grandmother was alone again.
When I took gerontology, there was a discussion about how society had changed. The majority view was that people were not as polite as they used to be. I, who was much older than the other students; even much older than the teacher, disagreed. The teacher said it was because I was such a nice person. While I don't know about that, I do try to treat others as I want to be treated. I also remember meeting my fair share of cantankerous old (actually middle-aged) coots as I was growing up.
I am quite happy now as a healthy and financially secure retired 61 year old with a new part-time job. A lot of this has to do with decisions I made early in life. I never used tobacco, alcohol, or drugs, and I avoided risk-taking activities. Being both unathletic and uninterested in athletics, I also do not suffer from the results of long-term abuse of my body. I am mowing about 6 hours a week with a push mower; not only my yard, but also the City's lift station, which has never looked better.
While I look fondly upon the fashions and music of the 70s and 80s, I have no desire to relive that period. The society of the 60s and 70s was grim; just look at all the dystopic fiction that was written then. While others talk about how today's vehicles are too complicated to repair yourself, I think of the vehicles of my youth as unreliable rust buckets.
For those of us who enjoy learning, the computer internet age has made this the best time ever. Now if only I could bring back the early Holocene climate optimum of 55 million years ago, when the entire earth was ice-free, and beech trees grew in Antarctica.
Half of your compound name seems not to fit your demeanor, new poster. Wonder which half
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
