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No one's going to con me. I know for a fact - beyond any shadow of a doubt - that earlier decades (such as the 1970s) were much more favorable and enjoyable than now. I could roll out a long list of the differences (then and now), but don't have the energy now. Whether anyone agrees with me or not doesn't change what I know.
I don't buy that the mind breaks down over time and starts enhancing the images and memories of the past.
The facts are clear. Our brains and bodies start a decline very early....mid-20's in some measurable stats. Einstein himself never came up with anything revolutionary after 30.
That happened to be true about Einstein, but lots of other people accomplished things late in life. People decline at very different rates. And some abilities decline while others do not. They have not found that creativity declines with age, for example.
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Originally Posted by craigiri
While we know this conceptually, it's not until about 50 that we see it for the truth it is. Thinking people DO start understanding their own mortality and quite soon you will find a lot of your healthy friends and family telling you "I just got a heart stent put in" and stuff like that.....
My dad, 87, just commented to me that the whole idea of the Golden Years must be a ruse set up to make people work away the best years of their life...thinking something better will be coming later. It rarely does.
Stress and responsibilities are much harder to bear at an advanced age. When you are younger they motivate you..to fix things, solve things, etc.
When you are older, they raise your blood pressure and you realize there is nothing you can do to "save" many situations.
I think we had the right idea - we sold our physical businesses (a mom and pop store) when I was 48...I had a popular internet site and some income from royalties from the sale, etc...so, in effect, I've had more time to do just as I feel (and also be there for tragedy in the family, etc.) since then.
Now it's almost 19 years later. I really doubt that in another 19 I'll still be playing tennis and sailing, but who knows? Time is certainly fleeting...that's for sure.
Lifestyle and health are big factors in how age affects people. Since most Americans have lifestyles that aren't so great, health problems get much worse with age.
As others said, some things are getting better and others are getting worse. I love using computers for certain things, and can hardly imagine how I used to live without them.
On the other hand, I am so tired of seeing people staring at their phones all the time. Sometimes they almost walk into you, because they don't want to look up from their phone while walking.
I am tired of seeing people sitting across from each other at restaurants staring at their phones, and ignoring each other.
The awareness seems to be enhanced as we progress. Particularly the 'values' that last.
Depending where you started from and how you transformed...you get to pick what point of reference.
I long for the simplicity that I know existed once upon a time. The elation from getting a card in the mail or a letter hand written. Now it's texts and a silly emoji. Not the same.
Most moments can be replicated...the summers at a lake...or the picking of strawberries each June....those tasks still are good times.
I still recall fondly us neighborhood kids running outside on a Summers Eve ...because the rain had started pouring and we needed cooled off. We splashed thru puddles and laughed as we got drenched. Our parents welcomed us in with towels and treat. Yes.,that was a good ole day.
As others said, some things are getting better and others are getting worse. I love using computers for certain things, and can hardly imagine how I used to live without them.
On the other hand, I am so tired of seeing people staring at their phones all the time. Sometimes they almost walk into you, because they don't want to look up from their phone while walking.
I am tired of seeing people sitting across from each other at restaurants staring at their phones, and ignoring each other.
Before cell phones I remember couples ignoring each other in the pub or restaurant and wondered why they bothered
My guess is that no one has you as their emergency contact!
Sure I am... but those who do know they might have to wait a bit.
If you have a real emergency - not "I forgot crew was today, Mom - can you pick me up quick and bring me?!" - call 911. Others' lack of planning is not my emergency; it may feel like it but I promise you it isn't. :P
We know too much now. We have more things to worry about. Who sat around fifty years ago and worried about getting flesh eating bacteria? Or getting a brain eating ameba from swimming in the local pond? The things we worried about then were more concrete and close to home: a decent paycheck, acne, a roof that didn't leak, a Saturday night date not showing up.
I used to love riding the rollercoaster at the fair. Now if I got on, I'd worry about the damn thing going off the rails and that takes all the fun out of it.
That's not actually true. My mother worried about us getting polio from the local pool. They had atomic bomb drills when my mother was in school, and in the 60's, bomb shelters were quite the thing if you had enough money. The things we worried about changed, but there were certainly close to home effects.
Also some of the things we didn't worry about, we should have. There were certainly pedophiles then, but it wasn't thought that anyone we knew could possibly be one, resulting in kids being handed over to abusers in many cases. And of course no one could talk about it. And of course if you were a different color, you had more to worry about, too.
Again I think when people are triggered to comment on things being better, they aren't necessarily talking globally, everything was better kind of thing. I find it usually more specific..."Customer service was better in my day" or "trick or treat was better when we were kids". I don't know many who think everything was better then. As another poster said, some things were and some things were not.
I think the major difference today, vs the 1960s, when I was young is the pace of life. It’s much quicker today with everyone running around. Other than that many of life’s problems/experiences are the same.
I think the perception that "times are getting worse" has to do with the incredible amount of information we are bombarded with on a daily basis nowadays, and the news fear mongering and doom and gloom attitude.
This is no doubt part of the puzzle. When I grew up there was a newspaper, 1/2 hour local news and 1/2 hour world news. No Internet and no cell phones of course. People talked to one and other person to person more often without distractions because that is all we had. Most only had about 4-5 TV channels to choose from. That is a big adjustment for those of us over 50 years old. Seeing everyone on smartphones all the time is odd stuff, but I have just become less social and more into my own thoughts. i rarely engage with others like I used to as I feel it isn't worth bothering with since they are playing Pokeman go or whatever they do on their phones.
Times are not worse, we are just more aware of the negatives due to 24 hour news cycles.
And there it is again. Seems like many can agree on that part.
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Pace of life faster
