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Things are bad, and getting worse. The system is an alienation and isolation machine. People are sinking deeper into nihilism and apathy. Despite the jubilations of the the utopian progressives, ie Steven Pinker and his ilk, people today are as fearful, anxious, and depressed as they have ever been.
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"I don't understand. But I don't care, so it works out."
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Taggerung
Things are bad, and getting worse. The system is an alienation and isolation machine. People are sinking deeper into nihilism and apathy. Despite the jubilations of the the utopian progressives, ie Steven Pinker and his ilk, people today are as fearful, anxious, and depressed as they have ever been.
Yes, they are, and it's feeding on itself.
Stop feeding the chicken littles, and get out there with people who have a more calming spirit, and don't automatically glom on to doom and gloom, but rather, gravitate to the sunshine.
Stop feeding the chicken littles, and get out there with people who have a more calming spirit, and don't automatically glom on to doom and gloom, but rather, gravitate to the sunshine.
You'll feel better.
Recessions and depressions are fueled by people cutting back on spending. Then businesses cut back on staff creating more people out of work not spending money. So yes it feeds on itself. And we are watching this in slow motion with the interest rate increases. Most people seem to know what is coming.
Stop feeding the chicken littles, and get out there with people who have a more calming spirit, and don't automatically glom on to doom and gloom, but rather, gravitate to the sunshine.
You'll feel better.
"Sticking your head in the sand might make you feel safer, but it's not going to protect you from the coming storm".
We are at the end of progress, when the values that built our civilization don't work anymore. Many fantasies of progress such as interstellar travel will never happen. When science and medicine can do nothing for dying patients, progress takes another hit. When a blackout lasts days, progress takes another hit. When life just keeps getting worse for consecutive generations, progress is hit hard. That can be a loss of religious faith, since progress is a godless or god-lite version of paradise, heaven, etc. Without that faith, people may wallow in despair, drugs, shallow entertainment, or turn to the opposite belief, apocalyptic destruction. Some people merely shrug and adapt to the changing world, which can start with developing practical skills to use less energy, befriending neighbors and joining community support networks instead of arguing on the internet, etc.
But what you said would be like going to eat at an all you can eat buffet and telling overweight people they should probably stop coming here while you chow down.
The difference is the people at the buffet aren't saying they are depressed over their weight though, so why would I offer that?
I am here, you , most of us,..'chowing' down Because we can balance the circus of internet tough guys, trolls, and virtue signalers. I work from home so it's easy to lurk whenever. And just as easy to switch tabs.
I'd be better off just insulting the OP and winning fake points for some 'side', which I do sometimes but not when the guy is expressing sadness. I wasn't telling him to give up the fight and join antifa,.wth.
Even if his post was borderline another doom and gloom, America will die thread.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oklazona Bound
and tuning out to social media does not change anything.
I'd argue tunning 'in' to social media doesn't change much either. And stands to make your mental state even more miserable if you let it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oklazona Bound
We have a lot of problems now and its about to get much worse. No wonder people are glum.
I don't disagree with any of that either.
If someone is glum though,...the last thing I'd tell them to do is go online and wade into some D vs. R thread like this has turned into,.heh.
It feels to me like everyone is giving up on life, like everything is pointless. It's not just in the US. Many countries are in even worse shape than we are.
I was looking over headlines today and saw pictures of Biden and Yellen. All I could think was that no one is in control. That we have no government, because even those at the pinnacles of power have given up on trying to fix things. I had a real sense of foreboding, that the existential void at the heart of our society had become so large that people were just waiting for it all to collapse. Because they are out of ideas, and just want to see what happens next.
Americans are fat, lonely, unhappy, underpaid, and stressed out. The usual succors like friends and family are also falling away, leaving very little to hold onto.
I know the situation in this country best of all, better than elsewhere, but I think it's shared by billions all over the world. We are all united by our alienation from each other. Funny how that works.
Or was it Michael Jackson? "The man in the mirror." Ask a swimmer who is drowning, or the common man who has to pick between filling his gas tank or putting food on the family table. Malaise? It would be nice to be so well off to think "poor little me" when I am just trying to survive in this economy.
Some bad things just happen; but in the present situation we find ourselves in, bad decisions brought calamities. Bad things were created.
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Jimmy Carter said it best. Malaise?
