7 ms·

Not really. My country is being ripped apart, everyone seems so hateful against the other, the government talks about record employment level and pay while peo

by dyadic 7y ago

Not really. My country is being ripped apart, everyone seems so hateful against the other, the government talks about record employment level and pay while people are using foodbanks and sleeping in the streets. My own life is great by the standards that people usually use to measure success. But it feels so empty. I'd rather check out and go and live in a cave on a hill, but all the land and caves have been parcelled off and sold before I was even born. So here I am, I continue to live, step over people on my way to work, where I sit and help contribute to climate change, feel the guilt of all of it and wanting to change it but without knowing how.

MentallyRetired 7y ago
I'd ask what third world country you live in, but it really sounds like America right now.
- k_ 7y ago
  Does any country _not_ sound like that? I'd like to go there.
  - rocqua 7y ago
    If that is the case, things seem pretty good here in the Netherlands.
- draxofavalon 7y ago
  Yes, it feels like Argentina to me. I'm in Argentina.
  - epiphanitus 7y ago
    Wow really? That's fascinating. Can you tell us more?
- toyg 7y ago
  I’d bet good money parent was talking about the UK. But yes, a lot of countries are like that at the moment.
  - dyadic 7y ago
    Yes, I'm in the UK. And yes, it does appear to be worldwide.
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
    - partomniscient 7y ago
      It's like, what do you do after you realise The Hoax? : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2VIUcuF3KE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2VIUcuF3KE
      - switch007 7y ago
        I watched it 12 years ago stoned/drunk in uni. Good question. Can't say it got any better
- alexgmcm 7y ago
  I was thinking the UK due to Brexit and austerity under the Conservatives etc.
  - rubicon33 7y ago
    I was thinking the US because of the viscous atmosphere between democrats / conservatives. It feels like we're sliding backwards in civil discourse and it's quite disappointing. We've lost all patience for our neighbor. It's all a black and white, right or wrong, "where do YOU stand?" environment.
    - jtcruthers 7y ago
      That may be what its like in social media, but IRL really doesn't seem to care that much. At least in my cushy midwestern city.
    - dyadic 7y ago
      I'm in the UK, but I don't doubt that the same feeling isn't felt in the US or in any other country
- marcosdumay 7y ago
  I was certain it was the same as I live up to the point he talked about record employment levels... Well, at least we get to know how people feel during major world changes.
hliyan 7y ago
I'm fairly certain we're from two different countries, but you pretty much described my feelings to a T. I wonder if this is a normal pattern, or whether the world is going through some sort of slow breakdown with no recent historical precedent?
- zanny 7y ago
  Information has never been this universal and dense before. A half century ago the only tragedy or suffering you were widely exposed to was that between the bounds of your daily commute and whatever the local news station decided to talk about for half an hour every day. And negativity from everywhere is leaky, and being exposed to a whole planet of it puts in scope the scale of everything broken in the world in a way that to 99.99% of individuals is untenable to even approach improving. Theres a reason there is a correlation between intelligence and suicide rates or why if you have someone in your family with down syndrome they always seem happy. The wider your perception the more you realize how little you can actually do to influence it. The narrower the easier it is the less there is to worry about. Nobody has the perfect answer to this problem of course, but one option I like is to budget time for it. Spend a few hours a week "trying to fix the world" and then resign the other 164 hours to trying to fix and improve yourself. If you have explicitly allocated time for something and budget for it its less invasive in the rest of your life. Hopefully. Doesn't work for everyone.
- Miner49er 7y ago
  Maybe a recent historical precedent that sort of matches is the late 1930's? That of course led to WWII. I wouldn't say it's as bad, but there's similarities.
- epiphanitus 7y ago
  Yes, I've been wondering this too - especially the economic part of it. How is it that the same dynamic could be happening in so many countries that are ostensibly so different from each other? I am inclined think that this is because of technological disruption, but how, exactly? Is this because of automation, globalization, or perhaps technology breaking governance systems somehow?
tumaru 7y ago
Is this the UK by any chance?
djsumdog 7y ago
I made it out a few times. After a break-in, I took off backpacking and lived off $20k NZD of savings for nearly a year: https://khanism.org/perspective/minimalism/ https://khanism.org/perspective/minimalism/ I attempted this a 2nd time in a car and it wasn't quite as good, but I'm still glad I did it: https://khanism.org/perspective/a-tale-of-two-journeys/ https://khanism.org/perspective/a-tale-of-two-journeys/ If you're under 30, holiday work visas are great. Tons of countries have these agreements, they're cheap ($200 ~ $300) and let you live and work in another country for a year. The US has them with Australia, NZ, Ireland and a few non-English speaking countries too. IT work doesn't require certification like some professions (medical, legal) so it's easier for us to get work. A lot of people are afraid to make these kinds of jumps. I will admit after that last 5 month drive and watching my bank account drain, I can understand the security of a job and I probably won't take off again (unless I can get into grad school to work on my PhD). It's much more difficult with family/kids, although two people I graduated with lived out of an RV for a while and even raised their kids for the first few years in RVs. One got off the road because he got cancer and needed to settle down to be close to a hospital for treatment. The other decided to home school in the RV. > step over people on my way to work This was one of the reasons for the 2nd journey, because that was life in Seattle. I think overall this concept seems nice, the "R U OK?" but it fails to actually help people from the systemic problems of dissatisfaction with life. The best intentions cannot solve issues of loneliness or missing a life partner. They cannot correct a society which pushes young men and women to get STEM jobs and fancy careers instead of going into the fields they want (honestly I think men should be encouraged to go into art and education and more fulfilling work instead of women being encouraged into the same careers that leads men to be totally unhappy with our lives; but that's a whole different rabbit hole). I'll end this rant by saying I've been lonely for quite some time, but still recently walked away from two potential relationships. One of them brought up really early she wanted a family and the other I had shared the fact that I didn't want kids. When I was younger I always assumed I'd have kids, because every girl I dated wanted them. Now that I'm almost 40; I just don't want to bring anyone else into this world to suffer and die. I think these problems are big, really big, and this kind of website or concept isn't going to help people really get past the feeling of deep unsatisfactions with our lives. That takes a lot more work; and a way to build a better world.
- 7y ago
rubicon33 7y ago
> I'd rather check out and go and live in a cave on a hill, but all the land and caves have been parcelled off and sold before I was even born. You and me both brother.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
agumonkey 7y ago
Sorry to hear that. I often think about reconciliating tech with people. Going to help climate change related companies. Or solar powered (if that's of any help) ones. Maybe even doing small apps for associations. At my last job, I saw how the used very limited tools and people have to work with paper listings the old way even though a simple bit of software logic could alleviate a good amount of stress. I think a lot of people are looking for that. And just yesterday I ran into a german guy who made is own recruiting agency, his clients are helping optimizing energy consumption, plus they aim at open source too. Felt like a great idea to copy.
jborichevskiy 7y ago
I can relate; I found myself in a fairly similar place mentally myself a half-year ago. The thing is, you're not alone and it's possible to start making steps towards trying to make a positive difference. For the intersection of climate change and tech - check out Impact Makers [1] and their Slack community. Plenty of developers, designers, PMs, and data analysts working on various projects and companies across the spectrum of tackling climate change. I'd also recommend looking at and perhaps attending some effective altruism meetups in your city - it's a nice way to meet real people thinking about the same things with similar goals. Lastly I've found the 80,000 Hours website [2] to be a great resource for getting an idea of potential job paths, openings, and resources. It hasn't been an instant fix but after setting some long-term goals in this space and starting to work towards them I've felt my mental health improve. I hope yours can too! [1] - https://techimpactmakers.com/ https://techimpactmakers.com/ [2] - https://80000hours.org/ https://80000hours.org/
lazyjones 7y ago
> I continue to live, step over people on my way to work, where I sit and help contribute to climate change, feel the guilt of all of it and wanting to change it but without knowing how. Sorry for being harsh, but please grow up and stop letting other people manipulate you by making you feel guilty about climate, your relative wealth and other things. Focus on making your own life better, leave the current climate change craze (yes, craze) for politics to address.
- Sytten 7y ago
  I don't agree with your individualistic vision. This is the exact kind of mindset that brought us to where we are right now. I can tell you politics won't fix climate change, especially if people start to not care at all...
  - lazyjones 7y ago
    The whole point of having governments is to address issues that affect large groups of people. Personal crusades, based on distorted perception of issues due to anxiety issues, will never yield useful results.
    - dyadic 7y ago
      I agree that governments should be addressing these issues, my initial post was mostly about how they are not doing that, and at the same time actively telling us that everything is great. It's almost like their own measure of success isn't the happiness and wellbeing of their citizens.
prawn 7y ago
On the cave front, your best bet might be car dwelling on public land. I don't know the options in the UK, but there are opportunities in Australia and loads in the US. In the US you can go camp in the forest or desert away from the chaos and (generally) only have to move every 10-14 days. Depending on the vehicle you have, you can do this with minimal expense and as a full-time lifestyle decision or just when you need to clear your head for a weekend. It's very liberating being out in a forest or desert, especially without phone signal. Fewer distractions, fewer possessions.
- tonyedgecombe 7y ago
  We don't really have the space nor the climate for that in the UK. Some people do it but it's out of desperation rather than anything else. You will get hounded by the authorities as well.
switch007 7y ago
Feel ya man. You wrote exactly how I feel. If you're still in Yorkshire, try to get out on the moors, see the sun rise, look at the sheep. Walk through the forests. It helps me a bit!

by dyadic 7y ago

MentallyRetired 7y ago

I'd ask what third world country you live in, but it really sounds like America right now.

k_ 7y ago
Does any country _not_ sound like that? I'd like to go there.
- rocqua 7y ago
  If that is the case, things seem pretty good here in the Netherlands.
draxofavalon 7y ago
Yes, it feels like Argentina to me. I'm in Argentina.
- epiphanitus 7y ago
  Wow really? That's fascinating. Can you tell us more?
toyg 7y ago
I’d bet good money parent was talking about the UK. But yes, a lot of countries are like that at the moment.
- dyadic 7y ago
  Yes, I'm in the UK. And yes, it does appear to be worldwide.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - partomniscient 7y ago
    It's like, what do you do after you realise The Hoax? : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2VIUcuF3KE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2VIUcuF3KE
    - switch007 7y ago
      I watched it 12 years ago stoned/drunk in uni. Good question. Can't say it got any better
alexgmcm 7y ago
I was thinking the UK due to Brexit and austerity under the Conservatives etc.
- rubicon33 7y ago
  I was thinking the US because of the viscous atmosphere between democrats / conservatives. It feels like we're sliding backwards in civil discourse and it's quite disappointing. We've lost all patience for our neighbor. It's all a black and white, right or wrong, "where do YOU stand?" environment.
  - jtcruthers 7y ago
    That may be what its like in social media, but IRL really doesn't seem to care that much. At least in my cushy midwestern city.
  - dyadic 7y ago
    I'm in the UK, but I don't doubt that the same feeling isn't felt in the US or in any other country
marcosdumay 7y ago
I was certain it was the same as I live up to the point he talked about record employment levels... Well, at least we get to know how people feel during major world changes.

hliyan 7y ago

I'm fairly certain we're from two different countries, but you pretty much described my feelings to a T. I wonder if this is a normal pattern, or whether the world is going through some sort of slow breakdown with no recent historical precedent?

zanny 7y ago
Information has never been this universal and dense before. A half century ago the only tragedy or suffering you were widely exposed to was that between the bounds of your daily commute and whatever the local news station decided to talk about for half an hour every day. And negativity from everywhere is leaky, and being exposed to a whole planet of it puts in scope the scale of everything broken in the world in a way that to 99.99% of individuals is untenable to even approach improving. Theres a reason there is a correlation between intelligence and suicide rates or why if you have someone in your family with down syndrome they always seem happy. The wider your perception the more you realize how little you can actually do to influence it. The narrower the easier it is the less there is to worry about. Nobody has the perfect answer to this problem of course, but one option I like is to budget time for it. Spend a few hours a week "trying to fix the world" and then resign the other 164 hours to trying to fix and improve yourself. If you have explicitly allocated time for something and budget for it its less invasive in the rest of your life. Hopefully. Doesn't work for everyone.
Miner49er 7y ago
Maybe a recent historical precedent that sort of matches is the late 1930's? That of course led to WWII. I wouldn't say it's as bad, but there's similarities.
epiphanitus 7y ago
Yes, I've been wondering this too - especially the economic part of it. How is it that the same dynamic could be happening in so many countries that are ostensibly so different from each other? I am inclined think that this is because of technological disruption, but how, exactly? Is this because of automation, globalization, or perhaps technology breaking governance systems somehow?

tumaru 7y ago

Is this the UK by any chance?

djsumdog 7y ago

I made it out a few times. After a break-in, I took off backpacking and lived off $20k NZD of savings for nearly a year: https://khanism.org/perspective/minimalism/ https://khanism.org/perspective/minimalism/ I attempted this a 2nd time in a car and it wasn't quite as good, but I'm still glad I did it: https://khanism.org/perspective/a-tale-of-two-journeys/ https://khanism.org/perspective/a-tale-of-two-journeys/ If you're under 30, holiday work visas are great. Tons of countries have these agreements, they're cheap ($200 ~ $300) and let you live and work in another country for a year. The US has them with Australia, NZ, Ireland and a few non-English speaking countries too. IT work doesn't require certification like some professions (medical, legal) so it's easier for us to get work. A lot of people are afraid to make these kinds of jumps. I will admit after that last 5 month drive and watching my bank account drain, I can understand the security of a job and I probably won't take off again (unless I can get into grad school to work on my PhD). It's much more difficult with family/kids, although two people I graduated with lived out of an RV for a while and even raised their kids for the first few years in RVs. One got off the road because he got cancer and needed to settle down to be close to a hospital for treatment. The other decided to home school in the RV. > step over people on my way to work This was one of the reasons for the 2nd journey, because that was life in Seattle. I think overall this concept seems nice, the "R U OK?" but it fails to actually help people from the systemic problems of dissatisfaction with life. The best intentions cannot solve issues of loneliness or missing a life partner. They cannot correct a society which pushes young men and women to get STEM jobs and fancy careers instead of going into the fields they want (honestly I think men should be encouraged to go into art and education and more fulfilling work instead of women being encouraged into the same careers that leads men to be totally unhappy with our lives; but that's a whole different rabbit hole). I'll end this rant by saying I've been lonely for quite some time, but still recently walked away from two potential relationships. One of them brought up really early she wanted a family and the other I had shared the fact that I didn't want kids. When I was younger I always assumed I'd have kids, because every girl I dated wanted them. Now that I'm almost 40; I just don't want to bring anyone else into this world to suffer and die. I think these problems are big, really big, and this kind of website or concept isn't going to help people really get past the feeling of deep unsatisfactions with our lives. That takes a lot more work; and a way to build a better world.

7y ago

rubicon33 7y ago

> I'd rather check out and go and live in a cave on a hill, but all the land and caves have been parcelled off and sold before I was even born. You and me both brother.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

agumonkey 7y ago

Sorry to hear that. I often think about reconciliating tech with people. Going to help climate change related companies. Or solar powered (if that's of any help) ones. Maybe even doing small apps for associations. At my last job, I saw how the used very limited tools and people have to work with paper listings the old way even though a simple bit of software logic could alleviate a good amount of stress. I think a lot of people are looking for that. And just yesterday I ran into a german guy who made is own recruiting agency, his clients are helping optimizing energy consumption, plus they aim at open source too. Felt like a great idea to copy.

jborichevskiy 7y ago

I can relate; I found myself in a fairly similar place mentally myself a half-year ago. The thing is, you're not alone and it's possible to start making steps towards trying to make a positive difference. For the intersection of climate change and tech - check out Impact Makers [1] and their Slack community. Plenty of developers, designers, PMs, and data analysts working on various projects and companies across the spectrum of tackling climate change. I'd also recommend looking at and perhaps attending some effective altruism meetups in your city - it's a nice way to meet real people thinking about the same things with similar goals. Lastly I've found the 80,000 Hours website [2] to be a great resource for getting an idea of potential job paths, openings, and resources. It hasn't been an instant fix but after setting some long-term goals in this space and starting to work towards them I've felt my mental health improve. I hope yours can too! [1] - https://techimpactmakers.com/ https://techimpactmakers.com/ [2] - https://80000hours.org/ https://80000hours.org/

lazyjones 7y ago

> I continue to live, step over people on my way to work, where I sit and help contribute to climate change, feel the guilt of all of it and wanting to change it but without knowing how. Sorry for being harsh, but please grow up and stop letting other people manipulate you by making you feel guilty about climate, your relative wealth and other things. Focus on making your own life better, leave the current climate change craze (yes, craze) for politics to address.

Sytten 7y ago
I don't agree with your individualistic vision. This is the exact kind of mindset that brought us to where we are right now. I can tell you politics won't fix climate change, especially if people start to not care at all...
- lazyjones 7y ago
  The whole point of having governments is to address issues that affect large groups of people. Personal crusades, based on distorted perception of issues due to anxiety issues, will never yield useful results.
  - dyadic 7y ago
    I agree that governments should be addressing these issues, my initial post was mostly about how they are not doing that, and at the same time actively telling us that everything is great. It's almost like their own measure of success isn't the happiness and wellbeing of their citizens.

prawn 7y ago

On the cave front, your best bet might be car dwelling on public land. I don't know the options in the UK, but there are opportunities in Australia and loads in the US. In the US you can go camp in the forest or desert away from the chaos and (generally) only have to move every 10-14 days. Depending on the vehicle you have, you can do this with minimal expense and as a full-time lifestyle decision or just when you need to clear your head for a weekend. It's very liberating being out in a forest or desert, especially without phone signal. Fewer distractions, fewer possessions.

tonyedgecombe 7y ago
We don't really have the space nor the climate for that in the UK. Some people do it but it's out of desperation rather than anything else. You will get hounded by the authorities as well.

switch007 7y ago

Feel ya man. You wrote exactly how I feel. If you're still in Yorkshire, try to get out on the moors, see the sun rise, look at the sheep. Walk through the forests. It helps me a bit!