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I mean, given the demands of modern society, I wouldn’t be surprised if every other person was honestly battling some kind of mental health issues at some point

I mean, given the demands of modern society, I wouldn’t be surprised if every other person was honestly battling some kind of mental health issues at some point. I mean hell, it’s tough enough being sentient and dealing with mortality, throw in social issues, politics, propaganda, conspiracies, lack of health care, lack of social safety nets, caring for dependents, dating, paying bills, social media, “Instagram culture,” and a god damn pandemic. It’s rough out there.

throwaway201103 6y ago
Look a few generations back and reset your worldview. Been drafted into combat lately?
- abootstrapper 6y ago
  I agree. The good old days were terrible. No doubt many suffered through considerable mental anguish. Unfortunately, this knowledge does not usually help people currently living with depression or similar mental illness. It’s like, “I can’t pay my mortgage and I don’t where my family will live, but Grandpa was a POW in Nam, so no worries!”
  - throwaway201103 6y ago
    Yeah, doesn't take it away but that perspective can make it more bearable. "Things could be worse" is a real way to cope with stress.
  - engineeringwoke 6y ago
    Man, grandpa was a POW in 'Nam makes me feel so old. Who's grandparents on this forum are young enough to be in Vietnam?
adventured 6y ago
> I mean, given the demands of modern society Modern society is the easiest society that has ever existed. And that's true nearly world-wide. People have never been better off or worked fewer hours at the median. In modern - affluent - society, it's that people have become soft, weak, fragile. The times are not harder, they're easier. People in affluent nations have never been more coddled and protected. What demands are you talking about? Influencers pressuring people to have whiter smiles on Instagram or better abs on TikTok? Someone getting their feelings hurt on Facebook? In the US things were dramatically worse for the bottom 1/2 as recently as the 1970s and earlier. Look up the poverty and hunger rates/issues in the US across the century from 1870-1970. It was barbaric compared to now. The same is true for violent crime, homelessness, and so on. The past 30-40 years have been amazing compared to the past and that holds true for the most of the world. In affluent nations you have a vast number of exceptionally spoiled people that have known very little suffering.
- imtringued 6y ago
  It's only easy if you consider living on welfare or being homeless as acceptable options. >What demands are you talking about? Influencers pressuring people to have whiter smiles on Instagram or better abs on TikTok? Someone getting their feelings hurt on Facebook? Getting a college degree is stressful and many people quit. Choosing the right one is also a challenge in it's own right. If you fail at this you will be in debt and lost an opportunity to join the workforce early. Current monetary policies are basically extremely pro business at the expense of workers (current first world economies are fundamentally flawed and 2008 just made it obvious). A lot of people have poor employment options through no fault of their own. They are simply declared unneeded because of how the economy is structured. It's easier to survive but it's much harder to stay sane.
  - nxmnxm99 6y ago
    9/10 people on Earth reading this are cringing because of how privileged it sounds. The complaints you’re describing are for babies.
- jahaja 6y ago
  That it has gone from extremely shite to very shite is not something that can just be translated to "people have become soft, weak, fragile". Suffering looks different now. It's a lazy take to conclude that people must have become weak when the technological progress haven't produced the dignified and easy life of what previous generations hoped it would. Instead we just keep producing and consuming in an endless ever expanding circle, skipping the freedom of leisure for all part.
nxmnxm99 6y ago
You know where you don't see every other person crying about mental health on their iPhone? The entire developing world. This isn't a mental health crisis. Westerners are just babies.

throwaway201103 6y ago

Look a few generations back and reset your worldview. Been drafted into combat lately?

abootstrapper 6y ago
I agree. The good old days were terrible. No doubt many suffered through considerable mental anguish. Unfortunately, this knowledge does not usually help people currently living with depression or similar mental illness. It’s like, “I can’t pay my mortgage and I don’t where my family will live, but Grandpa was a POW in Nam, so no worries!”
- throwaway201103 6y ago
  Yeah, doesn't take it away but that perspective can make it more bearable. "Things could be worse" is a real way to cope with stress.
- engineeringwoke 6y ago
  Man, grandpa was a POW in 'Nam makes me feel so old. Who's grandparents on this forum are young enough to be in Vietnam?

adventured 6y ago

> I mean, given the demands of modern society Modern society is the easiest society that has ever existed. And that's true nearly world-wide. People have never been better off or worked fewer hours at the median. In modern - affluent - society, it's that people have become soft, weak, fragile. The times are not harder, they're easier. People in affluent nations have never been more coddled and protected. What demands are you talking about? Influencers pressuring people to have whiter smiles on Instagram or better abs on TikTok? Someone getting their feelings hurt on Facebook? In the US things were dramatically worse for the bottom 1/2 as recently as the 1970s and earlier. Look up the poverty and hunger rates/issues in the US across the century from 1870-1970. It was barbaric compared to now. The same is true for violent crime, homelessness, and so on. The past 30-40 years have been amazing compared to the past and that holds true for the most of the world. In affluent nations you have a vast number of exceptionally spoiled people that have known very little suffering.

imtringued 6y ago
It's only easy if you consider living on welfare or being homeless as acceptable options. >What demands are you talking about? Influencers pressuring people to have whiter smiles on Instagram or better abs on TikTok? Someone getting their feelings hurt on Facebook? Getting a college degree is stressful and many people quit. Choosing the right one is also a challenge in it's own right. If you fail at this you will be in debt and lost an opportunity to join the workforce early. Current monetary policies are basically extremely pro business at the expense of workers (current first world economies are fundamentally flawed and 2008 just made it obvious). A lot of people have poor employment options through no fault of their own. They are simply declared unneeded because of how the economy is structured. It's easier to survive but it's much harder to stay sane.
- nxmnxm99 6y ago
  9/10 people on Earth reading this are cringing because of how privileged it sounds. The complaints you’re describing are for babies.
jahaja 6y ago
That it has gone from extremely shite to very shite is not something that can just be translated to "people have become soft, weak, fragile". Suffering looks different now. It's a lazy take to conclude that people must have become weak when the technological progress haven't produced the dignified and easy life of what previous generations hoped it would. Instead we just keep producing and consuming in an endless ever expanding circle, skipping the freedom of leisure for all part.

nxmnxm99 6y ago

You know where you don't see every other person crying about mental health on their iPhone? The entire developing world. This isn't a mental health crisis. Westerners are just babies.