i am middle aged man, i experienced life since before even computer and smartphone is a thing like today.

back then, i feel that life is much easier, what i mean easier is more simple life, less competition, less stress, fresh environment, and more happiness despite lack of technology.

but right now, everything is just too complicated despite of power of tech, internet, smartphone, and AI helps, i feel that life is much harder right now, what i mean is like competition is everywhere, stressful everyday, crowded city, and i easily depressed these days.

is it just me or everyone else can relate to what happens right now?

  • 1984@lemmy.today
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    34 minutes ago

    I had that life for a bit but changed my job. You should explore your options. Get out before it kills your soul.

    Move to a calmer city, get a job that pays less but allows you to breathe. Or anything. Just make changes.

    Its not normal to feel like that and it’s your own choices that is doing it, probably a desire for money or status.

  • UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml
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    2 hours ago

    Sounds like things have been good for you in the past. I am happy for you, and wish you a return to the good times.

    They say happiness is all about expectations, but I haven’t expected anything good and I am still disappointed.

  • Labor Class@lemmy.world
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    2 hours ago

    You are definitely not alone. Ordinary people should stand against imperialist and extreme capitalist system .when you vote ,you should not let bastards politicians exploit you by your weakness

  • AdolfSchmitler@lemmy.world
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    3 hours ago

    It’s really hard to tell what was just younger kids not being exposed to the world vs. things actually getting worse. I was a kid during '08, and things didn’t really change for me at home cuz my family was always very frugal, especially my dad.

    Climate change has empirically gotten worse tho. Inflation, enshitification, food quality, all of it SEEMS worse but it’s hard to quantify it you know?

  • VeldtSchema@lemmy.ml
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    4 hours ago

    OP, it’s also going to sound like a cliche, but touch grass. The cancer-like tech companies want to replace your sense of community so that they have more power over you. F them, join a local group, and find yourself feeling more powerful when you have a real community behind you.

  • VelvetPinkOtter123@lemmy.world
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    3 hours ago

    Also middle aged and my only real issue is how stupid everyone is

    They don’t read. They don’t research. They don’t question… not in a “conspiracy theory” way, but they don’t see a headline and go, “is that true?”

    They’re morons that feed off negativity.

    They’ll post an article about something terrible but then I’ll look it up, find out it’s bullshit, and then post the data that shows it’s bullshit and instead of everybody being like, “oh thank God, I was worried there for a second” they go, “Fuck you. Obviously everything is shitty and how dare you even try to point out that it’s not”

    What the fuck is wrong with people these days?

  • flatbield@beehaw.org
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    6 hours ago

    Wealth divide is worse. We are also in a time of change geopolitically. Also in a time where powerful actors benefit from creating controversy including media, social medial, political, and geopolitical. We live in interesting times.

      • Ibuthyr@feddit.org
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        6 hours ago

        Well, before smartphones people didn’t get bombarded with bad news all the time. The changes were there but we hardly noticed them. Now they’re being shoved in our schnozes to instill fear and push us all to the far right.

  • geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml
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    6 hours ago

    Life isn’t that bad yet but owning things is starting to become impossible. You used to buy and own things now you are more and more only allowed to rent them. Be it movies, video games or your house.

    • distal@lemmy.ml
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      6 hours ago

      Marx and Engels predicted that economies would become dominated by rentiers

  • DagwoodIII@piefed.social
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    8 hours ago

    I think about it this way.

    In 1995 I could leave the house with nothing in my pocket except $10.00 and have a great day. Ride the bus with cash, get food with cash, buy stuff with cash. If I needed a ride there were free phones to car services in most stores.

    Today, if I go out the door I need cash, a credit card, and a phone.

  • KssioAug@piefed.zip
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    7 hours ago

    I believe it’s a mix. Both ‘nostalgia goggles’ and straight up facts.

    What I mean is that, when we were kids or teenagers we didn’t see things the same way our parents did. They were the ones struggling, and we were pretty much just playing around and complaining of mundane stuff. So it’s hard to tell how much ‘easier’ life was back then… we were just young.

    But at the same time I do completely agree that the advancement of technology and growth of USA giant corporations really fucked a lot of things up badly. While back in the day we couldn’t find answers or information to everything so easily, we lived a more ‘natural’ life, where everyone actually expected things to take a while to happen: you had to wake up, literally read the news if you wanted, take the car or bus to the job, and just then you started working, and while working you had to do some research and so on.

    Nowadays things either happen immediately or you’re tagged as lazy or something like it. You wake up with a lot of e-mails or message notifications on your smartphone, and people expect you to answer these demands ASAP. It’s not expected anymore that we do each thing in it’s own time anymore, and the volume of work is much bigger because you’re expected to solve problems much faster. This volume of demand and unrealistic expectations definitely generate stress and anxiety, which are huge health issues nowadays.

    And the fact that we now realize, thanks to the amount and speed of information we have today, how the industry leads are fucking everyone up without consequences doesn’t help in the slightest, since it leads to a feeling of being powerless and exploited.

    • blackbrook@mander.xyz
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      16 hours ago

      This is true, but It’s not just that. There is friction built into everything, designed to squeeze as much as possible out of us.

      • Brimstone@lemmy.ml
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        8 hours ago

        Yeah companies used to pretend to please customers and now they don’t even pretend.

        The staff are minimum wage and don’t care because it’s a big corporation so you can’t get good service.

        The price is high because the shareholders must be kept happy so you pay over the OSA Odds.

        Corners were cut in several places making the product to please the shareholders too and the workers manufacturing got minimum wage in the factory wherever it was located and have zero interest in making good products as a result.

        Basically capitalism ate itself

  • lemmylump@lemmy.world
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    19 hours ago

    There’s a whole lot of awful going on.

    My dad used to rant about how government should be run like a business, no, no dad, it really, really should not. Businesses do not care about people, businesses don’t want anything but money, your money, and they will twist, turn, manipulate, lobby, and flat out steal or harm people to get it.

    So the next time you call 311, the non emergency police line, or God forbid 911 remember, your call is very important to us, a representative will be with you shortly. If you’d like to take a brief survey after the call just stay on the line. If you’d like to talk to our chat bot Sally just say, hey Sally!

    • thanksforreading@lemmy.ml
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      8 hours ago

      My dad used to rant about how government should be run like a business, no, no dad,

      The last thing you hear: Sorry but your citizen contract has been revoked in order to meet our 3rd quarter profit target. You have been terminated!

    • jtrek@startrek.website
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      18 hours ago

      My dad used to rant about how government should be run like a business,

      Anyone who sincerely believes that is too fucking ignorant and or stupid to be taken seriously. They’re a hazard to themselves and their polity.

    • Fritee@lemmy.world
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      12 hours ago

      imo the governments should be run like businesses. As in, efficiently. But the “shareholders” should be the people of the country - instead of profit the goal should be the betterment of the country itself.

  • cheers_queers@lemmy.zip
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    19 hours ago

    im putting groceries on credit. i had a great credit score till this year, i havent even tried making payments on certain things including ER bills. only a matter of time before im bankrupt, and i am also disabled. i have given up on having a future and I’m only 32.

  • Today@lemmy.world
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    16 hours ago

    All of the things that were supposed to help us by making our lives easier really helped them and now our lives are harder. I don’t see an end to that.