Just normal midlife? Or does the world sometimes feel unrecognizable to anyone else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I am a 41 year old European and the world so far seems quite predictable. Perhaps you weren't keeping up with global politics/economics and science, or were not taught enough of it in school? Because where we are vis-a-vis climate change was foretold years ago, along with many alternate but largely similar scenarios; countries made pandemic plans (and directors made pandemic movies) way before Covid hit; the Middle East is still mired in mess, like it's been all my life; China has been on this political and economic growth curve for many years, just like my economics teacher explained in high school. However I am aware that some parts of the US did not have stellar K-12 and university systems decades ago - so some of this may have escaped your notice.

Wow! You have mastered the art of being a subtle witch. Nicely done! You have insulted the OP, the U.S. and wrapped it all up in a reasonable sounding argument/bow. Impressed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I am a 41 year old European and the world so far seems quite predictable. Perhaps you weren't keeping up with global politics/economics and science, or were not taught enough of it in school? Because where we are vis-a-vis climate change was foretold years ago, along with many alternate but largely similar scenarios; countries made pandemic plans (and directors made pandemic movies) way before Covid hit; the Middle East is still mired in mess, like it's been all my life; China has been on this political and economic growth curve for many years, just like my economics teacher explained in high school. However I am aware that some parts of the US did not have stellar K-12 and university systems decades ago - so some of this may have escaped your notice.

Wow! European arrogance is real! Do you still live there or here? If here, why?

I live here. Why? To feel superior, of course. If you had stellar K-12 and university systems, you'd understand, just like my economics teacher explained in high school.

Ahh yes, Europe, that hot bed of innovation and creativity. If only we all had "stellar" systems that could produce such innovative minds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We do have stellar “university systems,” that is why people flock here to attend college and then return home better for it. Outside of Oxford or something, very few Americans would seek out a European university… because it’s not so stellar.

Hahahaha +1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I think the issue is technology has outpaced humanity.

Human communication is primarily non-verbal yet most of our contact with others is via technology now. Body language, eye contact, vocal tone, social norms and simple politeness and courtesy has gone out the window.

This has changed how we interact with each other and not for the better especially with social media. It affects business, politics, families and just about every aspect of our lives.

Look the the Euro poster here as just one example. I highly doubt this individual would make such arrogant and insulting comments if they were standing in front of dozens of Americans, looking them in the eye.

I totally agree, and I think PPs are vastly underestimating the impact of the internet, not just social media, on day to day life and even the shaping of our identities. It is not so noticeable because it is a thousand cuts (some good!) and not one big Hiroshima moment but the psychological and social ramifications are profound. I mean just look at the impact on deteriorating mental health, child development, social trust, pornography/sexual norms, conspiratorial thinking & extremism, celebrity culture, political activism, the absence of "boredom"/mental space, the documented loss of focus/attention span and empathy. Heck, even what it means to have a omnipresent, online video camera on you at all times.

I know many will say, just put the phone. But that's beside the point You may have a healthy use of online media (and I for instance only use social media for work), but that's immaterial in the macro sense if 80% of your community doesn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I think the issue is technology has outpaced humanity.

Human communication is primarily non-verbal yet most of our contact with others is via technology now. Body language, eye contact, vocal tone, social norms and simple politeness and courtesy has gone out the window.

This has changed how we interact with each other and not for the better especially with social media. It affects business, politics, families and just about every aspect of our lives.

Look the the Euro poster here as just one example. I highly doubt this individual would make such arrogant and insulting comments if they were standing in front of dozens of Americans, looking them in the eye.

I totally agree, and I think PPs are vastly underestimating the impact of the internet, not just social media, on day to day life and even the shaping of our identities. It is not so noticeable because it is a thousand cuts (some good!) and not one big Hiroshima moment but the psychological and social ramifications are profound. I mean just look at the impact on deteriorating mental health, child development, social trust, pornography/sexual norms, conspiratorial thinking & extremism, celebrity culture, political activism, the absence of "boredom"/mental space, the documented loss of focus/attention span and empathy. Heck, even what it means to have a omnipresent, online video camera on you at all times.

I know many will say, just put the phone. But that's beside the point You may have a healthy use of online media (and I for instance only use social media for work), but that's immaterial in the macro sense if 80% of your community doesn't.

^This is a valid point. Even if one chooses to abstain from social media or constant cell phone monitoring, the vast majority of society has chosen to make it the foundation of their life. If you don't, then you are bound to feel disconnected and find the world unrecognizable and you'll long for what once was.

[Anonymous]

With the exception of 9/11, which didn't affect most of us personally, things have been pretty peaceful from the 80s, if not the late 70s, until Trump and the pandemic. Yes, there were problems but for the average American, things were OK.

I never in my life thought that such an inept president would be elected and that a national emergency, worse than 9/11, would be handled so badly. This country has been through a lot and we are all feeling it. I also think after a disaster, when things are starting to get better, is when you feel it emotionally. During the disaster, you are too busy trying to maintain.

Things have been bad before. I'm watching 1971: The Year that Music Changed Everything on Apple and even though I was alive at the time (10 years old), it has opened my eyes to how bad things were. It's a tough time now but I do think things will improve.

[Anonymous]

I was considering if I should deliver a forgotten project to school. I was thinking about my own Mother. I had a good Mother and she never would have done that. Her Mother wouldn't have either. I wanted to draw strength and wisdom from this reflection of good parenting through the ages but then I remembered my Grandparents, anyway, never learned to drive and never owned an automobile.

Just 2 generations ago. In their experience, owning an automobile was not ordinary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I think the issue is technology has outpaced humanity.

Human communication is primarily non-verbal yet most of our contact with others is via technology now. Body language, eye contact, vocal tone, social norms and simple politeness and courtesy has gone out the window.

This has changed how we interact with each other and not for the better especially with social media. It affects business, politics, families and just about every aspect of our lives.

Look the the Euro poster here as just one example. I highly doubt this individual would make such arrogant and insulting comments if they were standing in front of dozens of Americans, looking them in the eye.

I totally agree, and I think PPs are vastly underestimating the impact of the internet, not just social media, on day to day life and even the shaping of our identities. It is not so noticeable because it is a thousand cuts (some good!) and not one big Hiroshima moment but the psychological and social ramifications are profound. I mean just look at the impact on deteriorating mental health, child development, social trust, pornography/sexual norms, conspiratorial thinking & extremism, celebrity culture, political activism, the absence of "boredom"/mental space, the documented loss of focus/attention span and empathy. Heck, even what it means to have a omnipresent, online video camera on you at all times.

I know many will say, just put the phone. But that's beside the point You may have a healthy use of online media (and I for instance only use social media for work), but that's immaterial in the macro sense if 80% of your community doesn't.

^This is a valid point. Even if one chooses to abstain from social media or constant cell phone monitoring, the vast majority of society has chosen to make it the foundation of their life. If you don't, then you are bound to feel disconnected and find the world unrecognizable and you'll long for what once was.

Yeah, I kinda feel like the internet was an experiment that humanity has failed over the last 20 years, even as it has brought great benefits and utility to some individuals. But we are constantly putting our short-term individual needs over long-term collective benefit -- and the Internet just allows these choices to aggregate to a dizzying scale. So when we are bored on the metro we pull out our iphones, get the instant gratification of entertainment, but overall and long-term, we may be better off with some unoccupied time to think, daydream, or gasp, engage in human contact. Or Amazon is a great example.... Yes, it makes my life so much easier, but ultimately I think I buy more than I need and of course it is putting a huge chunk of local business out of business. Same could be said for online dating, social media, pornography, online political activism: they might work great for certain individuals and/or on the short term, but the larger impacts seem possibly much more negative (or at least mixed) in terms of changes in the world we live in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I think the issue is technology has outpaced humanity.

Human communication is primarily non-verbal yet most of our contact with others is via technology now. Body language, eye contact, vocal tone, social norms and simple politeness and courtesy has gone out the window.

This has changed how we interact with each other and not for the better especially with social media. It affects business, politics, families and just about every aspect of our lives.

Look the the Euro poster here as just one example. I highly doubt this individual would make such arrogant and insulting comments if they were standing in front of dozens of Americans, looking them in the eye.

I totally agree, and I think PPs are vastly underestimating the impact of the internet, not just social media, on day to day life and even the shaping of our identities. It is not so noticeable because it is a thousand cuts (some good!) and not one big Hiroshima moment but the psychological and social ramifications are profound. I mean just look at the impact on deteriorating mental health, child development, social trust, pornography/sexual norms, conspiratorial thinking & extremism, celebrity culture, political activism, the absence of "boredom"/mental space, the documented loss of focus/attention span and empathy. Heck, even what it means to have a omnipresent, online video camera on you at all times.

I know many will say, just put the phone. But that's beside the point You may have a healthy use of online media (and I for instance only use social media for work), but that's immaterial in the macro sense if 80% of your community doesn't.

^This is a valid point. Even if one chooses to abstain from social media or constant cell phone monitoring, the vast majority of society has chosen to make it the foundation of their life. If you don't, then you are bound to feel disconnected and find the world unrecognizable and you'll long for what once was.

Yeah, I kinda feel like the internet was an experiment that humanity has failed over the last 20 years, even as it has brought great benefits and utility to some individuals. But we are constantly putting our short-term individual needs over long-term collective benefit -- and the Internet just allows these choices to aggregate to a dizzying scale. So when we are bored on the metro we pull out our iphones, get the instant gratification of entertainment, but overall and long-term, we may be better off with some unoccupied time to think, daydream, or gasp, engage in human contact. Or Amazon is a great example.... Yes, it makes my life so much easier, but ultimately I think I buy more than I need and of course it is putting a huge chunk of local business out of business. Same could be said for online dating, social media, pornography, online political activism: they might work great for certain individuals and/or on the short term, but the larger impacts seem possibly much more negative (or at least mixed) in terms of changes in the world we live in.

Eh, I really think the internet makes life better more than it makes life worse. Not just for individuals but for society. I think you are feeling bleak and pinning it on tech in a way that doesn't really make sense.

I am in my late 40s and I clearly remember the first time smoeone showed me the internet in college, and me being like: well, I don't have any interest in that. So I am not a kid who grew up with it. I just think it's really broadened what is possible in a way that would have been impossible to imagine when I was young. Sure, yes, porn - but meh. I don't think porn is such a big problem that we should fret over how connected we are, and how much information we have access to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I am a 41 year old European and the world so far seems quite predictable. Perhaps you weren't keeping up with global politics/economics and science, or were not taught enough of it in school? Because where we are vis-a-vis climate change was foretold years ago, along with many alternate but largely similar scenarios; countries made pandemic plans (and directors made pandemic movies) way before Covid hit; the Middle East is still mired in mess, like it's been all my life; China has been on this political and economic growth curve for many years, just like my economics teacher explained in high school. However I am aware that some parts of the US did not have stellar K-12 and university systems decades ago - so some of this may have escaped your notice.

Wow! European arrogance is real! Do you still live there or here? If here, why?

yes it's real indeed. I work at the World bank - as an American. It's real and nauseating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was considering if I should deliver a forgotten project to school. I was thinking about my own Mother. I had a good Mother and she never would have done that. Her Mother wouldn't have either. I wanted to draw strength and wisdom from this reflection of good parenting through the ages but then I remembered my Grandparents, anyway, never learned to drive and never owned an automobile.

Just 2 generations ago. In their experience, owning an automobile was not ordinary.

Deep stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I am a 41 year old European and the world so far seems quite predictable. Perhaps you weren't keeping up with global politics/economics and science, or were not taught enough of it in school? Because where we are vis-a-vis climate change was foretold years ago, along with many alternate but largely similar scenarios; countries made pandemic plans (and directors made pandemic movies) way before Covid hit; the Middle East is still mired in mess, like it's been all my life; China has been on this political and economic growth curve for many years, just like my economics teacher explained in high school. However I am aware that some parts of the US did not have stellar K-12 and university systems decades ago - so some of this may have escaped your notice.

Just wow . . .

I actually think PP has a point and I kind of think it describes me. I’m 42 and have had the same thoughts as OP, but have told myself it’s not THAT different but I just notice the world in a different, more mature way than I did in my teens, 20s and even early 30s. I grew up in the area and went to undergrad and post grad schools, but I never really paid that much attention to politics and world events to the extent I do now. I’m sure part of it was being young and self-centered, and maybe part of it was that my parents didnt engage on current events/politics that much with me as a kid. So I don’t think PP was being rude, I think he/she was pretty thoughtful about that response.

Yes. As Americans we are very inward looking and don't give much in-depth attention to world events and trends. It's very striking if you happen to spend any significant amount of time outside of the US.

Yup. As someone from the former USSR, the 90s being referred to as quiet is pretty unrelatable.

[Anonymous]

Although I am a bit younger (40), I actually completely disagree about technology and world events being less predictable or understandable now than 20-30 years ago. In my opinion, things are moving SLOWER in many ways than they were back then.

1990s: We literally went from many people never having TOUCHED a computer to most families having one at home. We went from having to ask your neighbor for advice or waiting for the daily paper or nightly news to having information constantly at our fingertips in the form of the internet.

2000s: september 11? Was that predictable? Smartphones as powerful as a computer from a few years earlier, tablets, going from physical media to streaming and cloud-based services?

2010s: I feel like all the tech trends from the previous 20 years just continued accelerating. But where is the real new technology? Where is the groundbreaking, "difficult to grasp" tech that OP is talking about???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I am a 41 year old European and the world so far seems quite predictable. Perhaps you weren't keeping up with global politics/economics and science, or were not taught enough of it in school? Because where we are vis-a-vis climate change was foretold years ago, along with many alternate but largely similar scenarios; countries made pandemic plans (and directors made pandemic movies) way before Covid hit; the Middle East is still mired in mess, like it's been all my life; China has been on this political and economic growth curve for many years, just like my economics teacher explained in high school. However I am aware that some parts of the US did not have stellar K-12 and university systems decades ago - so some of this may have escaped your notice.

Oh, eff off. There is no way that this world could possibly seem this predictable to you. You anticipated (and not just by watching movies) a pandemic that would bring many nations to their knees? Sure, we all thought it was possible, but anticipating something means you are also planning for it and not a nation in the world did that. I suspect that the OP is talking more about how democracy in the US has felt so vulnerable in the last five years, which has made many of us feel unmoored. And to understand why, one has to have a sense and command of history. And there are plenty of places in Europe without that stellar education you speak of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Although I am a bit younger (40), I actually completely disagree about technology and world events being less predictable or understandable now than 20-30 years ago. In my opinion, things are moving SLOWER in many ways than they were back then.

1990s: We literally went from many people never having TOUCHED a computer to most families having one at home. We went from having to ask your neighbor for advice or waiting for the daily paper or nightly news to having information constantly at our fingertips in the form of the internet.

2000s: september 11? Was that predictable? Smartphones as powerful as a computer from a few years earlier, tablets, going from physical media to streaming and cloud-based services?

2010s: I feel like all the tech trends from the previous 20 years just continued accelerating. But where is the real new technology? Where is the groundbreaking, "difficult to grasp" tech that OP is talking about???

You're thinking about technology like a boomer. It's not necessarily something physical that you buy and hold in your hand. The biggest innovations of the last two decades were embedded for use within the existing devices you own and has changed how we interact with the world. Uber, for example. AirBnB. Amazon Prime. Instagram. And it's not just those identifiable apps and user interfaces, but also the stuff you don't see.