I'm coming to the realisation that trying to live a kind, fair, and rational existence is living life on hard mode, and I wonder if it's wearing me down.
Almost everywhere I look I see raging assholes and clueless dipshits rising to the top (or already being there), and fucking things up for everyone.
My fediverse bubble being a pleasant exception to this rule, I thought I'd ask here: anyone got coping strategies, other than joining the assholes and no longer giving a fuck?
@xahteiwi I have similar feelings, and I absolutely believe it has worn me down to the point that I worry it’s changing who I fundamentally am. I’m (annoyingly at times) good at finding silver linings, but it’s gotten much harder in the past 3-5 years.
I wish I had better advice than to say fuck ‘em. Keep being the best you you can, & if it’s within your means, donate to causes that those asshats would hate.
@xahteiwi It's hard to stick to ones principles and not solely talk the talk, but actually walk the walk.
I recently had a discussion where the argument was that they only decided to take the plane for a flight within Germany, because the train was 10 times more expensive.
They work in IT with a pretty good salary, just like I do, if the plane ticket was EUR 25 and the train ticket was EUR 250, then it would definitely not have ruined them to take the train.
@xahteiwi Ups and downs for me. For me next to the day-to-day assholes I'm also peeling away twisted facades of the previous generations that "knew better" and I keep finding that they didn't and they actively lied about. However, I'm at a point where I have the feeling I learned a bit and I think I can contribute being more helpful to the next generation, both for my kids and people around me.
@xahteiwi No, the way things are going I will jump on the opportunity for an extended sabbatical without option to return and figure out the rest as I go. If I still were still the rationalist I used to be I would be scared shitless. All in all I'll be relying on nothing else but hope to carry me through, well and the friends I have. No gods involved, nor gurus. The plans of mice and men and all that jazz.
@xahteiwi Unfortunately I can only report that sarcasm & cynicism don't help.
I've kind of given up on the larger world (professional detachment ...) and instead focus more on friend bubbles that are more compatible. Smaller and selective scope, more impact.
(That's great and rewarding until the outside is so fucked up it starts to intrude.)
And therapy. This is the lived daily experience of every marginalized group, and it's humbling.
@xahteiwi I should add that you're not alone. Your reaction to this is rational; this all is happening. The world is bonkers, and society at large is betraying, harming, and gaslighting us.
@xahteiwi One of Plato's dialogues is set in a garden outside of Athens. The interlocutor asks Socrates why he is there, and not in the Forum debating the important issue of the day. Socrates answers that he has long-since turned away from such day-to-day matters, as no lasting gain is ever made, and the process itself is disturbing to soul.
Whether that's a universalisable policy, I cannot say, but plus ça change… certainly.
@xahteiwi
I try not to look at assholes. They do exist, I know that,. So I don't need to look at them at all times.
I do look at, and for, nice people. I take note, I take their actions as inspirations and examples.
You cannot change the world.
As in the whole world.
You can change your part of it and may some of the adjacent parts. Your actions, your words, your examples inspire others (which is a joy in itself) and your changes multiply. So you can change the world.
@carl Yeah that's been my approach for the last 20 years. Like I said, it's wearing me down. I'm not worried about the effect that my life has on others; I'm worried about the effect my life has on me.
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