5 Causes of New or Increasing Negativity in Older Adults

[ozimoron]

4 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Agree 100%.

Me? Aren't you the one burned by a Thai ex wife?

[thaibeachlovers]

6 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I wouldn't call myself old, but I am obviously a lot older than 30 years ago.

In general, I am positive, and I like to see the world in a positive way. But sometimes that is difficult.

 

Just today when I was in my usual coffee shop two maybe 20 old girls arrived together with their camera. 

They started to sit on a table and then one girl made maybe 20 pictures of the other girl. And then the other girl used the camera to make lots of pictures of the other girl. And then they changed their places and the whole procedure started again. And then the food arrived, and they made the same pictures again this time with food. And obviously lots of additional pictures from all angles just from the food.

 

A couple of the regular guests looked at that scenario and it was funny to see their faces. Like: Are you done yet? How long will you continue with that? Will you drink your coffee before it is cold or is it more important to make all those pictures?

 

I don't think anybody said anything, but I am sure most of us had negative thoughts. Why? Because we are all negative? Or because the word around us is going nuts?

These two girls are obviously only one of the examples. Others are all those people sitting together in groups in restaurants and everybody is looking at their phone, no conversation at all.

And then there was this guy today who crossed the street without paying any attention to the cars and bikes with his phone in front of his face. I honked my horn, and he shouted something in my direction. How dare I expect from him to look where he is going.

 

Sometimes it is difficult not to have negative ideas about all those other people around us.

Were the girls Asian? When I lived in Singapore way back in the 70s the locals used to take loads of photos of themselves in places, eg I'd go to the botanical gardens and the locals were taking photos of each other, but none of the gardens and flowers. I never got what that was about. That of course was when film cost to develop and print. Since digital, the selfie and such as you wrote about has increased. My wife took loads of photos of herself and the food when we ate in a restaurant and posted them on facethingy.

[thaibeachlovers]

11 hours ago, johnnybangkok said:

 

But what they don't realise is this has been a trend for eons. The older generation dismissive of the younger generation whilst completely forgetting they used to be the younger generation themselves. A good example would be this quote that I gaurantee many posters here would agree with:-   

 

"The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority, they show disrespect to their elders.... They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and are tyrants over their teachers."

 

That was from Aristotle some 2,400 years ago. 

Yes, and let's remember what happened to the Greeks. They got defeated by the Romans. IMO we are in the same era and our civilization is in it's end times.

Most civilizations rot from within before they end.

[thaibeachlovers]

11 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

This guy....

????

 

 

 

 

So well known I have no clue who he is, LOL. Perhaps you could give us a hint.

[thaibeachlovers]

12 hours ago, jvs said:

Haha,do you think the older people of now are bitter and grumpy?

Just wait until the later generations find out about life.

You know,the ones that were told they are special and could become anything

I have a wish list that includes a job interview with one of those "special" young people- you know- tatts all over, unable to count mentally, likes to party to annoyingly loud noise, thinks social media is important, doesn't like to get up early to go to work, wants lots of time off, probably fail a drug test, thinks they should start at management level and get a large salary.

 

I live in proximity to a few of them, but they don't have to work as the taxpayer gives them money to party on.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 12/28/2022 at 6:07 AM, Walker88 said:

As for curmudgeons, I suspect most old guys are simply disappointed with what they achieved or did not achieve in life, realize they're much nearer the end than the beginning, and they tend toward bitterness because of both of these things.

I think I achieved a lot in life, and as I near the end I'd just like the same deal my parents got, but rents have increased so much that no one on a pension has a show of living in a proper house any more.

That makes me bitter, because I did everything I was supposed to do- got qualified and worked hard, behaved myself, saved money, bought a house, got married, but still ended up with dirty end of the stick. Because I have to live in proximity to idle youths that have no respect for anyone else and are "annoying" I'm PO. Not a recipe for positivity about life.

[BritManToo]

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

That makes me bitter, because I did everything I was supposed to do- got qualified and worked hard, behaved myself, saved money, bought a house, got married, but still ended up with dirty end of the stick.

You believed the lies .......... study hard, work hard, buy a house, get married .......... and everything will be fine.

In reality ,,,,,,,

Drug dealers and violent thugs get all the attractive women.

Liars, cheaters and fraudsters are the CEOs of all the companies and run the countries.

 

Nice guys that follow all the rules get nothing.

[thaibeachlovers]

8 hours ago, BritManToo said:

You believed the lies .......... study hard, work hard, buy a house, get married .......... and everything will be fine.

In reality ,,,,,,,

Drug dealers and violent thugs get all the attractive women.

Liars, cheaters and fraudsters are the CEOs of all the companies and run the countries.

 

Nice guys that follow all the rules get nothing.

Yeah, I really got fooled big time. That whole be good and work hard and we'll look after you when you retire thing is complete BS.

 

[BritManToo]

35 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Yeah, I really got fooled big time. That whole be good and work hard and we'll look after you when you retire thing is complete BS.

 

Yep, we'd have been better off leaving school as soon as we could and selling drugs.

And that nonsense about finding a woman and being faithful, that got me nothing but pain and asset loss.

[freedomnow]

On 12/27/2022 at 2:48 AM, BritManToo said:

I would say, negativity increasing with age, is more to do with experience and disappointment.

 

 

Yes. 4 quadrants.

 

lost :

faculties of mind

functions of body

 

and

all the  "I wish I had done X while younger"

and

I wish "I had not done Y while younger."

[Baht Simpson]

The article actually states 5 reasons for seniors being tetchy, the fourth one being boredom.  The others were sickness, medications, chronic pain and dementia, all of which are totally understandable. 

 

Age discrimination seems to be all part of this recent phenomenon of culture war

[xylophone]

Am I tetchy?? I would suggest that boredom can have a lot to do with that as far as I'm concerned but the other reasons just don't cut the mustard for me, and as for dementia, well I can't remember if I have got it or not!

 

I don't like what I don't like and that's always been the case with me although I've always been considered "the life and soul of the party/the great joke teller" and a happy-go-lucky person, as well as getting other compliments of similar ilk.

 

What I see around me now often irks and as one other poster said, seeing families in a coffee shop or restaurant sitting facing their iPhones without talking to one another really does annoy the proverbial out of me. Will they ever learn the art of conversation, discussion, for example and IMO the parents are just as bad.

 

Stupidity is all around us and can be seen in the conspiracy theory nut jobs, as well as the anti-VAX brigade and the arguments they put forward for not having it, not to mention the blood drinking pizza parlour rubbish, and that's one thing I can't abide.

 

Add to that the stupidity with regards to drivers and driving (especially here) and you have the perfect recipe for many people to become "negative" about their surroundings and what they see.

 

Like Walker88 I have been fortunate enough to hold down high-profile positions, earn a good living and also put some away for my retirement, so I don't have to worry about my financial future, and one of the best experiences would be coaching some young football sides to success when I was a bit younger than I am now.

 

My work experience was wide and varied and I took risks and they paid off, so I've got nothing to grumble about looking back on things, and I console myself with the following when I see abject stupidity in play: – "the good thing about all of this is that I won't be around to see the effects of this stupidity, because I shall be long gone in a few years, so enjoy your life now while you can, drink some good red wine, dine out in good restaurants and in general, be happy".
 

[1FinickyOne]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

that got me nothing but pain and asset loss.

Edited 2 hours ago by BritManToo

Lost your ass-ets did you? 

 

Robin Williams described divorce as ripping out your wallet through your genitals -  - or something like that. 

[LaosLover]

Divorce is expensive because it's worth it.

 

Britman, I left behind a house in England too.

 

I left home and slept in a shed behind a pub. The previous divorced guy had hung up an AC/DC poster that he had brought with him from his man cave. It was like a  stop on The Underground Rail Road.

[save the frogs]

15 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

no one on a pension has a show of living in a proper house any more.

some old people look like prisoners in their own big "proper" homes.

they never leave the home. 

try to get yourself back to thailand. you don't need a big proper home.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

14 hours ago, Baht Simpson said:

The article actually states 5 reasons for seniors being tetchy, the fourth one being boredom.  The others were sickness, medications, chronic pain and dementia, all of which are totally understandable. 

 

Age discrimination seems to be all part of this recent phenomenon of culture war

If a senior is bored that's down to them. I'm never bored unless I want to be. So much to do I'll never be able to before I cark it.

 

Age discrimination- absolutely, from the spoiled princes and princesses that never understand that one day they are going to be old too.

[thaibeachlovers]

11 hours ago, save the frogs said:

some old people look like prisoners in their own big "proper" homes.

they never leave the home. 

try to get yourself back to thailand. you don't need a big proper home.

 

5555555555555555

If I had the means to live in LOS I could live in a proper house here. I can never go back to live because I can't afford 800,000 in the bank plus health insurance.

 

Last year in LOS I lived in an hotel room, so yes, no need for a proper house.

[thaibeachlovers]

13 hours ago, xylophone said:

Stupidity is all around us and can be seen in the conspiracy theory nut jobs, as well as the anti-VAX brigade and the arguments they put forward for not having it, not to mention the blood drinking pizza parlour rubbish, and that's one thing I can't abide.

I can see how you are the life and soul of the party when you start ranting about that, LOL.

You were making sense till you just HAD to go and put that gem in.

[BritManToo]

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

5555555555555555

If I had the means to live in LOS I could live in a proper house here. I can never go back to live because I can't afford 800,000 in the bank plus health insurance.

 

Last year in LOS I lived in an hotel room, so yes, no need for a proper house.

I have a very nice 3 bedroom house, and no health insurance.

No negativity from me on either of those points.

 

In fact I complain about the exact opposite, I don't have enough money to live in my home country.

[thaibeachlovers]

Just now, BritManToo said:

I have a very nice 3 bedroom house, and no health insurance.

No negativity from me on either of those points.

 

In fact I complain about the exact opposite, I don't have enough money to live in my home country.

Difference is that you get a decent pension in LOS from Britain. I don't get the pension if I leave here. If anyone can suggest how I can live a decent life in LOS without any income, I'm all ears.

[Mickeymaus]

21 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I have a very nice 3 bedroom house, and no health insurance.

No negativity from me on either of those points.

 

In fact I complain about the exact opposite, I don't have enough money to live in my home country.

I have to admit that after many years here in Thailand I have reverted to my western lifestyle. For example, I only eat western food here in the meantime. I liked Thai food for a while. But not anymore. And then it gets expensive here. Wine, good beer, baguette, bread, cheese and other western items are expensive here. Also beautiful cars, high-end electronics and so on.

 

More and more often I think to move back to Europe. Alicante in Spain does not get out of my head. Far away from the noisy red light districts in Pattaya that are filled with booze and sex tourists. It is a completely different world.

[JetsetBkk]

15 hours ago, xylophone said:

as for dementia, well I can't remember if I have got it or not!

Maybe this is for you... ????

 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31930617/

 

[MRToMRT]

On 12/27/2022 at 9:41 AM, Black Ops said:

No, their constant complaining and negativity

Its because they saw an absolutely beautiful Thailand 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Now they just stare, despondent, at never ending concrete and macdonalds. 

[Mickeymaus]

3 minutes ago, MRToMRT said:

Its because they saw an absolutely beautiful Thailand 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Now they just stare, despondent, at never ending concrete and macdonalds. 

Yes, Thailand is not the same anymore. First I lost Koh Samui. During the Asian crisis the Baht fell and suddenly Koh Samui got overwhelmed by tourists. I fled to Phuket Patong. After a year the same happened there. I tried Malaysia, Philippines, Bangkok and other places. A longer story...