8 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

What about the farang elderly in Pattaya who have no one and are forced to live in low rental dumps ?

 

Many are lonely unless they wish to buy permanent company like many of you do handing thousands to a Thai partner to "love " you 

 

The woman I've paid to love me for the past 15 years has been a better wife than the schoolteacher wife back in the UK that supposedly loved me for myself for 30 years.

 

Not to mention the Thai lady being a little spinner, and not the great white whale!

On 10/3/2025 at 1:05 AM, NotEinstein said:

The western "disease" of individualism  - the Thatcher/Reagan pursuit of self-interest, which shattered the family-centric way of life was exported to the world. While well-to-do western nations had social welfare systems, Thailand, etc. hasn't caught up yet and given the amount of altruistic actions, the government don't see it as an issue. The OP's wife is not untypical. 

At least TH is not 37 Trillion USD in debt. 

Sad that it's a problem here when historically they've always had good family support, maybe not having children is the main cause.

 

Social interaction is important, daily, only once a week or two would be tough on the mind, farang who isolate themselves should know that

These few words might answer the OP?

 

We Are the Generation That Isn’t Coming Back
We didn’t have much.

No smartphones to keep us busy. No internet to scroll through late at night. No endless toys lined up in our bedrooms.

 

But somehow, we had everything.

 

We had front porches where neighbors sat and talked until the stars came out. We had bikes that carried us across town until the streetlights reminded us it was time to go home. We had dinners where every seat was filled and no one reached for a phone—because there wasn’t one.

 

We had parents who worked hard with their hands, who didn’t always say “I love you” out loud, but proved it in every meal, every repaired shoe, every light left on so we wouldn’t walk into a dark house.

 

We are the generation of shared blankets, borrowed sugar, and front doors that were never locked. The generation of handwritten letters, of saving every penny, of fixing instead of throwing away.

 

We didn’t measure happiness in things.
We measured it in moments.

 

And now, as we grow older, we realize something important: those days aren’t coming back. The world has changed. The pace is faster, the noise louder, the connections thinner.

 

But the lessons remain.

 

That joy can come from a simple life.
That family matters more than anything you own.
That love isn’t in the grand gestures, but in the everyday sacrifices no one else sees.

 

We may not have had much—but we had everything that truly mattered.

 

And maybe, just maybe, that’s the kind of wealth this world needs to remember.

On 10/3/2025 at 12:10 PM, proton said:

 

Unless raped by their stepfather, uncle or random neighbour

That sort of filth happens all over the world, it is not just Thailand. It is far more important how hard the countries courts come down on these rapers and abusers when they are caught and convicted. 

On 10/3/2025 at 12:16 PM, giddyup said:

There are thousands of homeless people in western countries, who's going to be looking after them when they get old?

In the UK there are old folks homes, but I am led to believe that these homes are not so much available now than they were in the past.

1 hour ago, NoshowJones said:

That sort of filth happens all over the world, it is not just Thailand. It is far more important how hard the countries courts come down on these rapers and abusers when they are caught and convicted. 

I think it is far more important how hard societies come down on these people. 

A.I. companionship, once it becomes a bit more nuanced, will be a good future tool for combating loneliness in the elderly.

BM2 is very famously hermetic. After the family, it’s down to some bunnies in terms of emotional support. Late age requires diversification.
 

I have a support pact with my American ex-wife who lives in Chiang Mai. We will wipe each other‘s butts, or more accurately,oversee the butt wiping and remain otherwise involved at the end of life.
 

She’s 10 years younger than me, but she’s in worse health. So it’s down to luck to see who collects on the butt, wiping pledge, and who gets stiffed.
 

Behind her, a good friend in Brazil would take care of me to the end of my days. I’d buy him a decent two bedroom condo in return.

 

I have a friend who’s a retired nurse living on low dollars. We got on really well. She would be up for taking free rent in a two bedroom apartment and a couple hundred bucks from me to live in and mostly just do her own thing.

 

These kind of connections can’t be schemed or even predicted. They come down to living a very giving life and being a people person.

6 hours ago, ravip said:

That joy can come from a simple life.
That family matters more than anything you own.
That love isn’t in the grand gestures, but in the everyday sacrifices no one else sees.

 

We may not have had much—but we had everything that truly mattered.

 

And maybe, just maybe, that’s the kind of wealth this world needs to remember.

 

nice thoughts to live by .

 

i wouldn't count on "the world"  changing ..... in fact it pretty much just keeps going down the material path more and more every year.   Globalism is not about the simple life .   

 

but there are some people,  not many,  who do seek the joys you speak of .    for anyone interested...... start with yourself .      health is wealth .