Something to think about..

[razz]

Amongst all the self-righteous polarized thinking, complaints about one's individual rights and/or access to more of everything and instant gratification to social media, accumulation of assets or diverse entertainment, consider this.

From a shared Linkedin post:

Imagine being born in 1900.

When you are 14 years old World War I begins and ends when you are 18, with 22 million dead.

Shortly after the world pandemic, a flu called ′′ Spanish ", killing 50 million people.
You go out alive and free, and you are 20 years old.

Then at the age of 29 you survive the global economic crisis that started with the collapse of the New York Stock Exchange causing inflation, unemployment and hunger.

Nazis come to power at 33.

You are 39 when World War 2 begins and it ends when you are 45; during the Holocaust (Shoah), 6 million Jews die.

There will be a total of more than 60 million dead.

When you are 52 the Korean war begins.

When you are 64, the Vietnam war begins and ends when you are 75.

A baby born in 1985 believes that his grandparents have no idea how hard life is,
and no understanding that they survived several wars and disasters.

A baby born in 1995 and 26 today believes that it's the end of the world when his Amazon package takes more than three days to arrive or if he doesn't exceed 15 likes for his posted photo on Facebook or Instagram...

In 2021, many of us live in comfort, have access to various sources of entertainment at home and often have more than needed.

But people today complain about everything.

Many today have 'ready' access to electricity, phone, food, hot water and a roof over their heads.

How much of this even existed in 1900?

But humanity has survived much more serious circumstances and never lost the joy of life.

Appreciate life this is no rehearsal"


What have you come across that is "Something to think about"?

[Teacher Terry]

My grandparents were all born in the late 1800’s. When my grandma’s mom died my grandma was 12 and her younger sister was 9. Her dad gave them to the state. Their adult brothers didn’t take them. My grandma was sent to a farm to work for her keep by the state and her younger sister was adopted. As a adult she lived on the same street as one of her brothers for 30 years and never spoke. As a result she took in family if needed no matter how little she had.

The men all served in one of the world wars. My parents lived in one room and shared a kitchen and a bathroom because of lack of housing after the war and they had a newborn. They all lived through the depression. My father’s good paying job as a tool grinder cost him his health, retirement and ultimately his life while my poor mom had to care for him for 14 years. My life is cushy.

[pinkytoe]

Last night, I watched the 60 minute piece on Anne Frank and thought... this girl lived in a small space for the same amount of time (approx two years) that we have been dealing with Covid disruptions. She could not go outside to feel the sunshine or meet with friends. Yet she remained resilient and hopeful to the end. And here we are being whiny about minor aggravations.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Many alive now will experience catastrophic climate change within their lifetimes. So the breakdown of the biosphere on which all rely upon to survive. Most other events in history were not both global and permanent (ok, ok, maybe climate change is not permanent in a timescale of millions of years). And then there is the 6th great extinction.


A baby born in 1995 and 26 today believes that it's the end of the world when his Amazon package takes more than three days to arrive or if he doesn't exceed 15 likes for his posted photo on Facebook or Instagram...

or when the Amazon (the rainforest that is) stops being a net carbon absorber. Kids today they are so well informed about what is going on in the world.

[Rogar]

Sometimes I think about my parents, who live through and served in WWII and didn't have TV until after the war. I recall from one of Bill Bryson's books that a third of furniture sales in the 30's were for radio. But I still wouldn't discount the trials of our recent times. The Cuban missile crisis, climate change extinctions and extreme weather events, a near constitutional crisis over the peaceful transition of power, pandemic, nuclear power plant meltdowns. Us common folks in first world countries still have a pretty cushy life, though. We are spoiled.

[catherine]

Last night, I watched the 60 minute piece on Anne Frank and thought... this girl lived in a small space for the same amount of time (approx two years) that we have been dealing with Covid disruptions. She could not go outside to feel the sunshine or meet with friends. Yet she remained resilient and hopeful to the end. And here we are being whiny about minor aggravations.

My son called me to tell me about that segment: I've been a lifelong "fan" of Anne Frank. I read her diary when I was about 12, and it made an incredible impact on me. That's when I started my own diary, which I called "Anne." That's where the similarity of my writing practice to hers ends. Her diary lasted about two+ years, and mine lasted over 50 years, but you know what they say about quality vs. quantity. But her book definitely made the cut during The Purge. She had such an amazing outlook. Coincidentally, my first business trip in 2000 was to Paris and Amsterdam, and you can bet I made sure I had time to visit the Secret Annex.

So, I didn't have time to watch it last night because I had my Sunday night writing class, but I think I'll watch it now! I have a break before my next interview.Thanks for the reminder, pinkytoe

[LDAHL]

Dangers and hardships come and go, but bitching is eternal.

[happystuff]

Dangers and hardships come and go, but bitching is eternal.

Hmmm... I think bitching is a choice so doesn't necessarily have to be eternal. Worse case scenario, the person bitching dies and their bitching stops - not eternal. More positive scenario would be the person bitching stops their bitching - not eternal. I have, sadly, encountered some people that it seems the only thing they have in their life is their bitching and crossing their path does make it feel like bitching is eternal.

[Teacher Terry]

My grandparents and parents were very happy loving people. You would never know what hardships they had. They didn’t talk about it.

[ApatheticNoMore]

My grandparents and parents were not happy people (parents especially, my grandparents were grumpy but hey they were old, had physical pain, and their grumpiness didn't stop them from enjoying a drink with crackers with cheese every night as a ritual).

Parents were more inexplicably unhappy for reasons I never understood and still don't (when I was a kid I assumed it was us kids that made them unhappy, sure seemed so and was sometimes said, but from an adult perspective there was probably more to it). I heard the stories of the Great Depression too, the main lesson seemed to be everything can collapse economically, oh and never buy stocks, but no unhappiness in the present was EVER attributed to that long ago time (though it may have had an effect). Oh and I heard endlessly that we were spoiled as a kid, and the great irony is: we were almost certainly not particularly spoiled in terms of stuff anyway, a few toys, what kids doesn't have a few toys but it was never all that much. But we didn't go without necessities. When I look back and wonder what all that judgement about being spoiled was about, I conclude it was basically about nothing, or maybe not growing up with war rationing or something, because that's the natural situation, I guess.

[JaneV2.0]

... oh and never buy stocks.

Oh, the irony. I heard that emphasized growing up, and also about my grandmother, her broker, and her success in the stock market. :D

There are, of course, constant complainers, snarkmeisters, critics, and generally unpleasant people. I try to avoid those.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Yea I was reluctant to get into the stock market and still am I a fairly conservative investor (no I don't avoid the stock market entirely). That stuff makes the intended impression, just I'm not sure what relevance it really has now.

[JaneV2.0]

Yea I was reluctant to get into the stock market and still am I a fairly conservative investor (no I don't avoid the stock market entirely). That stuff makes the intended impression, just I'm not sure what relevance it really has now.

It probably was more relevant before compound interest on savings effectively disappeared.

[jp1]

and never buy stocks,

I recall reading somewhere that prior to the collapse of the stock market in 1929 the norm was for stocks to pay a higher dividend rate than bonds. The thought process being that since you aren't guaranteed your principal when you buy a stock, but you are with bonds (unless the bond issuer goes bankrupt of course) obviously stocks should pay better. After the economy got back on track a lot of old timers recommended waiting until stocks started paying better dividends than bonds before switching back from bond investments. As it turns out anyone who followed that advice is still waiting 80 years later. And has lost out on a huge amount of potential investment income.