Please, does anyone else lose all hope?

George1959 said:
I think as I created my account on Senior Forums I've mentioned that I am from Germany. But some months later a (male) member of the forum insulted me heavily with a public comment (not via PM). That hurt, much more, as both of us participated in a Zoom chat of another (female) member. I deleted all personal information on my account and left the forum. Months later I came back but didn't update my account information. Both members in the meantime obviously left the forum. I don't know what happened to them. As much as I miss the lady, I'm more than happy that the man isn't here anymore.
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Thanks for the explanation. I'm sorry that happened to you.

SF occasionally draws some very unpleasant people. Eventually they wind up leaving or Matrix shows them the door.
 
PeppermintPatty said:
Stop reading or watching the news.
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Well said. This is such an obvious and simple solution, yet for some reason a lot of people seem to find it very difficult to do.

We are responsible for what goes into our heads. We each choose to read a story, watch a video, check a website, and so on. If you find you're watching things that cause you depression, then stop watching. Watch something else, or do something else entirely.
 
VaughanJB said:
Well said. This is such an obvious and simple solution, yet for some reason a lot of people seem to find it very difficult to do.

We are responsible for what goes into our heads. We each choose to read a story, watch a video, check a website, and so on. If you find you're watching things that cause you depression, then stop watching. Watch something else, or do something else entirely.
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In me it's a fear of not knowing something important, just in case. So catching at least the basic headlines is all I aim to do.
 
Rose65 said:
In me it's a fear of not knowing something important, just in case. So catching at least the basic headlines is all I aim to do.
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FOMO. The good old Fear of Missing Out. I scan headlines. I'm talking a scan of seconds. I read things that I have questions about, ignore the rest. 99.9% of the news are things that don't directly affect me, so they have little value. That's how I look at it.
 
I'm pretty close to the point of losing all hope - especially for the world. Between the wars and the maniacs with nuclear devices, over population, extreme weather situations, etc., etc., I just don't see anything good in the future.
Back in the '60s, the Kingston Trio put out a song called "The Merry Minuet". It was very appropriate for those times. When they toured colleges in the early 2000s, many thought the song was new, for it applied to today's situations. I'll play it every once in awhile and it almost makes me smile.....
 
Mobilman44 said:
The Merry Minuet"
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I feel the same way about so much of the future. I have realized that I haven't lost hope. I realized that it was hope itself that is enticing me to work towards a sustainable future. That is what I hope for. BIG TIME!. Now to become depressed, and take the path of giving up, can be possible. I ask myself "What good would that do for me, or our world?" So I will not become depressed about humanities future. Now, I can and do occasionally lose hope when it comes to my health or my finances. I can get depressed and do occasionally. I like to remember the Monty Python bit...

 
VaughanJB said:
Well said. This is such an obvious and simple solution, yet for some reason a lot of people seem to find it very difficult to do.

We are responsible for what goes into our heads. We each choose to read a story, watch a video, check a website, and so on. If you find you're watching things that cause you depression, then stop watching. Watch something else, or do something else entirely.
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:) We cannot control what passes through our minds but we can control what we allow to stay there.
 
Mobilman44 said:
I'm pretty close to the point of losing all hope - especially for the world. Between the wars and the maniacs with nuclear devices, over population, extreme weather situations, etc., etc., I just don't see anything good in the future.
Back in the '60s, the Kingston Trio put out a song called "The Merry Minuet". It was very appropriate for those times. When they toured colleges in the early 2000s, many thought the song was new, for it applied to today's situations. I'll play it every once in awhile and it almost makes me smile.....
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I started the day that way today. Then I made the mistake of turning on the local TV news. Their coverage of NOTHING but the latest shooting or car crash makes me want to pound my head against a wall. Never a story on what the local politicians have or have not done this week. Never holding any public servants accountable. Nothing but killings and car crashes interspersed with young anchors NONSENSICALLY CHEERFUL after just mentioning yet another innocent person killed or harmed by the lunacy that goes on daily in the city.

Local news is like being at a funeral, and then switching gears every 2- 4 minutes to being in a bad comedy club. Then, back to the funeral. Then back to the comedy club and maybe it's the sports guy cracking jokes now. Not good jokes - it's not a good comedy club.

Then, back to Funeral News.

WHY do any of these news directors still have jobs?

TV execs believe that only older people are still watching TV news. Trust me, the way they do news is making many older people turn off their programs too.

I often yell at the TV local news, "WHY are you so F*&^%$#$ happy?????!!!!"

The cognitive dissonance of murders and mayhem, city and state life getting only worse because these news reporters never hold anyone in power accountable, is like nails on chalkboard. Then you have to explain to the young adults what a chalkboard is.

I'm going to have to think of a 21st century simile. "It's like Mario being in a Minecraft game!" (I have never played either. Perhaps that is not a good substitute?)
 
My strategy: avoid situations that drain me of my joy. Yes, I keep up on the news, but I read it rather than watch it. No longer do news producers decide the content and imagery that will spill into my brain, nor do I welcome the spin of that news by talking heads and "expert" panelists.

A little quiet time with God, revisiting happy memories of some who have passed on, and frequent visits with my children, grandchildren and close friends all restore my soul. I cannot solve the problems of entire world, but from time to time I can improve my little corner of it.

When one of my sons was a teenager he broke up with his HS girlfriend. When I asked him why, he told me "L's favorite thing in the world was to be happy. Her second favorite thing was to be miserable."

I don't like being miserable or being around negative people who thrive on misery. They're far down on my list of favorites.
 
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PeppermintPatty said:
I ordered a 52 week Bible study and you are one person on this site I wanted to tell.
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A while back I took part in a "read the whole Bible in a year" group study led by the woman who was my pastor at the time. We had a big work book to use but it wasn't this one ( I don't really understand the "for women" bit.) Anyway it was so worthwhile. naturally I've forgotten most of it, my brain being rather like a tea strainer, but what I retained is a good overview so I can find things much faster and I liked learning how the whole Judeo-Christian faith got started and how we (and I include atheists in that we) learned right from wrong.

I do think it would have been much harder to do without the group and the weekly deadline making me do my homework. I say that even though my pastor, who taught the class, ended up disliking me and told me in front of the class that I was the most argumentative person she'd ever met. (" No not you Della, I hear you saying.") Hah!
 
Della said:
A while back I took part in a "read the whole Bible in a year" group study led by the woman who was my pastor at the time. We had a big work book to use but it wasn't this one ( I don't really understand the "for women" bit.) Anyway it was so worthwhile. naturally I've forgotten most of it, my brain being rather like a tea strainer, but what I retained is a good overview so I can find things much faster and I liked learning how the whole Judeo-Christian faith got started and how we (and I include atheists in that we) learned right from wrong.

I do think it would have been much harder to do without the group and the weekly deadline making me do my homework. I say that even though my pastor, who taught the class, ended up disliking me and told me in front of the class that I was the most argumentative person she'd ever met. (" No not you Della, I hear you saying.") Hah!
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Well I stopped doing the Bible Study cause I couldn’t understand the Bible. Since I couldn’t understand the Bible I bought a kids bible and like it. One thing I don’t understand is that the Bible’s Ten Commandments says all the things that people should obey yet all the characters disobey them. Thou shall not kill. The amount of people killed off in the name of God is staggering. Anyway I’m at least reading it. It’s been on my bucket list of things to do. I’m currently 1/3 finished.

The course I might do some other time and use my ‘Bible for Dummies’ version. I don’t understand the for women part either.
 

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