I’m old, sick, and alone. WTF are all these kids doing here?

In fairness … everyone hits stone walls in life at every age … I say this as one of your contemporaries (in your age group). It would seem from your post that you’ve had several points in your life where you vocalized or otherwise communicated your desire to end it. Same as the folks here both young and old. The vast majority here are really searching for truth, acceptance, understanding, compassion and advice. In short, they are looking for a solution or at least a rationalization to get over a hurdle they see no way around.

I know, when I first found this site, I kind of saw the younger folks here like you do – not having “real major issues” … but the fact is, you and myself (at one point – but not now for me) was only viewing their issues in the context of YOUR/MY lifespan. It’s simply not a fair assessment. It’s like berating a small domestic dog (shih tzu, chihuahua etc.) for not acting like a wolf or a great dane. The two might share DNA but that don’t make them equals.

In context, the young folks issues seem every bit as insurmountable as yours and mine seem to us – and you and I had similar issues when we were their age … but when you put OUR issues that are similar to theirs in the context of OUR lives and then compare them to the OTHER later hurdles that we’ve faced – our later issues seem to dwarf the issues we had when we were young. This, unfortunately is not a ringing endorsement for what the young folk have to look forward to – they see it as “more of the same” so the logic of the young folk is “why bother?”.

What they need to hear – and I recognize this is NOT a “one size fits all” – is that older folks like you and I had many many good and fine experiences that make a temporary bump in the road with the effort … granted those “bumps” can be major, and debilitating, but over all the don’t outweigh the occasional stone wall/hurdle/bump in the road we run in to maybe aver 2, 5, or 10 years that brings us to a point to contemplate throwing in the towel.

See, they tend to get the cliff notes on life – face homelessness, job loss, financial ruin etc. and in a setting like this you can’t accurately convey that there is a w i d e w i d e gulf between these moments … time can only be referenced, the full appreciation of a large block of time filled generally with contentment and happiness just doesn’t carry the same weight in the company of sadness and pain. Make no mistake – the young folks hurting here are facing every bit the same feelings of frustration, sadness and pain that us older folks are … it’s just in a different context. A context that can be difficult for folks like you and I to insert ourselves into given our pasts and experiences. But the feelings are every bit the same – feelings of loos and hopelessness are as debilitating to them as they are to us.

Now the caveat/disclaimer – yes, some of the folks here really don’t have THAT much to complain about even in their own contexts … some have mental illnesses that exacerbate what would be a minor issue to a healthy mind – you, Casey, have experience with mental illness, so you know this better than I. Clearly you are a person of great determination and fortitude to be able to beat back your demons in spite of your illness – this is a point of commendation – you have strength and determination on top of your determination and strength 🙂

Other young folks are facing a very difficult life of physical, sexual and emotional abuse at the hands of the ones who the social contract says is suppose to be their protectors. They got dealt a super shitty hand of cards. Many of then, despite being at a precipice here, will battle through and look back on this moment in time as a source of strength to carry them onward. Others may not … you and me, Casey, have the voices of experience and wisdom to try and paint a vision of possible positivity for their futures. Our voices may give just enough pause for them to reconsider and reflect and might, just might be the feather that tips the scale to the side of life, positivity and perseverance.

Let’s not be hasty to judge everyone and throw them all in a “one size fits all” pot. Many of the young folks here are wise far beyond their years and despite the fact that they have accepted an exit from life at a young age, are using that, and this place, as a motivation and coping mechanism to chip away at the roadblock that has them stalled. But ultimately they are actually survivors … they may just need a gentle nudge from an old sick geezer or two once in a while when we can muster the energy … and if we can’t be helpful, at least let’s not stand in their way 🙂

geezer dawg