Submitted 3 weeks ago by NineMileTower@lemmy.world to [deleted]
There’s so much doom on social media right now. The environment is collapsing. The economy will crash. Civil rights are ending. Democracy is dead.
What keeps you going? Why do you still get up and go do what needs to be done when the world seems to be ending around us?
What’s hope got to do with it? You survive. That’s it.
But for real, because my people have endured persecution before. As I look at our incoming persecution I see that we got further this time than in a long time and so we must endure and survive and go further again.
But no matter what you survive
TL;DR focus on the things you can control and do literally anything to try to improve things
The thing that causes trauma isn’t the bad event but the helplessness that accompanies it.
The main (and sometimes only) tactic that we are taught for dealing with problems is to find an intermediary who can do things on our behalf; seek the nearest authority who will take up your cause. Viewed that way, the fact that institutions and authorities are failing is disempowering; the problem is impossible because the schools/cops/companies/non-profits/politicians/media/etc aren’t helping. The only option that perspective leaves you is to take the blows and hope you’re strong enough to last until a better intermediary arrives. That shit will wear you down real fast.
We need to unlearn the dependence on intermediaries. We can’t stop the bad events from happening (and boy are they happening) but we can combat the helplessness. The antidote to helplessness is exercising agency and feeling control over our actions and their consequences. Find a way you can make things a little bit better and then show up and do it. Anything is fine, if there’s a cause you’re passionate about then do that, but if there’s not then pick something you’re kinda sort of good at. Write, draw, make phone calls, create memes, cook, drive, listen, etc. Any skill, no matter how small, can be leveraged to improve the world around you if you’re clever about it.
The fight is the point.
Taking action to control what you can is powerful. Maybe you’ll succeed and maybe you won’t but taking action is where you’ll find resilience. If what you do doesn’t work then learn from the experience and deepen your understanding. You’re not failing to solve the problem you are building up your capacity to tackle it and that shit takes time. Pursue this as vigorously and as passionately as you are able but also know that it’s okay to take breaks and step away sometimes.
Also, humans are social creatures so if what you do involves other people that’s even better.
I work in disability support. Some of the kids I am working with have gone over the last year from non speaking to using sign and are making real meaningful progress in their self care skills. They can keep going in the face of difficult times, so my problems don’t seem so hard.
Also, in Australia we have the NDIS, a system for funding disability supports in a socialised manner without restricting what options someone uses too much. While all governmental systems (or any systems with money) are susceptible to grift progress is being made on catching fraudsters and prosecuting them while also closing the loopholes they exploit. The NDIS will be around for a long time to come and will help Australians with disabilities determine their own futures and make them a reality. There are problems with it but honestly it has been a game changer and I think it is a model for the rest of the world to aspire to.
I don’t know what will happen. It is as much a curse as it is a blessing. Uncertainty is uncomfortable for me, but that very same uncertainty is why I keep going.
Stop caring and all of the problems go away, as if by magic. The amount of emotional energy that people put into issues that they’re unlikely to ever face is unbelievably wasteful.
Oh I gave up like 15 years ago.
Fear of death.
Like its either nothing. Which is in itself terrifying.
Or there could be reincarnation, which is even more terrifying. Imagine being reborn in North Korea. Or if time isn’t linear, imagine being some enslaved person in the dark ages.
Or being born in some universe that paranormal stuff are real. And evil creatues chase you all the time.
Or being in a dystopian futuristic world where ever newborn in implanted with a mindcontrol chip.
Like nobody knows what happens.
Thats the only reason I haven’t killed myself.
You don’t enjoy ANYTHING? Like, nothing at all?
Oh, lol I tunnel vision and focused on that.
Well I like watching interesting youtube videos about science and various topics. Movies, TV, reading SCPs. And un obviously eating tasty food.
But like depression is still persistent throught all that. Like no matter how much I enjoy. Like a dark cloud that just block the sunlight.
I guess to answer your question, the possibility of future technology give me hope to keep going.
Like we got a device that can fit in a pocket and instantaneously communicate to anywhere in the world. Most people in history can only talk to people nearby. I can just pull up my phone and talk to like the entire population that uses the internet, well… at least the people who use the same platform that I use.
Who knows what technology we get in the future.
Like you ever flew a drone? Its so cool to see the world from above.
Like why traffic jams if we have flying cars.
An hour travel can become like 10 minutes, or less.
Endless possibilities.
Basically it’s self fulfilling if say that. You can believe all that i do too but I don’t say it becomes a forgone conclusion as that will make it happen for sure. My thoughts on it are. if it’s going to happen im gone to make it as hard as I can for the people that are making it happen and the closer we get to it happening the more radical my actions will become. I will help my community where I can and do my best to make the people responsible pay for their actions. I would read about community network building.
Also there is a YouTube channel Beau of the fifth column that has a lot of great advice. I know the name makes it sound like a crazy person but it’s not. They put the news into perspective and talk about ways to help your community. When the government and other social structures are gone.
Also if you want to talk I would be happy to be your penpal.
Thank you!
I have no hope, only fantasies that people will come to their senses someday. Hope? Nah.
I wouldn’t say I’m completely hopeful or doomed, the world is filled with terror and beauty. There are no gods or kings it’s just people. Historic and scientific education can help reduce anxiety about the unknown, change your own beliefs and behaviors to improve the situation locally before joining organizations looking to make broader changes. Learn what your fears are and face them, otherwise it will cloud your judgement and influence your decision making process.
Gaming with the homies. I ought to be able to get a couple dogs one day. I’m getting better at cooking. I meet new and amazing people every now and then.
I do my best to steer the world in the direction I’d like to see it go, and I try take pride in the effort, not in the results. The destination might look dark now but you can still enjoy the journey. I hope that makes sense.
take pride in the effort, not in the results
Bruh. That’s poetic. Thank you.
Most of the stuff you read doesn’t matter. What matters is how you treat people. Eat good food and smile, enjoy the rays of the sun which burn us all equally. Bask in a hot shower. Go outside, where you can’t see any other people for a few hours, and listen to the sounds.
Look, If I’m going down, I’m going down kicking and screaming.
My friends, family, drawing, having a nice home to live in, good food and fun stuff to do ❤️ I try and avoid negativity by searching for things I’m interested in to engage with, such as art, nature photography, cat photos, and videogames. Some websites let you tailor your feed to your liking!
There is this video that reminds me that there is no natural law that determines that things will only get better. Yet we have to find purpose. I am not hopeful, but I am happy for everyone that tries to do the right thing. We’re in this together even if everything goes to shit.
I am going to click this, but God dammit if this is Rick Astley
That at any time I want, I can opt out.
I don’t have to stay here and put up with the bullshit if I don’t want to.
That’s also a possibility where I could do something useful by taking someone else out with me, if I can manage to get it done.
You have no idea how freeing it is to be okay with death. When you cease fearing it and look at it as a welcome friend, everything changes.
Now it is important to realize that this is not a desire to die. It’s simply accepting that death is inevitable, and that it is possible to choose when and how I die, if that’s something that seems useful. Life isn’t inherently sacred, there’s no special glory in not dying, there’s no particular benefit to sticking around other than more of the same that’s already happened.
This means that every day is a choice. It’s something I own. I have alternatives. We all do, but I’m aware of that fact in a way that makes even the truly horrible much less impressive.
Again, this is entirely different from wanting to off myself, it isn’t depression. It’s just the way I see things.
Hunter S. Thompson carried a revolver on him for most of his adult life for that exact reason.
… He told me 25 years ago that he would feel real trapped if he didn’t know that he could commit suicide at any moment. I don’t know if that is brave or stupid or what, but it was inevitable. I think that the truth of what rings through all his writing is that he meant what he said. If that is entertainment to you, well, that’s OK. If you think that it enlightened you, well, that’s even better. If you wonder if he’s gone to Heaven or Hell, rest assured he will check out them both, find out which one Richard Milhous Nixon went to—and go there. He could never stand being bored. But there must be Football too—and Peacocks …
— Some friend of Thompson’s after his death whose name I forget and am too lazy to look up (I have the quote unattributed in my notes on Thompson). But it’s quoted on Thompson’s Wikipedia if you’re not as lazy, lol.
I dig that idea too. His reasoning might be different, but it’s the same basic spirit.
Setting aside my depressive episodes and a few signals of impending doom, I look out my window and see a world that is still generally okay around me. That tells me I’m still in a position to go out and try to improve things.
For instance, my family and I got through COVID. To me, that’s a kind of privilege, because I certainly know others who weren’t so fortunate. So I’m doing my part to ensure another pandemic like that doesn’t happen again, or at least isn’t so impactful.
The other night I saw the stars in the sky and thought about how little my problems actually seem.
Stupid questions.
Well I suggest you look elsewhere cuz this community has none of those lol
Tone down social media use and do a little prepping. Learn how to use mylar bags and properly store away rice, beans, lentils, pastas, etc.
Prep as if the internet is going down for a prolonged time, maybe even electricity in general.
Fuck doomerism.
I think I may still be riding the hype of things like the JWST, and fusion energy breakthroughs. Our societies may be back sliding at the moment, but our species is still doing some amazing things.
I have to provide for my family. they must survive because without them, I am nothing.
And nothing is more dangerous than a person with nothing to lose.
My partner and her cat
Antidepressants
In these difficult times I find that all I need is spending some time with my loved ones, enjoying my old favorite media and games and sharing them with my daughter, and nightly cuddles from my beautiful monster of a cat while I read web serials to unwind.
Well, those things and also cannabis and escorts. And pizza. Keeps me going.
The fact that my family would be upset if I stopped living. That’s literally it.
Once my older family members are gone I can finally go too. I have no interest in seeing how terrible the future will be as a perpetually single factory worker schmuck with no income potential to keep up with the exploitation of our economic system.
When national politics goes to hell, think about your local community. If you and many of the people around you can do okay in your lives, that’s not so bad.
Another thing is to consider the comparison point. How are you doing compared with the average person living in Mali or Vietnam or Switzerland? Billions of people all over the world survive in situations that are definitely not ideal, and many of them are happy with their lives some of the time.
Honestly, the fear of screwing up suicide and destroying any opportunity of improving my life. It’s the only reason I’m alive today :/ if only I could just sign some papers, go to sleep, and never wake up.
So now I try so many money making schemes so I could rent an apartment without roommates who insist on doing chores in the dumbest way possible and blaming me for being unable to do anything other than housework after work.
That there’s no evidence of the existence of an afterlife. It’ll be like that time I had eye surgery but without having to wake up afterwards - merciful oblivion.
pixeltree@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 weeks ago
Hope? I have none. I continue on through the power of avoidance and denial. If I stop to think about things it turns into suicidal thoughts, so I just do my damnedest not to think.