Depressed by the modern world

[buttons]

Sometimes I feel like a time traveler born 100 years ago who has somehow got trapped in the modern world.

Modern fashions, music and manners all make me feel depressed. I hate how everything these days is made of plastic with a 3 years shelf life. I hate that the modern uniform is jeans and graphic t-shirt and that I get stared at for wearing something that was once commonplace. I hate that unnecessary technology is seeping into every aspect of our lives and pushing simple human interactions further apart. The list goes on.

With regard to equality and social factors, yes, the modern day is superior in that respect. I'm not trying to rosetint the past, I just feel more and more lost in our modern day, despite only being in my early twenties.

After reading the forum for a long time I know that a lot of others despair at modern fashions but does anyone else feel deeply saddened by the time we live in and truly wish they had been born in the past? Or does anyone have any advice of how to accept the time I born into?

Thanks

 

[Rathdown]

Buttons, you are looking thru the wrong end of the telescope. Pick your era, your decade, your year, and then surround yourself in your home with as much of your chosen period as you can afford. When setting forth each day think of yourself as some sort of Wellsian time traveler. Oh yes. And subscribe to the Chap Magazine.

 

[St. Louis]

I absolutely agree with Rathdown. Find the joy and beauty in the era you love. It's no good focusing on what's wrong with the modern era; you can create a life that makes you happy. For every person who might be surprised by what you are wearing, there will be ten who are inspired. Perhaps those people staring you are actually admiring or intrigued? Maybe you're helping to remind people of a finer, more elegant era!

 

[LizzieMaine]

Even with the world what it is today, even with the intrusive technology, it's possible to ignore a lot of it. The internet is full of moronic nonsense, but if you don't click on it, it's as though it doesn't exist for you. There's no law requiring you to own a cellphone or whatever the hot new thing is. Modern entertainment, modern music and TV have no influence over your life if you never watch or listen to them. Magazine covers might thrust every kind of offensive, stupid trash in your face at the grocery-store checkout stand, but you can always look away. Eventually it becomes a habit -- you develop a protective shell, and everything that's out there just bounces off.

If it's any consolation, I felt the same way when I was twenty, and that was thirty years ago. You learn to cope, because you don't have much choice.

 

[kiwilrdg]

The mere fact that you are posting shows that there is some modern things that you like. Use what you like of modern things and use the vintage things you like.

Remember that it is always possible to use things that are old but you can not use what has not been invented, at least not yet. Be happy you have what you have but keep you passion for older things because you are learning more and you will appreciate the advantages of the new as well as knowing the things that many others have lost.

Do not hate the modern things but you should have pity on those that shun the old things. (as an example, I just realized that I typed this using modern punctuation but that is because the excessive use of commas always seems unnecessary in older writing.)

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I feel your pain. It's tough feeling like you're out of place, as though you've been quantum leaped to an era that doesn't suit you, with no way out. It's a rough thing to deal with. Not only do you not understand the modern world, but they don't understand you, either. I was at a friend's house yesterday and was chatting with some people there who we hadn't met before. As soon as I went to use the facilities, I heard my friend apologetically saying to this fella "He's a bit old-fashioned." It's a hard row to hoe, but the Lounge does make it easier. The camaraderie here makes the lack of it out there a lot easier to put up with.

I think Rathdown has nailed it, here. I've spent the years since I started working as a kid, collecting things from the past which I like and have now filled my home with them. Having a little time-capsule to come home to after having the lack of class of modern society thrown at you all day is really a relaxer.

Buttons, you are looking thru the wrong end of the telescope. Pick your era, your decade, your year, and then surround yourself in your home with as much of your chosen period as you can afford. When setting forth each day think of yourself as some sort of Wellsian time traveler. Oh yes. And subscribe to the Chap Magazine.

Modern technology is a beautiful thing, if used properly. I have a computer and a smart phone. It makes business easier, makes connecting with people who you want/need to easier, and we sure wouldn't be on the Lounge without some sort of online access, now would we? The build quality of modern tech, on the other hand, is another story!

The mere fact that you are posting shows that there is some modern things that you like. Use what you like of modern things and use the vintage things you like.

Remember that it is always possible to use things that are old but you can not use what has not been invented, at least not yet. Be happy you have what you have but keep you passion for older things because you are learning more and you will appreciate the advantages of the new as well as knowing the things that many others have lost.

Do not hate the modern things but you should have pity on those that shun the old things. (as an example, I just realized that I typed this using modern punctuation but that is because the excessive use of commas always seems unnecessary in older writing.)

 

[DiverAdam]

Be the change you wish to see in the world

 

[scottyrocks]

I am thoroughly disgusted with much of today's lack of morals and class, and I do what I can to tune it out. Sometimes it is difficult because so much of it is so close. But short of being a hermit, I only have my own will, beliefs, and practices to help keep me grounded.

I hadn't realized how much just one modern item was disturbing my being until I just stopped partaking in it just short of two months ago, and that is the narcissism festival that is facebook. What a horrible encapsulation of so much that is wrong with society today. I am so much more at peace since I stopped looking at all that drivel.

 

[Stanley Doble]

Buck up. If you were born 100 years earlier you would be dead by now.

You can still enjoy old music, old books, old movies, old cars, old styles.

Some things haven't changed. A sunrise, a field of wild flowers. Get far enough out in the country and the year doesn't matter.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

I tune out the sickness of modern culture when I can healthily and practically, but at the same time I try to be an agent of change which means I have to mingle with the world as it is today. It does get me down sometimes but I make sure I don't stay there long by focusing on what I have control over.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

I hadn't realized how much just one modern item was disturbing my being until I just stopped partaking in it just short of two months ago, and that is the narcissism festival that is facebook. What a horrible encapsulation of so much that is wrong with society today. I am so much more at peace since I stopped looking at all that drivel.

I agree that there is a lot of drivel, but I enjoy it as a vehicle to stay connected to people I like who share things I enjoy. I do need to keep monitoring who and what shows up in my "news feed." It also is a huge time suck and wish to reduce that in my life.

 

[howardeye]

Depressed by the modern world? I have never been depressed and nothing can take away the joy that is in me!

 

[kiwilrdg]

The OP does not seem to have found what he is looking for here because he has not posted anything else on the FL.
I hope he finds a way to be happy somewhere.

 

[buttons]

Buttons, you are looking thru the wrong end of the telescope. Pick your era, your decade, your year, and then surround yourself in your home with as much of your chosen period as you can afford. When setting forth each day think of yourself as some sort of Wellsian time traveler.

I really like this idea, thank you.

The mere fact that you are posting shows that there is some modern things that you like. Use what you like of modern things and use the vintage things you like.

I'm in full time education at the moment which means I have to use modern technology. I'm counting down the months until I can stop paying my internet bill.

I hadn't realized how much just one modern item was disturbing my being until I just stopped partaking in it just short of two months ago, and that is the narcissism festival that is facebook. What a horrible encapsulation of so much that is wrong with society today. I am so much more at peace since I stopped looking at all that drivel.

I've never understood how staring at a computer screen for hours on end may be considered "social". I don't need to know every little detail of someone's life. No wonder kids these days spend their time together on their phones, they've nothing left to talk about!

Buck up. If you were born 100 years earlier you would be dead by now.

This isn't the first century to have people reaching the age of 30. I'm not sure what you mean by this.

The OP does not seem to have found what he is looking for here because he has not posted anything else on the FL.
I hope he finds a way to be happy somewhere.

Apologies for the slow replies, I'm not really part of the social side of the internet much.

 

[scooter]

As someone said, be the change you wish to see in the world. To be perfectly frank with you, I think many of us on this forum deplore many of the behaviors and mores of "modern man". The simple truth of the matter is, there has always been deplorable behavior and despicable individuals in this world. Think Genghis Khan, Atilla, Caligula, William Bonney, Hitler, Stalin, Amin, Hussein, the list is virtually endless. What makes our current times different is that something occurs across the country, or across the world, and in minutes, if not seconds, we are ALL made aware of it. We can only control our own behavior and have a responsibility to inflict what positive change we can in this life. Remember, big things start small!

 

[this one guy]

The mere fact that you are posting shows that there is some modern things that you like. Use what you like of modern things and use the vintage things you like.

Remember that it is always possible to use things that are old but you can not use what has not been invented, at least not yet. Be happy you have what you have but keep you passion for older things because you are learning more and you will appreciate the advantages of the new as well as knowing the things that many others have lost.

Do not hate the modern things but you should have pity on those that shun the old things. (as an example, I just realized that I typed this using modern punctuation but that is because the excessive use of commas always seems unnecessary in older writing.)

Good advice. Be selective. It doesn't have to be all or nothing either way. You can build your own unique mode of living. No need to be committed to boundaries.

 

[fashion frank]

Hey don't be down , be glad because guess what, your right the world today is f&%ked up but I don't let it faze me
one bit, because I march to my own drum ( well bagpipe ) dress the way I want ,listen to the music I like etc etc etc.

The funny thing is when people hear my music ( swing ,big band 30'and 40's ) the response is always " wow I love that beat ,tempo etc. etc. etc. "
When I go out and about like today for example

people will always tell me how great I look , a woman said to me today , It's so nice to see a man like yourself dressed up
like that , you don't see that anymore " .

With myself it's not so much that I want to live in the past , as much as it just happens that a lot of the things I like happen to be from the past so I just integrate them into my every day life and it's " solid jack ,mello mack " you know what I mean ?

Hang in them , All the Best, Fashion Frank

 

[kiwilrdg]

Glad to see you are still around. There are a lot of bad things in the world today and it is good to hear from people who agree with me on the problems with the world. If we were born 100 years ago and somehow met then I am sure we would see problems with the world that would sound very similar to things that were posted.

If you are feeling this way at 30 I am sure by 50 you will find more reasons to dislike what has become of the world just as I have. I hope you also can make as many things in the world better and find some other things that are good.

about 25 years ago, when I was living in Scotland, I was very surprised at a dance at the local hall some teenagers wanted more waltzes and foxtrots instead of the rock songs from the '60s and '70s. That is one of the best examples that I have seen to show that good things can be brought back.

 

[countryclubjoe]

Sometimes I feel like a time traveler born 100 years ago who has somehow got trapped in the modern world.

Modern fashions, music and manners all make me feel depressed. I hate how everything these days is made of plastic with a 3 years shelf life. I hate that the modern uniform is jeans and graphic t-shirt and that I get stared at for wearing something that was once commonplace. I hate that unnecessary technology is seeping into every aspect of our lives and pushing simple human interactions further apart. The list goes on.

With regard to equality and social factors, yes, the modern day is superior in that respect. I'm not trying to rosetint the past, I just feel more and more lost in our modern day, despite only being in my early twenties.

After reading the forum for a long time I know that a lot of others despair at modern fashions but does anyone else feel deeply saddened by the time we live in and truly wish they had been born in the past? Or does anyone have any advice of how to accept the time I born into?

Thanks

Look in the mirror and smile at the person you see, be thankful for the things you have.
Try not to worry about things you have no control over and try to improve the things you control.

Best of Health to You and Yours in the coming years.

CCJ

 

[The Gentleman]

I'm glad to see a topic come up on this subject! I would be very interested in knowing what the older members of the lounge have to say on this subject.

My brother already told me similar things to what buttons expressed - feeling as if this society were a "dream world" and wanting the bubble to pop and wake up to the real world.
Although I am young, I sometimes feel the same way - feels like today's individualistic, unneighbourly society is boring and sad, and like it would have been so nice to live a century ago.
On the other hand, today's society does have a ton of advantages that wouldn't be possible at another period of history. Think about it, we have access to all knowledge through the internet, we can learn how to build, fish, hunt, sustain ourselves very simply whereas before the web, this knowledge would have required a lot of time and great means. So, as Rathdown says, look in through the other end of the telescope!

Another thing : we must be the change we want to see in this world. You have no idea how many people may have been inspired by your dressing different, or acting different, whatever. Every little thing we do has an influence on people around us. Fashion Frank seems to have made a lady happy by dressing with such class, and maybe he has influenced younger people by it too.
Just be as you want to be and you will only create positive relationships.

"Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone".

God bless you!