You’re being a tad touchy there you need to reread it I didn’t mean you personally but people in general, me included. Perhaps it’s your age?
I know. You did seem to be voting for watching the news and saying people who don't are missing out on valuable info though which is mainly what I disagreed with 100%. The lonely thing too - I truly believe the media is responsible for people fearing their planetary co-inhabitants - like don't let your kids out there are paedophiles about, don't go out you'll be mugged or raped etc etc. I don't deny these things happen, they always have and always will but the incessant repetition IMO actually causes the perps to believe what they do is so widespread it's "normal" which is definitely a bad thing.
Nor does sitting indoors playing on computers drinking a delivered cup of coffee. Generally in the old days people had less disposable income they made their fun as opposed to buying it.
I get that I’m of the generation that made our own fun, made do n mend etc, but it doesn’t change the way a lot of people live today and it saddens me to see they’re fed so much doom n gloom when there’s so much more good stuff going on. I’m think you’re absolutely right about ignoring it in the main, but sadly most don’t.
Times have changed but don't expect me to embrace it. It's easier to make excuses than actually do anything about it. Most people just need to get off their backsides and go outdoors more often, and I dont mean just walk to Costa etc
I think many people don't even realise they are depressed because they've never been anything else. Depression doesn't have to be extreme, it can be just merely not feeling settled, vaguely feeling like something is missing, that life could be better. It's tempting to blame work/relationships/money or lack of those, blame your environment, the government, society, the news, eastenders or whatever. Or not even consider that you might be "depressed". I'm trying to say it can be so subtle that you don't give it the time of day and if you do, you would probably instantly dismiss it because you're not actually crying into your beer and have nothing really to complain about. But, simply having some menial project on the go rather than life being work/sleep/tv and shopping can be all it takes - not something to look forward to, something you're actually doing. We all have our vans and that can be enough, I think it's the distraction! When I had a more pressured life I went dinghy racing twice a week - just club level, not too serious - that was like meditation and just as effective when the wind was 2mph as in a gale. Going to the club, rigging and launching your boat, racing with breaks in the clubhouse and a beer afterwards. Really cheap too - £250 form my rubbish boat, £80/year to be a member and a berth 1ft from the water. Now my son and I have a narrowboat that always needs something doing - we plan, we check the weather for a good spell, we strip and paint, we are going to fit solar. It's nothing special but it's "life", it's real - we deal with our own "waste", we have to fill our water tank, deal with everything ourselves - not much on tap as it were. Watching tv is unreal, the news is unreal. I'm lucky -I also play/produce/mix music with total strangers from around the world and that produces amazing surprises and friendships with people I'll never meet. Musicians are lovely positive joyous people. But if you don't leave your house, do lonely things like computer games, watch depressing tv and pretend on facebook that life is a ball it's never going to end well. Nothing I do costs money, but everything I do is actually "doing" and not observing other people's lives via faceache, the news, soap operas, documentaries. The act of doing is the answer to everything IMO. You can't blame the internet either - that provides masses of info and opportunities for doing as well as simply observing or being passively entertained. Waffle, waffle.
Some truth in this Zeddle I remember when I was young lad It wasn’t uncommon for random adults to talk to children they didn’t know If an adult said look at that Aeroplane! or whatever nowadays They won’t for fear of getting thumped by the father Just for communicating
Too right, you wouldn't catch me within 10m of someone else's child and talking to them? No thanks, it's no longer socially acceptable and that is madness.
The way to beat depression is to get a boat or two. Joking aside last year during partial lockdowns popping down and sitting by the water just felt fantastic. My son is now getting into dinghy sailing.
I live alone, but not lonely. I do things, make things, mend things, love the garden, taken up photography, play green bowls, love steam engines in every form, bird watching or anything to do with nature, maintain and enjoy the mgb, the list goes on. I am lucky to live in a place where we have created real community spirit and help each other and above all talk to each other, neighbours are great and I see them far more than my own family. We are a mixed lot with oldies like me and even older plus several young couples some with kids. There seems to be a misconception that just because some folks live on their own, they are lonely and depressed, not so at all, far from it. So folks, switch off that doom and gloom news and do lots of new things.
Being as the topic is about doom and gloom ,thought i would just say this before the BBC mentions it IT will probably take 100 years before we can rectify fully the cleaner conditions for the safety of our planet . Then we will experience another 25 mile wide meteorite travelling at 45 miles a second ..similar to the one that practically created the gulf of Mexico or the one in Arizona . Then that will give someone or something the chance to give it a go .
