Seems to be all doom and gloom.

I have recently become a member of YourLifeChoices and, at first, I found some of the articles interesting. After a few weeks of reading the member comments, however, I am becoming depressed! Why is nearly everyone so grumpy and whingey? Ok, not everyone, but there seems to be a common thread of pessimism which really puts me off. Are we really going to fit the stereotypical grumpy old man/woman in our retirement or can we snap out of it, please? Talk about people taking offence at the slightest little comment.... some of you guys have it down pat. Come on, people...if you could only take a step back and look at how  some of you  wind each other up you would have a giggle too. I am not going to retire now and become like that. I will just keep working  where I am among people of all ages and, consequently, my views on life remain balanced.

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Welcome Holly, we need more people like you on this site to balance out the negativity, I was born in the North East of England at the end of WW2 life was tough, we got on with it, life in 2019 is fantastic, maybe I am living in the right country although my family in the UK are all doing a lot better than our parents did, I retired 9 years ago, I didn’t come from a privileged background, I worked most of my life in the steelworks, got a reasonable wage and am having a great retirement, I did some volunteer work for about 5 years after retirement and saw some that were not doing great, but one example was my neighbour who contracted motor nuerone disease at the age of 32, I have to say that she was the most positive person I have ever come across, no matter how bad she was feeling she never failed to inspire me on a daily basis, she wanted to continue to work even though she was in an electric wheelchair, so I used to take her to the station each day and pick her up at night, she was a child psychologist, so that’s probably why she understood me lol, sometime we just don’t know how lucky most of us are, that’s not to dismiss those that are suffering.

i agree with your comments Holly...

Thank you, Jim, for an inspiring post. You give a well balanced view.

It is the duty of older generation to tell people what's wrong with the world, in the little time they have left.

This job has been made easy with such a wide range of things that are not right, plus change for the sake of change, being in abundance

The trouble is that the younger generation does not want to be told as they think they know it all  --- I have news for them -- they have seen NOTHING yet.

I hope you don't get turned off Holly. Everyone has a bit of a grouchy day here and there. I for one have been treated extremely well here and value the diversity of input.

If only the younger would learn from the older --   ( I know maybe we did not do it ourselves sometimes to the full extent)       I have a saying and it is SO true 

'When an old person dies a Libary is lost'  

You don’t know what others are going through either. They may vent on here but hide a lot of pain in their everyday lives. When someone says they are sad or depressed or lonely no one attacks them. They offer empathy and kind words. 

Politics are very divisive and people have strong feelings and have the right to do so. Others have the right to criticise and challenge those.

Some use words that try to devalue others and they deserve to be made accountable.

If you look at how long some commentators have been in this group you will realise they have history and have argued their points for a long time. Go back years and read some of those.

If someone was to disappear from this group everyone would miss them even if they have been on opposite sides for many years. 

It is like a family. Looking in from the outside can give a bad impression but attack them and other family members will defend them. It is best not to judge until you are part of that family or group. 

Sometimes, what people say is funny because it is so ridiculous, but they add a flavour to the group and without them it would be boring. Extreme views are also valuable because they highlight a topic and allow for criticism to try to balance the argument. 

It is a bit like parliament. It is adversarial. 

What I also notice is that many read without making a comment but they do return frequently and watch the process and debate. 

It is a place for people to be vocal when, in retirement, they mostly feel voiceless.

It is important to me and it fills a void and I get to practise some skills that I no long have the opportunity to do so. I vent, I mostly try to be kind but, on occasion, I lose it after banging my head with a particular person over a long period of time and because they have been so horrible to others who seem decent and not as tough.

This group is open to everyone which makes it very democratic. Participate or not, read and don’t comment, be involved in any way you deem appropriate.

Big thanks to YLC for the platform and all you do to moderate and present. It means a lot to me.

Well, that's me told! In the nicest, most polite way.

OK, I will not "judge"....if this is how you interpret my observations.

I will, however, just say this: sometimes an "outsider" view is what is needed to make us stop and take stock of our attitudes. I speak from personal experience as my daughter and son occasionally stop me in my tracks when they feel I am becoming too negative. I appreciate their input as I am aware I can become critical.

But it takes all sorts and I am aware that many people will not countenance any criticism, however well meant. 

Hiya Holly, good thing you joined now and not a year or so ago. You wouldn’t have lasted a minute in the cuckoos’ nest. The forum is good now ‘cos, some of the cuckoos are pushing up daisies, some sent to the the salt mines in Siberia and others have been run outa town. A bucket of ice soon calms down the remaining two.

Image result for yosemite sam animated gif

I also should have added Paddington -- that we can all learn from each other -- never stop learning ever

Yes PlanB, we can follow up a point and research from an idea presented on here.

it is like you said a place to learn and grow which makes us fortunate to have this platform. 

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