Is anyone happy these days?

[Liuckle]

It feels like people were happier in the 90s for example. I miss hope and positivity

I really hope so.

I think one thing that has really sapped feelings of confidence and optimism - perhaps especially amongst young people (thinking of my teenage DD and her friends and their conversations) - is living in the post-facts world where politicians can tell repeated, blatant, egregious lies day in and day out (I'm thinking of Trump and Johnson in particular) and yet get away with it, for the most part. They barely get called out on it. That really helps to induce a feeling of helplessness and despair.

I suspect levels of happiness are always about the same, but individually it depends what stage of life you are at. So, by common consent, the 1970s were considered miserable, economically & politically, but I was a child so I thought they were fine.
The 80s were great because I was young, at university etc.

Perhaps social media now increases discontent for some people but you will always find plenty of people who just get on with life and will consider themselves as "happy".

One thing I do think has improved is the chance of succeeding in the workplace if you’re not from a rich background.

I’ve noticed a huge difference in the fifteen years or so since I started working - back then all of the senior managers were private school types but it’s so much more diverse now. And in some careers unpaid internships used to be the only way in but that practice has mostly stopped now, it’s moved to apprenticeships which are so much better.

I’m not saying things are perfect because they’re not and we still have huge issues with inequality and lack of social mobility. But I do think things are better than they were.

There were full scale blackouts in the 70s. There have always been tough times

So much this

my first diagnosis of A&D was in the 90s but the world I lived in was so much better.

I ignore the news. I think anyone over about 30 can see there's very little actual news and the things that affect us, we know from experience. The news is pretty redundant unless financial, legal or weather.

I think there's an element of nostalgia and maybe rose tinted view going on. There's always been war and strife going on somewhere, we just didn't get bombarded with it.

For example I grew up in the 80's and had a really happy childhood - very carefree. But if I look back at the news reports from Ireland in the 80's it was a shitshow: high unemployment, high inflation, NI troubles etc.

Things were shit for a lot of people, including for my parents actually, as my dad went on strike for several months and they couldn't pay the mortgage for a while.
But I knew none of this because I was protected from it. I didn't watch the news and it was only ever on at 9pm in our house, not all day long. So I was blissfully unaware of the crap going on around the world.

I do think these days things seem worse, because we get newsfeed all day everyday into our phones, tablets, as well as on the radio, tv etc. I feel sorry for kids these days, they are exposed to adult things way too quickly.

I think I’ve always been at the same level of happiness. Looking back at the 90s, I find it hard to believe that I was as happy then as I am now, because my life was so much harder – with a young family financial worries and a high-pressure job. But I know I was. For me, happiness comes from effort/reward, loving people (children/partner), being loved, feeling like a worthwhile person, taking time out to enjoy beautiful things. Ok this is sounding sickly so I’ll stop!

People tend to look back on the 1990s as a sort of ‘1960s 2.0’ - a golden era, booming economy, Cool Britannia, white heat of computer technology etc., with Cold War and apartheid bugs resolved. But my own memories of the early 90s are a bit different. 1990 graduates emerged into a truly dire employment situation. Graduates were not used to facing unemployment; there was no suitable support for them and they were frequently rejected for low level jobs due to being overqualified; too many of the ‘secure’ professions they would have entered were going through redundancies or long term structural change. I remember the early 90s as miserable, frustrating and stuck.

Also don’t forget, the IRA was in the final years of its active bombing campaign, so terrorism was still at the back of people’s minds. IIRC Enniskillen and the Docklands bombing happened then.

I suppose we didn’t have the curse of social media back then. So mass bigotry and ignorance could be contained, instead of being released into the malignant mob rule we see today. This sort of mass communication has the power to amplify every little irritant into a gigantic festering sore, and we need to get together to work out how we can control that.

I was happier before peri menopause. I tolerated stuff better then, now I just lose my shit !

Well, it has been described as the pimple in the boil on the backside of earth and there’s probably more livestock than people. It’s very isolated and according to our government, there is 1 person per square kilometre and 70% of us own our homes either outright or with a home loan. Mostly people live in the coastal areas as everything else is desert really. There are settlements in the desert though but they are mainly for farmers I think. I live in what would be considered a suburb of the capital but up until 4 years ago, it was a rural area but development has meant that the capital city has grown outwards. The next nearest place of any note (a decentish population of more than 100,000 people) is 3000 kms and a plane ride away. A lot of goods used to be imported but that’s changed as the population has grown and people are a lot more aware of buying “home” grown/produced goods. A lot of people moan about living here because apart from the “nightclub” district, most bars and restaurants close by 9, and that’s at weekends! It’s about 8 on a “school” night. Interestingly, there are a lot of “adult” shops around and the next town over (about a 40 min drive) has about 4 and they’re very noticeable but no one bats an eyelid. Entertaining definitely revolves around the house or if not, you meet early for dinner, by 6.30 latest so that you can feel like you’ve had a night out! Drink driving is strictly enforced and the police often set up roadblocks randomly and drug and alcohol test drivers. My friend got stopped by the police and asked to take a breathalyser test and she was wearing a hijab! We had a good laugh about that! It can be aggravating if you go somewhere and get stopped then on the way back, they stop you again! I went to pick my son up from work (public transport is hit and miss after about 8pm) and went through the roadblock, 10 minutes later I got asked to do another one! Books are super expensive over here. Like luxury level expensive. There’s a lot of poisonous spiders and snakes and shark attacks happen quite a few times a year. Strict fines and penalties for allowing dogs off leash and cats outside because they kill the indigenous flora and fauna. Of course you can let them wander around your own property but not outside of that. I read an article a few months ago that said that the average lifespan of an indoor cat was 15-18 years and the average lifespan of an outdoor cat (so one that is outside during the allowed hours in certain areas) was 12-18 months. My cat is strictly inside! My dogs used to occasionally get bitten whilst outside, necessitating a vet visit. I’ve always told my kids to wear foot protection of some kind and also, never walk in sand dunes as lots of snakes live in the dunes. It’s a lovely place but I think you need a certain mentality to live in so isolated a place as flights are expensive and long! It’s a bit like living 7 degrees or whatever of Kevin Bacon! Everyone knows everyone else within your “patch” if that makes sense! So whilst I won’t tell you where I live as it would be quite outing, I hope that I’ve given you some sense of the place, which is lovely in its own way but challenging as well!

Me. I am.

My feelings are mixed. On a day to day level, yes I’m happy. I find joy in the small things. Spending time with adult DC, a cuddle with the cats, my hobbies etc.

I’m not so happy about the world around me! Cost of living is a concern. The cost I have to pay to have the basics of food/warmth/shelter is probably around 20k minimum a year (and I rent so not building any equity). Just for basics. Never has it been so expensive to be alive! My parents first home cost less than that!

I try not to think about the future because then I think ok so I work, get money, pay it all out. If I’m lucky, have some cash to myself to spend to make “life” a bit more worth living. The bigger picture is depressing so I try to avoid looking at it.