When will things go back to being not shit?

[Intheclub]

In 2019, everything seemed happier. We were prosperous (on the whole and certainly more than compared to now) and because of that the economy grew. Putting the heating on when it was cold or going out for a meal once in a while was something that was totally normal for the majority. Of course, that isn’t to say there was no poverty and everything was perfect in 2019 - far from it- but it was significantly better than what we have now. There seemed to be far more joy in life, people seemed happier and less worried.

There has since then been two very traumatic crisis - the pandemic and the cost of living. I honestly dread to think the effect this will have on “Gen Z” teens as well as young kids with a worldwide disease meaning they can’t have natural childhood experiences and then (for many) their family struggling to afford even basic essentials.

I don’t know if this is everyone’s experience but I can certainly say that within my own group of friends it’s so depressing. Half of them never want to do anything, usually because of money or after covid they just can’t be bothered. Many of my friends are also struggling with their mental health.

It honestly feels like 2019 was the end of some kind of “golden age” and I honestly don’t see a way of getting back there any time soon. I suspect it will take another generation to come through before the impacts of this all stop having such a strain on the world.

Aibu to ask when, if ever, things will stop being so crap?

Agreed, it's shit.

I think the general situation is going to get worse before it gets better and I'm not 100% sure it's going to get better. Hopefully I'll be wrong.

Not this again. You make your own happiness in this world and you don’t need money to do it.

Stop wallowing and take action to make yourself happy.

Things were shit in 2019 as well.

Agree, in the main, with @YellowTreeHouse . Happiness is a state of mind. I'm not unsympathetic - I am myself quite noticeably depressed and feel life will never be good again - but I know it is within my power to change that thinking. It is within you to do so too.

People have always lived through trauma and upheaval : epidemics, financial depressions, war. The human spirit is what survives these events.

I grew up in Spain (in a poor working class Spanish family, not as a British expat) in the aftermath of the 2007 financial collapse.

In 2008 families started to really feel the effects.
We were lucky in the sense that my dad didn’t lose his job until 2010. But luxuries stopped pretty much there and then - my youngest brother was 3 years old in 2008 and there are no photos of him at the zoo, amusement parks or on holiday (minus grandma’s house) past that age. Disposable income evaporated. House devalued massively so moving wasn’t even an option.
Early 2010’s were the worst, I still remember the freezing cold in winter (no source of heating in the house apart from two little portable plug in heaters). School trips had to be very carefully budgeted for.
We had a meal out every 2 years or so, to celebrate some big events. To this day I get excited when I have a McDonald’s.
I moved out 2016. Still no disposable income - I was moving abroad for uni and was under 18, yet it was only through a scholarship that I managed to pay my rent deposit and flights over.

Around that time (2016-18) things started to get better. My dad started earning more and there were occasional treats for the whole family.

They can now have some meals out, Christmas is again a half-decent event, my siblings are being supported through their studies as much as possible, albeit everyone has worked from day one alongside.

So yeah, almost 10 years until things started becoming more normal. My whole childhood / teenage years basically. Really hope this won’t be the case for the UK right now.

I disagree OP. 2019 was one of the worst years of my life, very challenging. I won’t go too much into it but something life changing happened to me and was in an incredibly dark place for 3-6 months of 2019.

I actually preferred 2020 despite the lockdowns (I also didn’t know anyone who died from covid at this point) and life not being normal. Fast forward to 2022 - I’m happier than ever! I would rather go through 2020 again than 2019. Life is what you make it

Things were still shit in 2019 the shitness really kicked off in 2016 with Brexit and has been getting worse since

Looking back at similar financial episodes throughout history I think about 10-15 years to get back to feeling any prosperity. No links, or scientific backing, just my opinion.

OP you have missed out the major cause of the recession in this country. Yes, most of Europe has experienced a decline in living standards but the U.K. is experiencing a far, far worse situation. It’s Brexit. Sorry but that’s a fact.

Instead of feeling helpless I think everyone would feel a bit better if they truly engaged with the reasons why this country is doing so badly. Join a political party, join a Union, become a councillor, volunteer at a food bank… I can’t bear the miserable shrugging of shoulders going on everywhere at the moment. People have power. The right to vote, paid holidays, equal pay laws you name it, most of the things we take for granted all came about because people did something about it. Politicians didn’t decide to be nice, people pushed them into it by speaking out and taking action.

I personally liked 2006. The worst year for me was 2016.

I think things will get worse before we adapt to this part of life. Life is a journey and it contains good parts and bad/ challenging parts.

I think you need to remind yourself that things always ebb and flow. There are changes on a global scale, a national scale and also in our individual lifes.

Try to focus on what you can improve in your own life. Even the little things.

In my opinion the "golden age" ended at the turn of the millennium. The 21st century has been shit from 9/11 onwards. Everything is darker and more authoritarian, I wish I could have stayed in the 80s.

Well your experience I’m afraid is not my experience and not something I’m seeing among my friends. I’m not tremendously wealthy but working in a secure public sector job as is my DH . Christmas is looking pretty similar to those of the past. I would say that life comes in peaks and troughs and right now it’s a low for lots of people but it will rise again. It feels pertinent though that my goals for 2023 centre around simpler interests, making / cooking / hosting for my friends which I’ve got out of the habit over the last 2 years. I know you can’t put a positive spin on every situation but there are some occasions when acceptance & contentment is a choice.

I find it futile to look back endlessly to other times - I can’t live with that negativity personally.

You forgot climate change OP, and that is the most important thing noone can escape and it’s only getting worse - crop failures, extreme weather, soil depletion and biodiversity collapse. Only resilience will get us through, and not all of us!

We are in recession - it’s temporary. The economy will grow again, the war won’t last forever.

Look at history - it always gets better, then it might get worse again… rinse and repeat.

It's all a bit 1970s isn't it.

We need another good strong Prime Minister like the one elected in 1979 to get things back on the rails again.

2023 is our year in which everything will go right, problems will magically be resolved. We will all have enough money and some to share. We will have good loving relationships, and will look and feel ten years younger. New green and cheap energy will be in plentiful supply and Putin will strike a deal which leaves him with his dignity intact. He will celebrate with some amazing plastic surgery and a hair transplant. Either regulations will be loosened so we can go back to the good old days.

we will remember how to laugh and have fun. Elon will have a baby with Doha Cat and the world will live in a state of joy. Obviously

EU regulations not either

Rather than someone who was forced into power (to the extent that MPs and PMs have power) and who has the same allegiances and speech patterns as Blair...

Well, the first thing that will help is to get rid of the Tories. Wouldn’t have stopped the pandemic but would help with COL type issues, general prosperity of the nation. Although sadly we seem stuck with the massive act of self harm that is Brexit.

But imagine if we were living in a country that is a war zone, or has had famine or floods. Or where women were not treated as fully human. Then we’d really have reason to say why is everything so shit!

I think things were getting worse before then but they've certainly been worse since.

Some things we can't change but a lot of people could improve things for themselves and their communities rather than being passive.

People have lived through far more difficult times throughout history. What we are experiencing in the UK is nothing to what millions of people have endured. In many ways we are still very privileged.

Fully expecting people to come on and critisise me 🙂

I do have a sense of somewhat unreasonable grievance that, having finally got away from EA exh in late 2018, there was such a short period of time between that and lockdowns/ everything going to shit. But I’m not sure I’m reasonable there as I have a pretty nice life overall comparatively.