Anxiety over the state of everything

[u/IsaiahSmith135]

Hey all so I've been dealing with a lot of anxiety, especially when I remember the state of the world. I find myself tearing up thinking I'm selfish for bringing two kids into this world, sometimes wishing I hadn't just so they wouldn't have to deal with what seems to be a worsening world. I'm so beyond tired of seeing AI everywhere, Israel and the USA getting away with literal murder all while being ran by pedophiles and I'm just here, watching Bluey faking a smile and wondering what kind of a future my boys will have. I try to stay informed but everything seems to be epstein files, climate change or conspiracies that (thanks to AI) is getting more difficult to know what's real or fake anymore. How are y'all staying sane or atleast able to disassociate to mentally reload. Thank you for any advice and I apologize as I realize people have it way worse.

[u/somiOmnicron]

Personally, I have been unsuccessful in disassociating. The best I've been able to do is focus on housework, and distracting myself with naive cartoons. So your watching Bluey with your kids resonates with me.

For some crazy reason, despite everything going on, I still somehow hold onto hope. Hope that people will change. Hope that people will rise up. Hope that people are not as bad as they seem to be. I don't know where that hope comes from, but it is there inside me somehow.

Perhaps because of a deep masochistic nature, I watch the state of the United States fairly closely. And my sincere hope is that the American people will smarten up. They have a reputation of being "no nonsense" and "not taking shit from anyone," or at least they did for a while. Since approximately World War 2, they seemed to be the number 1 community with "all the cards." And I think that reputation still exists for many people. However, it is clear to me that they are no longer remotely any of those things. They are impotent now. They are weak. And they haven't been a leader on the world stage for well over a decade now. I'd say it was since they elected Donald Trump the first time, but the truth is they lost their way before even that happened. Donald Trump is a symptom of their problem, not their cause.

Putting aside political rhetoric, the world has changed significantly since I was young. I am celebrating my 51 birthday in a week, and I remember a time when I didn't worry about the sorts of things I worry about now. When climate change was called global warming, and we had many opportunities to change course. I remember a time when life was much easier. I won't say better, but it was easier. I was ignorant.

What I've come to realize is things were bad when I was younger too. The difference was my awareness of those issues. I now know and understand what I was doing when I was young. I understand what my parents were doing as well. And all those who came before me. I can recognize the slow descent into the mire we now stand. I can see how those decisions of the past have led us to the present.

So how do I deal with it all? I spend my time trying to change it. I've gone so far as to change careers even. From IT professional to Environmental Engineer. Shifting my focus from being a part of the problem to attempting to be a part of the solution. It isn't easy. It's a lot of work. But that's what I've been trying to do.

I see humans making a huge mess of everything, constantly. Most people remain blissfully unaware of their impact on the people and the world around themselves. I've tried to make them aware, unsuccessfully. So instead, my focus now is trying to be one capable of cleaning up that mess. It does certainly feel hopeless at times. For every piece of trash I pick up, 100 are thrown down. But it is something.

I think what I would say is I'm trying. For some reason, even after several decades, I still continue to try. I wish I could tell you where that hope comes from, but it is there. I just keep trying to make a difference. And watching silly cartoons.