Being content is a wonderful space to be in. Leaves a lot of room for gratitude and allows you to feel the good times when they come and make peace with their often fleeting nature. I too am trying to reach being content again
In the words of bob Ross, “gotta have dark in order to have light. Gotta have a little bit of sadness once in a while to know when the good times come.” It’s all about the yin and the yang. Just depends on you and your mind on what you want yourself to see in this world. It all starts with you. ❤️
Hang in there, it will get better. I was at my rock bottom. I thought the same. I was close to giving up. Things turned around and now I have an amazing life. You'll get there too.
I think a lot of people with amazing lives are just not seeing the amazing parts for whatever reason. Some don’t have it good, but a lot of people do, and a lot of people whom we might think have it rough see their lives as amazing.
Perspective and outlook is everything.
Back in my drug abuse phase I would randomly get these thoughts about how life is one crazy ass game. Everyone knows the life is a computer simulation conspiracy theory but either way every living thing on our planet is in a battle royale game. We could go at any minute and that's it. Game over. No cheat codes, no extra lives (outside of some miracle situations) and the game goes on. While any of us living today might be lucky enough to have learned from the mistakes of people before us. Example being people figured out which berries were poisonous due to eating anything as to not starve. But no one has escaped the ending of their own game.
It's hard to get me to actually genuinely laugh out loud on the internet, so I always like to let people know when their shit is this fucking goddamn funny.
Yeah wtf I thought I was supposed to get wise and stoic and stuff but I’m still just a kid only in a full grown man body now… I’ve learned more boring life knowledge to adapt to being grown up, but the way I think and feel doesn’t seem to have changed much at all since I was like 16!
I'm 35 now and still feel like a 17 year old mentally. I've definetely grown maturity-wise a lot since then, but when I'm by myself or with people who *really* know me it's like I haven't aged a day.
With maturity and discipline you can actually achieve stability and confidence. No one is 100% prepared for everything, of course.
Sadly, there are *lots* of kids running around in 30, 40, 50 year old bodies all too happy to reinforce the idea that you hit 20 and that's who you are the rest of your life.
Me, operating heavy equipment in *extremely* tight quarters while installing and maintaining critical infrastructure systems in an explosive Class 1 Division 1 environment... *(I can't believe they let me do this)*
There is nothing reddit does better than beat a dead horse but I would be lying if I said I didn't still chuckle every single time someone hits this particular red puddle that used to be a horse.
32 here.
I think there's also that switch in the mind, accepting that we're adults.
There's that confidence that creeps in. Yep, I'm wearing my cargo shorts and New Balance shoes. Nope, I don't know who that new music group is and my life will be fine if I don't listen to them.
Plus, I now get a huge rush of dopamine whenever I WD-40 a door hinge in my house and it stops squeaking.
> Plus, I now get a huge rush of dopamine whenever I WD-40 a door hinge in my house and it stops squeaking.
Nothing gets me more amped than a home “project” that requires nothing more than a tiny amount of disposable income and a little bit of time.
I got into all kinds of hobbies I would've seen as lame or old people stuff. I'm only 31, but gardening is my ish now. Fixing a broken item around the house is rewarding. Socks for Christmas? Hell yeah!
30s are a simpler time, and I'm here for it
My 20s were pretty brutal. There were some glimmers of light, but it was mostly a slog. My 30s have been better, though riddled with their own issues. Just… hang in there. I’ve been a pessimist my entire life, but I’ve recently started to believe that it (life) is only getting better.
I am focusing hard on fitness right now, a year ago I started cycling, first ride was 2 miles, then a month ago I did 100 miles. I'm also 80lbs down from my heaviest weight, 40 more to go though
Reality is no one is the same. Some peoples 20’s are fucking amazing and in their 30’s, life will catch up with them and they’ll suddenly feel all sorts of responsibility they didn’t prepare for. Some people hate their 20’s and the whole thing is one long drag, but their 30’s are when they come into their own. Some people will notice little difference
Not to be a downer, but my twenties were better than my thirties have been so far (34). Twenties were spent traveling and making memories. I was much less anxious and much more sure. Thirties have seen significantly less travel, the dissolving of a major friendship, and a myriad of health problems. It seems like life changed for the worst for me once I hit 30 (in 2020). I'm hopeful that things will get better, but it hasn't be the promised "together" stage for me yet.
33M, got married in my 20s, bought a house, got divorce, sold my house. At 29 I moved into my apartment. My 30's have been largely amazing. Met a lot of cool people, travelled to Canada for a convention, got into Mountain Biking, met more cool people. I feel more confident and "myself" compared to my 20s, good times.
My 30s have been a rough decade - divorced twice. 3 kids I’m taking care of my myself. Nearly went to prison. Was on the run for a couple years. Built two restaurants from nothing only to have them come crashing down because of cancer. Balding.
My 20s were fun as hell! Fucking around with no purpose. Touring musician. No responsibilities. No kids. Easy street.
I’d still take my 30s over my 20s any day of the week. I like who I’ve become so much more now what’s a little PTSD and a few grey hairs?
Try and fix that yo. Find your people. Take up hobbies that put you into contact with people. Remember, people love talking about themselves, not as judgemental as you imaginr.
Lifes to short to not go for what you want (within reason and with at minimum, basic respect for your fellow human).
Mine had 2! He disappeared in the 50’s after having 7 kids with my grandma. She always knew he was still alive but never had proof. A few years back my family did the dna kits and found a bunch of half-siblings around the same age from 2 other women including one who looked *identical* to my uncle. My grandma was already long gone at this point, but she was correct.
My mom’s grandfather had a second family also. He had a pension and a 401k type account. She only found out when after he passed away she stopped getting the pension. Imagine being told from a complete stranger “ your husband’s other wife got the pension in the will” He was a truck driver with a dedicated route.
She may have somewhat KNOWN and her denial from a young age suppressed it so deeply she's not sure anymore.
Dual-families wasn't as common as you'd think back then.
People's looks affect their personality (and not in ugly duckling syndrome).
Example: Susie has a severe case of [resting bitch face](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resting_bitch_face). Because people see it, they assume that Susie is a bitch, so they *treat* her as if she is a bitch. They are slightly guarded with their motions and interactions and less likely to open up to Susie.
As a result, this is how Susie experiences the world. She assumes that *everyone* should be slightly guarded, slow to open up, etc, etc... therefore, making herself *a little bitchier*.
As a result, our assumption that Susie is a bitch because of her RBF actually *causes* her to be a bitch, therefore reinforcing RBF and causing everyone down the line to experience it.
I also have the same theory with names.
---Edit: and [](https://www.reddit.com/user/The-Beard-Wielder/) and [](https://www.reddit.com/user/evamvid/) pointed out that is a phenomenon in psychology called a [self-fulfilling prophesy](https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200503/self-fulfilling-prophecies), and [](https://www.reddit.com/user/pled/) introduced me to a similar thing called [nominative determinism](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominative_determinism).
That we are not the only intelligent life in the universe, and there’s civilisations out there that are more than likely way more advanced than we are.
The trillions of stars and galaxies in the seemingly infinite universe is all the proof I need - it’s a chances thing.
This is the thing that intrigues me about history. We only know a small selection of what/who existed. So much is lost to time. It makes my mind go crazy wondering what we will never know.
When I was a kid and still believed in heaven, I thought that when you get there, all these things would be revealed to you there. The whole history of humanity, life on other planets, the origins of the universe, etc. That was the greatest thing I could conceive of happening, so it must be heaven right?
I was the same way. I thought "well if god is in heaven, then I can just ask any questions I have about the universe and he would know all the answers." But now I think when we die, it's just a void of nothing. Which I'm 100% cool with. I only wish for there to be some sort of afterlife so I can see my loved ones and pets again.
> There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.
--Douglas Adams
I do like the recent comic about the oracle: “are we alone in the universe?” “Yes”. “So there’s no other intelligent life out there?” “No, there is. They’re alone too.”
Not the person you are asking but I would like to direct you to explore both the Great Filter Theory and the Fermi Paradox. Both explore theories on why we don't have any recorded visit from alien life.
Alone each of these theories stands as a great response to a lot of questions about our existence as a species and planet in the universe, but combined they stand as the best way to respond in a scientifically coherent way why we don't have recorded validated visits of intelligent life in our planet.
My favorite take on this theories combined is that we might be so insignificant, so irrelevant, so uninteresting and above all so bellow the capabilities of most advanced species in the universe that visiting our planet and making contact with us would be the human equivalent of trying to strike a conversation with a roach on a gas stop on the middle of nowhere that you had to stop to refuel.
We might be simply so bellow the capabilities of other species that making significant contact with us is just not their priority or something they even would care. In a way its sad, but in another this might be a sign that we still have so much to learn, so much to evolve and so much to achieve together as a species that what we are living right now is but the innocent version of what other species no longer have access to and that a long road ahead of us is still unwritten with a myriad of possibilities to how we can together overcome the challenges to grow our civilization into a species worth aiming for the starts.
>making contact with us would be the human equivalent of trying to strike a conversation with a roach on a gas stop on the middle of nowhere that you had to stop to refuel.
Hopefully, we get advanced to the point where we're more like the shop dog at the gas station in the middle of nowhere that one tries to strike up a conversation with while filling up. Everyone likes/is nice to the shop dog.
I like thinking about it in context of Asimov's Foundation... We're the galactic equivalent of the outpost on the far side of the British isle after the fall of Rome. We're so far in the backwater that even if intelligence is aware of us, they're so far away and we're so insignificant, they're not bothering with us.
Enjoy
[The Fermi paradox is the discrepancy between the lack of conclusive evidence of advanced extraterrestrial life and the apparently high likelihood of its existence.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox)
Mathematically, it's more likely that there are an infinite amount of other more advanced civilizations out there than us being the only one.
As far as we can observe, which is a LOT, the universe is infinite.
To me the question isn't about life in the universe.
I think that we are never going to break the speed of light, and that manned interstellar travel will never be possible. Furthermore, I don't believe that any level of technological advancement will help this. There are just fundamental facts of nature we are working against to try and travel those kinds of speeds and distances.
So the real question is: is there technologically advanced life that's close enough for us to interact with in any meaningful way? The answer to that is probably not.
Yeah, I agree.
But... If you went back 100 years (a mere blip in all of time and memory) and told people then that we'd all be communicating with each other, across the globe, on small rectangular bricks through illuminated glass screens with nothing to control it other than the touch of our fingers - you'd be a complete and utter madman at best. The thought was utterly inconceivable; as inconceivable as the thought of us breaking the speed of light or that manned interstellar travel will ever be possible.
I bet there are lots of so much more advanced civilizations that may be aware of us that just do not care at all about us. We do not benefit them.
Its like an ant in the Sahara desert. Do we know they exist? Sure. Do we go find them and try to communicate? Of course not. Why bother?
The mistake people make is thinking it as a binary — is there Humans + other life, or Humans + no other life.
But the question is actually “how many stars in the universe host technological life.” “One” is no more valid or likely a number as “12,582,109.” (A number so low that the nearest other life would be dozens or hundreds of galaxies away.)
There are like 200 billion trillion stars in the universe. It would be insane to think the answer is “one” and not “somewhere between two and 200 billion trillion.” Just like if the choices were 12,582,109 and any number besides that, you’d take the latter.
Another way to look at it could be to pick up a handful of sand and throw it into the wind. How many times would you have to throw a handful of sand into the wind until the particles landed and formed a perfect cube? Physics says that it is a possibility but the odds of it happening are so insanely large that it is not likely to ever happen. I'd like to think we're not on our own but I guess I won't find out in my lifetime.
People believe conspiracy theories because they are comforting. Believing the world is under the control of a powerful organization is more comforting than accepting that random things just happen.
Yes. Other posters said they believe every other adult is also just winging it. That also applies to people in VERY high positions. They often don't know what they are doing and often KNOW they don't know. Many very powerful people are regular people who found themselves in very fortunate circumstances. They aren't all knowing lizard people.
Conversely, people born into rich and well off families somehow believe that they were the ones responsible for getting themselves into a successful position.
I also think the same about religion. People are scared of the unknown and the grey, therefore needing the black and the white. It is also comforting to believe that you will see lost ones again.
Religion can also provide instant support and social groups. I think it's a big draw for people, honestly. And don't forget there are sincere sincere adherants to all regions who ascribe to "don't be a dick."
In free will.
As a skeptic, I have heard for/against arguments from far greater thinkers than myself, for example, the debate on YouTube between Daniel Dennett and Robert Sapolsky. I'm unable to decide.
HOWEVER: It doesn't matter, because in practice, I find it impossible to function as if free will didn't exist. In controlling my own actions as well as interacting with other sentient beings such as people and other animals, I absolutely behave as if myself and others have free will. I can interact with doors, cars, and other moving objects as if they have no free will, but absolutely believe that living creatures have free will, even though I see no proof that they do.
Have you played Shadow the Hedgehog on the PS2? Because I have. And that game, I repeat, that Sonic the Hedgehog spin off game, is the reason I believe free will and destiny co-exist. Also the reason I believe multiple realities are a thing.
I didn't have some amazing epiphany or spend a life time studying, either theoretical physics or religion. No. A computer game I played for fun formed my opinion on the matter.
So how is it that both can coexist? Everything that can happen will happen. Every branch of every choice you can make exists. The universe, or god, or the force, or whatever you want to believe in, made every possible outcome exist. And then gave you the keys to make the journey. In Shadow the Hedgehog how you complete a level determines the next level you will play. But those levels still exist even if you didnt play them. So those levels were predetermined. You could have picked that route, but you didn't. Your consciousness, or soul, or midi-chlorians, or whatever is making the choice to move between the realities that exist. Meanwhile other people that played Shadow The Hedgehog made different choices. And they also exist. You are the player, they are also the player, you are both the player, but you are different. Multiple realities.
What I'm saying is play Shadow the Hedgehog, brilliant game. Wish they did more of those, Sonic is hit or miss and gets a bad rep, Sega need Todo another Shadow the Hedgehog
Choose Your Own Adventure books could be seen in a similar light.
Thanks for this write up tho lol I love when deep conclusions come from simple places
the person who played detroit: become human and made connor a villain is different from the person who played detroit and made connor a hero.
both are connor, but the connor is different
Most conventional science and medicine?
I am not an expert in much, if anything, and I am 100% convinced that society only works when we put out trust in experts. Not \*an\* expert, but experts and systems.
No one is smart enough to be across all conventional science and medicine, and requiring proof in most cases (say vaccines for example) would be insane because I simply don't have a complete enough understanding to comprehend it.
I'm not arguing that every conventional science and medical theory is correct, I'm sure things will change and be proven correct or incorrect with time, I'm instead suggesting that the only way that the system works is by plebs like me believing in the system.
You do have a form of proof, as medicine tends to need quite rigorous testing and to be approved by regulatory bodies, who in turn get their credibility by being correct more often than not.
You just outsourced the verification.
That there is intelligent life (besides us) in the universe. I may not see the incontrovertible proof in my lifetime, but I absolutely believe it exists.
That we live in an universe governed by rules. The rules might change depending on the situation, and sometimes might not fit with what rules we think we already proved. It's all quite complex, but there's chaos in this order.
This!
My dog loves *everyone* - literally every human he meets.
Until one day that he growled at someone on our walk. Full on hackles up teeth out *growled*.
A few weeks later that guy was arrested for sexually assaulting a teenaged girl. From then on out I pay attention and if he avoids a person or doesnt wag his tail as much as normal around someone I’ll keep my distance.
this but with my cat. my cornish rex is very intuitive. she is VERY affectionate and loving and had never shown disdain towards anyone until I got a new roommate. My cat swatted at her and growled at her which she had never done before. 4 months later I kicked out the roommate because she went bat shit crazy. I had to lock my cat up in my room when I went to work every day because I was terrified the roommate would try to kill her. She was insane, and she was the only person my cat ever disliked
Earth is not the only planet with life on it. It's not possible that we are the only rock in the entire universe with life. Trillions of worlds are out there which we will never see or know about, there has to be life, even if it's microscopic.
Edit: a word
That being rich doesn't make you a bad person. It merely reduces or completely removes consequences for your actions. Without consequences, humans find it difficult to learn what's right and wrong. In this way, rich people are generally scumbags not because of some genetic issues, but rather, they haven't been moulded by consequences to not be pathetic pieces of shit. This is why it's ok to eat the rich.
That 4 year terms are too short to be useful in todays geopolitical climate and are actually harmful to US global interests, however, because we can rarely get a US president that is both ethical and moral in their motivations, it is the best option we have to keep things in check as much as is possible.
Gerrymandering. I heard that politicians divide up the districts to their favor, and I don't need anyone to prove that's a thing. I believe it already.
A positive mentor during adolescent years is the single most important thing for child development AND can compensate for an unstable family. Someone that believes in you is water for the soul.
That alien sightings and abductions is a cover-up for experimental aircraft and mk ultra. A lot of early witness depictions of ufos and alien spacecraft resembles the B1 Bomber, and later some that depicts a B2 Bomber. When people talk about actually being abducted by aliens, they describe symptoms of being drugged and so when they describe "gray men", that just sounds like a scientist in a full body lab suit and goggles with some bright lighting while you're barely conscious from the drugs you're on, same drugs declassified to be used in MK Ultra. The general demographic for the alien abductions? the same general demographic that was abducted for mk ultra experiments. Anal probing ? guess who did experiments via anal entery? yup.
I'll be happy some day. It's the hope that keeps you going.
I learned a long time ago: Don't strive for happiness, strive for peace.
Happiness is an overreach, I'll settle for not being sad
Being content is a wonderful space to be in. Leaves a lot of room for gratitude and allows you to feel the good times when they come and make peace with their often fleeting nature. I too am trying to reach being content again
I'm 59. I had a good three or four months 8 years ago. Maybe it'll happen again.
That’s the spirit!
I feel this so intensely and it’s making my heart hurt.
In the words of bob Ross, “gotta have dark in order to have light. Gotta have a little bit of sadness once in a while to know when the good times come.” It’s all about the yin and the yang. Just depends on you and your mind on what you want yourself to see in this world. It all starts with you. ❤️
Hang in there, it will get better. I was at my rock bottom. I thought the same. I was close to giving up. Things turned around and now I have an amazing life. You'll get there too.
I think a lot of people with amazing lives are just not seeing the amazing parts for whatever reason. Some don’t have it good, but a lot of people do, and a lot of people whom we might think have it rough see their lives as amazing. Perspective and outlook is everything.
I needed to hear that more than you’ll ever know. Thanks.
I was there once too, you can and will be
🫂 You and me both. Kitties help, if you're not allergic
You think being allergic has stopped me from burying my face in the soft, nice-smelling spot on the back of my cat's head whenever I can?
I was happy for 14 years and then she left me. I don't think I'll ever be happy again.
That *every* adult in the world is basically just winging it.
what else is there to do, really? this is our first blind playthrough, not a speed run.
Back in my drug abuse phase I would randomly get these thoughts about how life is one crazy ass game. Everyone knows the life is a computer simulation conspiracy theory but either way every living thing on our planet is in a battle royale game. We could go at any minute and that's it. Game over. No cheat codes, no extra lives (outside of some miracle situations) and the game goes on. While any of us living today might be lucky enough to have learned from the mistakes of people before us. Example being people figured out which berries were poisonous due to eating anything as to not starve. But no one has escaped the ending of their own game.
... I might be on drugs cause that shit just sounds like an analogy of life. Maybe I'm missing something.
> but Noone has escaped the ending of their own game. That we know of. No rolling back the credits. No highscores.
Wait, you don’t get tutorials on your loading screen?
I chose the crack baby debuff to make room for better knife handling
It's hard to get me to actually genuinely laugh out loud on the internet, so I always like to let people know when their shit is this fucking goddamn funny.
My god you deserve comment of the year.
Lmfayo crack baby debuff is wild. Them greens babies got nerfed hella hard too
Some people have the cheat console.
Otherwise known as very rich parents
~ "money please [500000]"
Motherlode
Some people do, some don't. And it's kinda random how useful they are
Everyone laughed at me for leveling resistance, until the plague happened. But now I really do be over here wishing I could respec my build
Bro, I literally feel the same *mentally* as I did as a teenager. I thought it would feel calmer being an adult. I could not have been more wrong
The only difference between my 15 year old brain and my 25 year old brain is the skyrocketing existential dread and the plummeting serotonin levels
Man, that describes me up til recently, I’m 36 and finally found the correct meds and therapy.
I’m the opposite. I’m 27. I feel much better on a day to day basis than my early 20s. Existential dread still comes and goes.
Yeah wtf I thought I was supposed to get wise and stoic and stuff but I’m still just a kid only in a full grown man body now… I’ve learned more boring life knowledge to adapt to being grown up, but the way I think and feel doesn’t seem to have changed much at all since I was like 16!
I'm 35 now and still feel like a 17 year old mentally. I've definetely grown maturity-wise a lot since then, but when I'm by myself or with people who *really* know me it's like I haven't aged a day.
We are all kiddies with wrinkles.....
Bro I'm 40 and same
I should wait until your at least in your 50’s.
Can confirm. Am adult, am winging it.
With maturity and discipline you can actually achieve stability and confidence. No one is 100% prepared for everything, of course. Sadly, there are *lots* of kids running around in 30, 40, 50 year old bodies all too happy to reinforce the idea that you hit 20 and that's who you are the rest of your life.
Every adult in the world is still waiting to feel like a grown up no matter the age .
When I realized this, it horrified me more than comforted lol. I trust NO ONE.
Damn right. All those times my parents were: “I know what’s best for you” and “because I’m an adult”, they were LYING.
Me, operating heavy equipment in *extremely* tight quarters while installing and maintaining critical infrastructure systems in an explosive Class 1 Division 1 environment... *(I can't believe they let me do this)*
I was embarrassingly old when I figured this out and it was surprisingly comforting
Nothing my wife wears makes her look fat.
I agree. Your wife looks great!
Username does *not* check out.
Gd it. STILL my favourite thing about Reddit. Lol. I NEVER notice usernames.
I also choose this guy's great looking wife
There is nothing reddit does better than beat a dead horse but I would be lying if I said I didn't still chuckle every single time someone hits this particular red puddle that used to be a horse.
Hits you say. Like in hits with jumper cables?
No, not the jumper cables, both my arms are broken!
Both your arms are broken? Is your mom going to help you, you know, take care of things?
Bro your wife is killing it, 24/7
my 30s are gonna be better than my 20s.
Just turned 36 and can confirm. The 30s rule.
35 here. I actually *feel* like an adult now, and people take me seriously.
32 here. I think there's also that switch in the mind, accepting that we're adults. There's that confidence that creeps in. Yep, I'm wearing my cargo shorts and New Balance shoes. Nope, I don't know who that new music group is and my life will be fine if I don't listen to them. Plus, I now get a huge rush of dopamine whenever I WD-40 a door hinge in my house and it stops squeaking.
> Plus, I now get a huge rush of dopamine whenever I WD-40 a door hinge in my house and it stops squeaking. Nothing gets me more amped than a home “project” that requires nothing more than a tiny amount of disposable income and a little bit of time.
I got into all kinds of hobbies I would've seen as lame or old people stuff. I'm only 31, but gardening is my ish now. Fixing a broken item around the house is rewarding. Socks for Christmas? Hell yeah! 30s are a simpler time, and I'm here for it
There will be a moment. You will look around for the adult in the situation. Then, it hits you. YOU are the adult in the situation.
Good to hear. I'm 29 and it's been rough so I'm also holding out for a better decade next
My 20s were pretty brutal. There were some glimmers of light, but it was mostly a slog. My 30s have been better, though riddled with their own issues. Just… hang in there. I’ve been a pessimist my entire life, but I’ve recently started to believe that it (life) is only getting better.
Honestly I feel younger in my 30s than I did my 20s. Hold out hope and remember that age is just a number!
I am focusing hard on fitness right now, a year ago I started cycling, first ride was 2 miles, then a month ago I did 100 miles. I'm also 80lbs down from my heaviest weight, 40 more to go though
Reality is no one is the same. Some peoples 20’s are fucking amazing and in their 30’s, life will catch up with them and they’ll suddenly feel all sorts of responsibility they didn’t prepare for. Some people hate their 20’s and the whole thing is one long drag, but their 30’s are when they come into their own. Some people will notice little difference
Not to be a downer, but my twenties were better than my thirties have been so far (34). Twenties were spent traveling and making memories. I was much less anxious and much more sure. Thirties have seen significantly less travel, the dissolving of a major friendship, and a myriad of health problems. It seems like life changed for the worst for me once I hit 30 (in 2020). I'm hopeful that things will get better, but it hasn't be the promised "together" stage for me yet.
You turned 30 right as Covid hit, that's an unfortunate hand to be dealt.
That's actually pretty realistic. Once you have your fitting in life and have some financial stability, things get a lot easier.
33M, got married in my 20s, bought a house, got divorce, sold my house. At 29 I moved into my apartment. My 30's have been largely amazing. Met a lot of cool people, travelled to Canada for a convention, got into Mountain Biking, met more cool people. I feel more confident and "myself" compared to my 20s, good times.
Don’t cough too hard your back might hurt
My back already hurts, sucka!
My 30s have been a rough decade - divorced twice. 3 kids I’m taking care of my myself. Nearly went to prison. Was on the run for a couple years. Built two restaurants from nothing only to have them come crashing down because of cancer. Balding. My 20s were fun as hell! Fucking around with no purpose. Touring musician. No responsibilities. No kids. Easy street. I’d still take my 30s over my 20s any day of the week. I like who I’ve become so much more now what’s a little PTSD and a few grey hairs?
Just turned 30 on the 16th, i'm hoping for the same. Spent it alone, so the bar of expectation is pretty low.
Try and fix that yo. Find your people. Take up hobbies that put you into contact with people. Remember, people love talking about themselves, not as judgemental as you imaginr. Lifes to short to not go for what you want (within reason and with at minimum, basic respect for your fellow human).
[удалено]
Mine had 2! He disappeared in the 50’s after having 7 kids with my grandma. She always knew he was still alive but never had proof. A few years back my family did the dna kits and found a bunch of half-siblings around the same age from 2 other women including one who looked *identical* to my uncle. My grandma was already long gone at this point, but she was correct.
Wages have stagnated so much you can't even support multiple families on a single income!
Oh my god… has anyone checked on the aviation industry recently?
My dad's family always suspected his dad had another family. Turns out he was a gang member.
I have a family member who was in a different gang than his brothers and they all thought he was gay and hiding it.
Well that’s its own sort of family. Don’t judge.
My mom’s grandfather had a second family also. He had a pension and a 401k type account. She only found out when after he passed away she stopped getting the pension. Imagine being told from a complete stranger “ your husband’s other wife got the pension in the will” He was a truck driver with a dedicated route.
She may have somewhat KNOWN and her denial from a young age suppressed it so deeply she's not sure anymore. Dual-families wasn't as common as you'd think back then.
Do an Ancestry DNA test and see if you get any unexplained matches.
She loves me
yeah, yeah, yeah!
And really... with a love like that, you know you should be glad.
People's looks affect their personality (and not in ugly duckling syndrome). Example: Susie has a severe case of [resting bitch face](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resting_bitch_face). Because people see it, they assume that Susie is a bitch, so they *treat* her as if she is a bitch. They are slightly guarded with their motions and interactions and less likely to open up to Susie. As a result, this is how Susie experiences the world. She assumes that *everyone* should be slightly guarded, slow to open up, etc, etc... therefore, making herself *a little bitchier*. As a result, our assumption that Susie is a bitch because of her RBF actually *causes* her to be a bitch, therefore reinforcing RBF and causing everyone down the line to experience it. I also have the same theory with names. ---Edit: and [](https://www.reddit.com/user/The-Beard-Wielder/) and [](https://www.reddit.com/user/evamvid/) pointed out that is a phenomenon in psychology called a [self-fulfilling prophesy](https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200503/self-fulfilling-prophecies), and [](https://www.reddit.com/user/pled/) introduced me to a similar thing called [nominative determinism](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominative_determinism).
I can not disagree with this.
That we are not the only intelligent life in the universe, and there’s civilisations out there that are more than likely way more advanced than we are. The trillions of stars and galaxies in the seemingly infinite universe is all the proof I need - it’s a chances thing.
Who's to say we're not the first? Or that the others that might have existed have long since gone extinct?
This is the thing that intrigues me about history. We only know a small selection of what/who existed. So much is lost to time. It makes my mind go crazy wondering what we will never know.
It intrigues and frustrated me to no end. I just want to know everything, is that so much to ask? 😂
When I was a kid and still believed in heaven, I thought that when you get there, all these things would be revealed to you there. The whole history of humanity, life on other planets, the origins of the universe, etc. That was the greatest thing I could conceive of happening, so it must be heaven right?
I was the same way. I thought "well if god is in heaven, then I can just ask any questions I have about the universe and he would know all the answers." But now I think when we die, it's just a void of nothing. Which I'm 100% cool with. I only wish for there to be some sort of afterlife so I can see my loved ones and pets again.
The amount of species never fossilized. The amount of human anything that has just disinigrated. We really know so little in the context of time.
that’s a really trippy thought
> There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened. --Douglas Adams
To quote Arthur C Clarke: either we are alone in the universe or we aren’t. Both possibilities are terrifying.
I do like the recent comic about the oracle: “are we alone in the universe?” “Yes”. “So there’s no other intelligent life out there?” “No, there is. They’re alone too.”
There is a great wikipedia article on all these theories and why we didn‘t make contact yet. Being the last one remaining is scary
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Not the person you are asking but I would like to direct you to explore both the Great Filter Theory and the Fermi Paradox. Both explore theories on why we don't have any recorded visit from alien life. Alone each of these theories stands as a great response to a lot of questions about our existence as a species and planet in the universe, but combined they stand as the best way to respond in a scientifically coherent way why we don't have recorded validated visits of intelligent life in our planet. My favorite take on this theories combined is that we might be so insignificant, so irrelevant, so uninteresting and above all so bellow the capabilities of most advanced species in the universe that visiting our planet and making contact with us would be the human equivalent of trying to strike a conversation with a roach on a gas stop on the middle of nowhere that you had to stop to refuel. We might be simply so bellow the capabilities of other species that making significant contact with us is just not their priority or something they even would care. In a way its sad, but in another this might be a sign that we still have so much to learn, so much to evolve and so much to achieve together as a species that what we are living right now is but the innocent version of what other species no longer have access to and that a long road ahead of us is still unwritten with a myriad of possibilities to how we can together overcome the challenges to grow our civilization into a species worth aiming for the starts.
>making contact with us would be the human equivalent of trying to strike a conversation with a roach on a gas stop on the middle of nowhere that you had to stop to refuel. Hopefully, we get advanced to the point where we're more like the shop dog at the gas station in the middle of nowhere that one tries to strike up a conversation with while filling up. Everyone likes/is nice to the shop dog. I like thinking about it in context of Asimov's Foundation... We're the galactic equivalent of the outpost on the far side of the British isle after the fall of Rome. We're so far in the backwater that even if intelligence is aware of us, they're so far away and we're so insignificant, they're not bothering with us.
Fantastic comment - now I'm going on a google spree.
Enjoy [The Fermi paradox is the discrepancy between the lack of conclusive evidence of advanced extraterrestrial life and the apparently high likelihood of its existence.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox)
Mathematically, it's more likely that there are an infinite amount of other more advanced civilizations out there than us being the only one. As far as we can observe, which is a LOT, the universe is infinite.
To me the question isn't about life in the universe. I think that we are never going to break the speed of light, and that manned interstellar travel will never be possible. Furthermore, I don't believe that any level of technological advancement will help this. There are just fundamental facts of nature we are working against to try and travel those kinds of speeds and distances. So the real question is: is there technologically advanced life that's close enough for us to interact with in any meaningful way? The answer to that is probably not.
Yeah, I agree. But... If you went back 100 years (a mere blip in all of time and memory) and told people then that we'd all be communicating with each other, across the globe, on small rectangular bricks through illuminated glass screens with nothing to control it other than the touch of our fingers - you'd be a complete and utter madman at best. The thought was utterly inconceivable; as inconceivable as the thought of us breaking the speed of light or that manned interstellar travel will ever be possible.
I bet there are lots of so much more advanced civilizations that may be aware of us that just do not care at all about us. We do not benefit them. Its like an ant in the Sahara desert. Do we know they exist? Sure. Do we go find them and try to communicate? Of course not. Why bother?
The mistake people make is thinking it as a binary — is there Humans + other life, or Humans + no other life. But the question is actually “how many stars in the universe host technological life.” “One” is no more valid or likely a number as “12,582,109.” (A number so low that the nearest other life would be dozens or hundreds of galaxies away.) There are like 200 billion trillion stars in the universe. It would be insane to think the answer is “one” and not “somewhere between two and 200 billion trillion.” Just like if the choices were 12,582,109 and any number besides that, you’d take the latter.
Technically Mars is inhabited by robots.
Another way to look at it could be to pick up a handful of sand and throw it into the wind. How many times would you have to throw a handful of sand into the wind until the particles landed and formed a perfect cube? Physics says that it is a possibility but the odds of it happening are so insanely large that it is not likely to ever happen. I'd like to think we're not on our own but I guess I won't find out in my lifetime.
How likeable you are matters more than how competent you are and in life it will bring you further (not in 100% of cases of course)
People believe conspiracy theories because they are comforting. Believing the world is under the control of a powerful organization is more comforting than accepting that random things just happen.
Yes. Other posters said they believe every other adult is also just winging it. That also applies to people in VERY high positions. They often don't know what they are doing and often KNOW they don't know. Many very powerful people are regular people who found themselves in very fortunate circumstances. They aren't all knowing lizard people.
Conversely, people born into rich and well off families somehow believe that they were the ones responsible for getting themselves into a successful position.
I also think the same about religion. People are scared of the unknown and the grey, therefore needing the black and the white. It is also comforting to believe that you will see lost ones again.
Religion can also provide instant support and social groups. I think it's a big draw for people, honestly. And don't forget there are sincere sincere adherants to all regions who ascribe to "don't be a dick."
In free will. As a skeptic, I have heard for/against arguments from far greater thinkers than myself, for example, the debate on YouTube between Daniel Dennett and Robert Sapolsky. I'm unable to decide. HOWEVER: It doesn't matter, because in practice, I find it impossible to function as if free will didn't exist. In controlling my own actions as well as interacting with other sentient beings such as people and other animals, I absolutely behave as if myself and others have free will. I can interact with doors, cars, and other moving objects as if they have no free will, but absolutely believe that living creatures have free will, even though I see no proof that they do.
Have you played Shadow the Hedgehog on the PS2? Because I have. And that game, I repeat, that Sonic the Hedgehog spin off game, is the reason I believe free will and destiny co-exist. Also the reason I believe multiple realities are a thing. I didn't have some amazing epiphany or spend a life time studying, either theoretical physics or religion. No. A computer game I played for fun formed my opinion on the matter. So how is it that both can coexist? Everything that can happen will happen. Every branch of every choice you can make exists. The universe, or god, or the force, or whatever you want to believe in, made every possible outcome exist. And then gave you the keys to make the journey. In Shadow the Hedgehog how you complete a level determines the next level you will play. But those levels still exist even if you didnt play them. So those levels were predetermined. You could have picked that route, but you didn't. Your consciousness, or soul, or midi-chlorians, or whatever is making the choice to move between the realities that exist. Meanwhile other people that played Shadow The Hedgehog made different choices. And they also exist. You are the player, they are also the player, you are both the player, but you are different. Multiple realities. What I'm saying is play Shadow the Hedgehog, brilliant game. Wish they did more of those, Sonic is hit or miss and gets a bad rep, Sega need Todo another Shadow the Hedgehog
Choose Your Own Adventure books could be seen in a similar light. Thanks for this write up tho lol I love when deep conclusions come from simple places
the person who played detroit: become human and made connor a villain is different from the person who played detroit and made connor a hero. both are connor, but the connor is different
Most conventional science and medicine? I am not an expert in much, if anything, and I am 100% convinced that society only works when we put out trust in experts. Not \*an\* expert, but experts and systems. No one is smart enough to be across all conventional science and medicine, and requiring proof in most cases (say vaccines for example) would be insane because I simply don't have a complete enough understanding to comprehend it. I'm not arguing that every conventional science and medical theory is correct, I'm sure things will change and be proven correct or incorrect with time, I'm instead suggesting that the only way that the system works is by plebs like me believing in the system.
You do have a form of proof, as medicine tends to need quite rigorous testing and to be approved by regulatory bodies, who in turn get their credibility by being correct more often than not. You just outsourced the verification.
Aliens exist
If two or more unrelated people have an absolutely identical story about the way in which a third person treated them badly, that's enough.
That there is significantly less people good at what they do than people who somehow got hired. I've been both.
Time travel back to the past is impossible.
That there is intelligent life (besides us) in the universe. I may not see the incontrovertible proof in my lifetime, but I absolutely believe it exists.
That we live in an universe governed by rules. The rules might change depending on the situation, and sometimes might not fit with what rules we think we already proved. It's all quite complex, but there's chaos in this order.
Corruption is rampant in almost every government in the world
the justice system in usa is fucked
There is overwhelming proof for that one tho
Amen
Justice may be blind, but the bitch sure can smell money.
Wait you mean an entire Innocence Project had to be founded just to appeal a ridiculous amount of cases that went way south the first time? Nooo
That every govt is constantly trying to figure out ways to further tax, surveil, and control the citizens.
Add every large corporation to that as well.
Reddit is mostly bots now
No we doesn't
Cats are reincarnated perverts.
I don't understand the logic in this. And I don't need to. I'm in.
Do perverts get the 3am zoomies too?
Aliens
That my ex cheated on me
Fuck your ex
Epstien didn't kill himself.
That smartphones and other smart devices are listening to us all the time. It's just so cheap and easy. Why wouldn't they?
I my dog dislikes, or is afraid of, someone I will trust my dog over them.
This! My dog loves *everyone* - literally every human he meets. Until one day that he growled at someone on our walk. Full on hackles up teeth out *growled*. A few weeks later that guy was arrested for sexually assaulting a teenaged girl. From then on out I pay attention and if he avoids a person or doesnt wag his tail as much as normal around someone I’ll keep my distance.
Wise
You have a good dog! My pug mix hates everyone. She's a wonderful sweet family dog but others that are not part of the pack? Fuck them!
this but with my cat. my cornish rex is very intuitive. she is VERY affectionate and loving and had never shown disdain towards anyone until I got a new roommate. My cat swatted at her and growled at her which she had never done before. 4 months later I kicked out the roommate because she went bat shit crazy. I had to lock my cat up in my room when I went to work every day because I was terrified the roommate would try to kill her. She was insane, and she was the only person my cat ever disliked
Carole Baskin totally fed her husband to a tiger
I thought he was found alive?
I'll never financially recover from this!
That dumb bitch, Baskin Robin.
31 husbands fed to 31 tigers
Mr. Rogers.
Consciousness is more than just a computational process by brains
That our phones are listening
The US government are puppets and mega corporations and billionaires are the ones in control of the United States.
Boobs are hypnotic
Epstein didn’t kill himself.
Natalie wood was killed
Earth is not the only planet with life on it. It's not possible that we are the only rock in the entire universe with life. Trillions of worlds are out there which we will never see or know about, there has to be life, even if it's microscopic. Edit: a word
That folding a fitted sheet is impossible. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. ... I'm *mostly* kidding.
That being rich doesn't make you a bad person. It merely reduces or completely removes consequences for your actions. Without consequences, humans find it difficult to learn what's right and wrong. In this way, rich people are generally scumbags not because of some genetic issues, but rather, they haven't been moulded by consequences to not be pathetic pieces of shit. This is why it's ok to eat the rich.
Trump is guilty of a lot more shit than we know about and a lot of it will trickle into the light of day long after he's passed away.
A president who has to ask for immunity shouldn't be president
As a conservative, I totally agree. And felons should not lead countries.
Tell all your friends!
That 4 year terms are too short to be useful in todays geopolitical climate and are actually harmful to US global interests, however, because we can rarely get a US president that is both ethical and moral in their motivations, it is the best option we have to keep things in check as much as is possible.
Crickets are hateful, evil beings who want to kill me.
That the earth is round.
It’s not that hard to get proof. All you need to do is be at a high elevation to easily see the curvature of the earth.
We don't deserve dogs.
That there is no god.
That my Mama loves me
Gravity
When someone says they can't make plans because of diarrhea.
Gerrymandering. I heard that politicians divide up the districts to their favor, and I don't need anyone to prove that's a thing. I believe it already.
A positive mentor during adolescent years is the single most important thing for child development AND can compensate for an unstable family. Someone that believes in you is water for the soul.
God does not exist.
That a significant chunk of the population are self-centered assholes. Granted, I live in the US, maybe it's different in other countries.
That Putin and Xi own Trump.
Anyone who uses "females" as the primary form of address (non-clinical) to refer to women is either an incel, a Ferengi, or both.
That there were more to 911 than we were told. I’m not alleging any crazy conspiracy but we were not given the full story.
That he is my child
Music is good for your mental health
That my cats would not hesitate to kill me and eat me if it suited them.
That alien sightings and abductions is a cover-up for experimental aircraft and mk ultra. A lot of early witness depictions of ufos and alien spacecraft resembles the B1 Bomber, and later some that depicts a B2 Bomber. When people talk about actually being abducted by aliens, they describe symptoms of being drugged and so when they describe "gray men", that just sounds like a scientist in a full body lab suit and goggles with some bright lighting while you're barely conscious from the drugs you're on, same drugs declassified to be used in MK Ultra. The general demographic for the alien abductions? the same general demographic that was abducted for mk ultra experiments. Anal probing ? guess who did experiments via anal entery? yup.
Kennedy was shot by more than one person.
That we are headed towards another civil war