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Pookie

Pookie

Somebody you used to know.
Oct 18, 2020
1,051
"The expected life span during the Viking age was 30–40 years. Some could live to celebrate their 50s winter (they counted winters, not "years"). Children were regarded as being adult from the age of 13–14. 500 years later, during late middle age, a man living in Stockholm could expect to live for 45 years."

If I was a Viking I would've been dead by now but now I'm forced to ctb. I think we live way too long nowadays. Ageing is cruel.
 
Zhontafly

Zhontafly

Student
Jul 16, 2020
182
I feel ya!

I have native american blood and have always been drawn to that culture and way of life. The Europeans wrecked that way of life. Who knows what could have been if they would have respected them, cooperated and accepted their way of life.
 
SorrySandy

SorrySandy

Æmber
Nov 15, 2020
45
It's far too long, it goes from living to existing. What's the point of pottering on at 80 when your body is failing and you're essentially just waiting to die.
Some see the point, some don't I guess? the ones that do are unlikely to ever want to come here and discuss it are they ;) I agree with you though..

OP I agree but think more in decades. If I'd been born a few before or a couple after I might have had more of a chance. Oh and into a whole other family. Then it might've been better. Not asking much lol.
Like your point on life expectancy now. Bit different back in those times as you pointed out! Although savage times so I'll just have been born in 50s or something and be perfectly acceptable being a housewife on Valium, or to have grown up with certain things being socially acceptable now that weren't back in the day... yeah. Agreed on your sentiment ;) hugs
 
I

Itsjustme21

Member
Dec 4, 2020
38
its actually not very accurate. the average age for vikings is low because a lot of them died at birth or on the battlefield. You could become 70 easily when you were a healthy person that wasn't a soldier.
 
Pookie

Pookie

Somebody you used to know.
Oct 18, 2020
1,051
its actually not very accurate. the average age for vikings is low because a lot of them died at birth or on the battlefield. You could become 70 easily when you were a healthy person that wasn't a soldier.
Diseases also got them. No antibiotics or the medical advances that we have now that can keep people alive way past their sell-by date.
 
I

Itsjustme21

Member
Dec 4, 2020
38
Diseases also got them. No antibiotics or the medical advances that we have now that can keep people alive way past their sell-by date.
You aren't forced to get medical attention when you get sick. You aren't forced to clean your wounds. You can just die by infection if you want. You can also go to a bad neighbourhood and start a fight with a group of people. There are so many ways to die young without ctb. It just isn't pretty. These days you have good and painless options.
 
Didymus

Didymus

Clutching at invisible straws
Dec 11, 2018
347
"The expected life span during the Viking age was 30–40 years. Some could live to celebrate their 50s winter (they counted winters, not "years"). Children were regarded as being adult from the age of 13–14. 500 years later, during late middle age, a man living in Stockholm could expect to live for 45 years."

If I was a Viking I would've been dead by now but now I'm forced to ctb. I think we live way too long nowadays. Ageing is cruel.

Oh man those were the days. Vikings, pillaging and raping villages. God, life was good those days, except if your were on their reveicing end.
 
elfgyoza

elfgyoza

Cursed
Aug 5, 2019
326
Oh man those were the days. Vikings, pillaging and raping villages. God, life was good those days, except if your were on their reveicing end.
I've got blonde hair, blue eyes, I reckon I'd have had a decent chance of being on the Viking side. Would've been pretty nice seeing the northern lights too..
Nah jk, ofc it would have been horrible. Never mind the raping and pillaging, I don't even like fish, I wouldn't last a day!
 
Pookie

Pookie

Somebody you used to know.
Oct 18, 2020
1,051
You aren't forced to get medical attention when you get sick. You aren't forced to clean your wounds. You can just die by infection if you want. You can also go to a bad neighbourhood and start a fight with a group of people. There are so many ways to die young without ctb. It just isn't pretty. These days you have good and painless options.
Usually SI or pain makes you get treatment. Back then you had no choice.
Oh man those were the days. Vikings, pillaging and raping villages. God, life was good those days, except if your were on their reveicing end.
Exciting times yes, lots of action ha ha. Nowadays we're more sophisticated, online grooming and sex trafficking. Also depending which country you live in you can also be on the receiving end of extremist groups.
 
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M

MyStateKilledMe

Arcanist
Apr 23, 2020
463
I used to have a comeback for the cliched expression "Cheer up, life is short." I'd always say "Not short enough!" This always made the person speechless, because he/she never expected to hear that.

There's also a Greek parable about why life is too long and miserable.
Prometheus (rendered as "God" in Christianized versions) created man, but gave him a short lifespan. Other animals, however, complained that their lifespans were too long. Zeus (also "God"), who created animals, knew he was right, and stood by his decision. People knew how to build shelter and use fire to stay warm. One year during a brutally cold winter, a man is sitting inside his house. There's a knock on the door. It's a donkey.
"Let me in, I'm cold."
"OK, but let me have some of your lifespan."
"I accept."
Later that winter, it's even colder. The man is sitting in his nice, warm house. There's a knock on the door. It's a dog.
"Let me in, I'm cold."
"OK, but let me have some of your lifespan."
"I accept."
Spring is slow to arrive. The same man is still sitting in the same house. There's a knock on the door. It's a cat.
"Let me in, I'm cold."
"OK, but let me have some of your lifespan."
"I accept."
Spring finally arrives. The animals leave, letting the man keep the years they gave him.
And so, this is why people's lives are the way they are. Only during our divinely-given years do we live life to the fullest, with a balance of joy and responsibility. During the years we took from the donkey, we just carry the burden of other people on our backs, don't really understand why, and lack the power to stop it (that's work). During the years we took from the dog, we just sit in front of our house, shout at people passing by to go away, and feel overjoyed by gestures of attention/warmth (that's retirement). And during the years we took from the cat, we don't have the heart for anything but lying around the house, hoping our families are nice enough to feed us (that's very old age).
 
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demuic

demuic

Life was a mistake
Sep 12, 2020
1,382
Statistically I probably would've died as an infant way back in the olden days, so yes I do think I should've been born back then. No time for suffering.
 
M

MyStateKilledMe

Arcanist
Apr 23, 2020
463
As a man, I'd want to live in the 50's, a.k.a, the olden days (sorry). That's when men had stable jobs, decent homes, low divorce rates, and excellent support networks from church and VFW (because WWII). The liberal scamdemic like Corona, with the lockdowns and social distancing, would never happen, despite even polio (!) still being around, because the government was more freedom-oriented. Heck, Dwight Eisenhower was one of America's best presidents. In other words, there were few reasons to be depressed. And if need be, psychoactive drugs, like the 50's equivalent of Xanax, were still widely available and easily accessible.
 
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user398417

user398417

Member
Apr 29, 2020
44
the present is enough, the chances are that I was born in places where I would have thoughts different from mine :/
 
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Gerard de Nerval

Gerard de Nerval

Ontologist
Oct 5, 2020
145
I think the yearning of being born in a different era is very much a result of this era's anxiety and despair. I don't want to live past 30 so I have a few months to plan an exit.
 
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Pookie

Pookie

Somebody you used to know.
Oct 18, 2020
1,051
And if need be, psychoactive drugs, like the 50's equivalent of Xanax, were still widely available and easily accessible.
Yup, some of the drugs available back then were so much stronger and easier to obtain. And if you wanted to check out you could easily overdose, not like now where all the drugs are too safe ha ha.