Discussion Your thoughts on growing old?

[Ameya]

I have no real place to empty my thoughts. So I'll leave my meaningless brain dump here.

Are old people more miserable? I mean looking at it. Their body deteriorates. They are more lonely and more prone for depression. They have potentially lived through more trauma in their long lives. They have suffered through live just to die in a unknown way. They are lonely. It all sounds like a pile of shit.

How did the older members here make it so long in life?? I genuinely have a hard time understanding it. The idea of growing old seems so awful to me.

I really don't want to grow old at all- Maybe i will, but I wish I don't.

That's really just one more reason to CTB for me. A long-ass sufferable lonely life. No thanks-

 

[Pluto]

By that stage, many people have good careers, wealth, families and communities. I have none of that, so the thought of ageing alone is nothing short of a nightmare.

 

[Vizzy]

I have no real place to empty my thoughts. So I'll leave my meaningless brain dump here.

Are old people more miserable? I mean looking at it. Their body deteriorates. They are more lonely and more prone for depression. They have potentially lived through more trauma in their long lives. They have suffered through live just to die in a unknown way. They are lonely. It all sounds like a pile of shit.

How did the older members here make it so long in life?? I genuinely have a hard time understanding it. The idea of growing old seems so awful to me.

I really don't want to grow old at all- Maybe i will, but I wish I don't.

That's really just one more reason to CTB for me. A long-ass sufferable lonely life. No thanks-

Growing old is meaningless to me because everyone gonna die anyways

 

[Ameya]

By that stage, many people have good careers, wealth, families and communities.

It makes sense in a way, but honestly I have never seen an older adult with a job they love or with a huge friend group. A career sure,family maybe. But they all look stressed out of their mind

 

[CTB Dream]

Life all wrong cncpt, grow old awfl

 

[locked*n*loaded]

What is considered old? I'm 57. Age is really all relative anyway, isn't it? To a 15 year old, or 20 year old, 50 might seem old. But, to a 90 year old, 50 might still seem very young. In order to get old, I think you just put your head down and keep chugging along as best as you can. I knew a couple who were very old (97 and 96) and who were married for 73 years. They were quite happy. I think whether one wants to get old has a lot to do with the quality of their life - whether they are in a happy relationship, have children, perhaps have grandchildren, have relatively good health, are financially secure, that kind of thing. I think for each one of those things that you take away (for most people), the prospect of growing old becomes less and less desirable.

 

[Ameya]

What is considered old? I'm 57. Age is really all relative anyway, isn't it? To a 15 year old, or 20 year old, 50 might seem old. But, to a 90 year old, 50 might still seem very young. In order to get old, I think you just put your head down and keep chugging along as best as you can. I knew a couple who were very old (97 and 96) and who were married for 73 years. They were quite happy. I think whether one wants to get old has a lot to do with the quality of their life - whether they are in a happy relationship, have children, perhaps have grandchildren, have relatively good health, are financially secure, that kind of thing. I think for each one of those things that you take away (for most people), the prospect of growing old becomes less and less desirable.

I would really say I consider 50+ as old. Since they have lived for a few decades. It's good to hear live is not miserable for everyone.

I think whether one wants to get old has a lot to do with the quality of their life - whether they are in a happy relationship, have children, perhaps have grandchildren, have relatively good health, are financially secure, that kind of thing. I think for each one of those things that you take away (for most people), the prospect of growing old becomes less and less desirable.

I 1000% agree with that perspective. My fear honestly is that once you're damaged you are marked for life. Bc it's nearly impossible to be normal if all you have mostly known is misery. I personally have never met any true happy old people. Kind of sad-
So I can only see the world in my limited point of view.

 

[Praestat_Mori]

I'm in the middle ages and therefore one of the "older" members here. Well, up until a few years ago, my life was good, the way I wanted it to be, ofc with normal ups / downs, never had a typical 9-5 job and always a lucky hand to find a good business opportunity that brought me forward. I actually wanted to reach the age of 100+. For me CTB was always a legal option when life is not worth to be lived any more, but there were no reasons to ever think of that.

A few years ago, things started to change with failure after failure that ended here for me. I do not find a way out of this personal misery only it gets worse what ever I try. OK, maybe I don't try everything because I know, that it's more than unlikely, that I can still reach the goals I haven't reached yet. Unfortunately or should I say luckily (??) everything else would be so great, and maybe that stops me right now from finalizing my CTB plan once and for all. It's just a lack of personal (financial) success as I had it before, which is reason enough for me to be so close to ctb.

Imo the society nowadays expects too much from the youth, too much pressure to be successful, to be "the best in everything" and that makes young people sick. Youth seeks success, but the expectations are far too high, so that even a small success is not recognized as a success and that also makes sick.

 

[Ameya]

lack of personal (financial) success as I had it before

is that your main reason to cbt? If I may ask. You're story looks interesting

 

[Praestat_Mori]

is that your main reason to cbt? If I may ask. You're story looks interesting

tbh yes it is. May sound weired but it is. Only loved ones especially make me hesitate.

I would never ever apply for social help stuff, job center, that's not a life worth living for me. That's not what my own expectations for my own life are. It's a bit like "all or nothing".

 

[Ontwon]

The idea of getting old is terrifying. Everyone around me jokes "Don't get older" like we have a choice. Already being in a state of mental disrepair and thought of adding to the pain with physical issues.... yeah no thanks

 

[The anhedonic one]

I'm 59 years old.
I began suffering from mental illness since age 7.
Abused by parents.
Bullied all through school.
Had a fucking dreadful life in general.
Probably just 5 per cent of my life was worth living.
But even those best times were not all that good.
I deeply regret the fact that I didn't put myself out of my misery years ago.
I shall absolutely NEVER reach my 60th birthday.
My body is falling apart.
And my mind too.

By that stage, many people have good careers, wealth, families and communities. I have none of that, so the thought of ageing alone is nothing short of a nightmare.

Me too. 59 years old. Completely alone in the world and homeless.
Reaching 60 is completely and utterly out of the question.
Sorry you are suffering too.

 

[groucho]

I find it harder each day to continue, life becomes dull once you've done most things, most relationship fail on some level and I've realised I'm really on my own in this life. Jobs chew you up and spit you out. When you travel the cities are almost all the same except for some sights and the languages. Everything feels like distractions from the fact modern life is fundamentally painful and boring. Existence without purpose.

 

[Praestat_Mori]

Everything feels like distractions from the fact modern life is fundamentally painful and boring. Existence without purpose.

Human beings lived on earth since millions of years, but never before changes to our natural lives, habits and insticts were so rapid as they are in the past 100 years, maybe only the last 50 years. Nowadays everyone is staring on a screen in their hands or even on watches talking to them instead of talking to each others (face to face). That's not the life humans were created for, it's kinda "robotic life" we are not made for.

Perhaps that also makes people sick.

 

[l0stc4use]

i am terrified of aging. not only because i have no career or anything going for me but i'm also afraid of aging appearance wise. im 23 and have changed a lot appearance wise since i was 18/19 and i still have trouble accepting it. it's very shallow but i can't help it with the way society puts pressure on women to not look old. i'm scared to grow older and still be alone. basically im scared to still be in the same place as i am right now

 

[FuneralCry]

The thought of existing for decades longer and slowly decaying from old age really is so disgusting and hellish to me, it's such a cruel punishment being a slave to suffering in this flesh prison that is destined to deteriorate and torture us in the process. Existing really is just a meaningless and futile process of slowly dying, it's so undesirable, wanting suicide certainly is very rational in this world, to me it makes sense to want to escape from all future suffering, it's true that existence itself is the true problem.

 

[counting-out-time]

Honestly i never want to get to that stage of old age. rather be happier to get that bus before i get close to old. i mean what qualitiy of life will i have when i get old? close to 70/80. some carer wiping my ass and stuck in a old biddies home smelling of piss and sat on my arse for 24hours a day doing crosswords and farting.

 

[leftdreaming]

I never expected to make it to adulthood. Growing old sounds more like a concept than a future to me. I've always known I'd die young.

 

[charlotte_]

It sounds genuinely horrifying to me and I wouldn't want that to happen. In fact, I want to die young, when my senses are still working and I haven't look like a wrinkly old hag yet. I don't want to witness my body and mind slowly decaying and die because of some painful disease.

 

[FadingFast2023]

I'm 58. I think there are 2 sides to the analysis. My desire to CTB has been pretty steady since I was 15 years old ... so in that aspect getting older is exactly the same.

I would say stress, depression and anxiety were all worse when I was younger ... one thing that comes with age is you learn what works and what doesn't work in your life. So I no longer have to do all these things I felt compelled to do in my youth due to societal pressures. Every day I know what few things I enjoy and I do them ... I also know what stresses me out and I avoid them. Also, not true for everyone ... but at least for me I am a lot more financially stable now so all the to worry that goes along with that is gone.

On the other side all the health issues that come up completely suck and I assume it is all just continually getting worse. I have multiple CTB plans that I can implement when needed. Having a pet complicates things as the thought of abandoning her weighs heavily. I saw a meme that said "The #1 favorite memory of my childhood was not having back pain". I could definitely related to that.

 

[The anhedonic one]

Honestly i never want to get to that stage of old age. rather be happier to get that bus before i get close to old. i mean what qualitiy of life will i have when i get old? close to 70/80. some carer wiping my ass and stuck in a old biddies home smelling of piss and sat on my arse for 24hours a day doing crosswords and farting.

This made me laugh. " Some carer wiping my ass and stuck in a old biddies home smelling of piss and sat on my arse for 24 hours a day doing crosswords and farting " Love it

 

[Green Destiny]

I really don't like the idea of getting old. Being in constant bodily pain, possibly getting dementia or Alzheimer's, not being able to go to the bathroom by yourself. The thought of getting old Is not an appealing thought to me.

 

[Life interrupted]

I don't like the idea of getting old either. It only gets worse and worse until you are no more than a pile of mental and physical illnesses.In fact, I don't want to live past 45.

 

[Rust20]

My grandmother had Alzheimer's and OCD for the last ten years of her life, she ended up in a nursing home and died there at the age of 90 without anyone caring. I don't want to end up like that.

 

[WorthlessTrash]

What's the point? Unless you have grandchildren or children you'd like to see grow up, there's nothing to live for when your younger years are behind you.

 

[hellispink]

Life is bad and pointless at all stages. There are different type of situations and suffering one goes though ones lifetime. Its simply not worth it. I would not want to be old, not because of looks because i dont care about that. But because life keeps getting harder as one gets older, so its pointless for me.

 

[Pidgeons_Sparrows]

the older you get the worse life gets

 

[lostininjury]

I wish I had a shot at growing old. If it weren't for a recent injury, I'd be trying my best to make most out of my life.

 

[Forever Sleep]

Yeah- I want to spare myself the indignity of growing old. Some of my grandparents were longing for death way before it came. I've seen real horrors in hospitals and nursing homes. It's utterly disgusting and inhumane that we forcibly prolong life for so long and then leave people to rot. Yet- we celebrate it as breakthroughs in medicine and science. Don't get me wrong- if people want to live. If they can maintain a quality of life they themselves are happy with- then- it's wonderful. If not though- it's utterly sadistic to treat people like that. We don't treat our pets like that yet we are basically forced to watch elderly relatives become incontinent, lose their minds and get struck down with all manner of illness and want out of it all themselves (understandably) without legally being able to help them. (In many countries.) How is that civilised or humane?!! I sort of dread getting old but at the same time, I'm pretty sure I'll make sure that I don't.

 

[Message In A Bottle]

It's one of the most cruelest hardships life can hurl at us.

I have a fantasy of dying young tbh…to forever be that age for eternity.
Everyone will remember you as the age you passed away at…and time just comes to a stand still.