One thing your generation does not understand

I’m under 40.

I was in school when 9/11 happened.

I was a grunt in the military during the iraq war.

I was around when the market collapsed in 2008-ish.

I lived on a diet of Ramen noodles and crackers for years, in the early 20-teens.

My “college degree” is actually worth less then nothing now. I paid one hundred thousand dollars, to a fucking school, which was not accredited, and no longer exists. There were no bailouts for me. And, every so often, I get reminded of it, when I see another lawsuit ad against them on the news…

is the sheer crushing depression that everyone I know has been dealing with

For literally a decade, I also fought through those issues. Doctors will just give you lovely trazodones, and other drugs, to “make you happy”. The worst part, is they make sure you know, it’s YOUR fault.

I lived through the fun of trying to decide if I wanted to pay the bills, or get something to eat.

I recall, all of the wonderful… insomnia which results from depression.

And, best of yet, the feeling of having all sorts of fun bills arrive.

It never really ends either. It just gets funner… and the risks get higher, especially when you have kids involved.

That being said- I might be doing OK now, but, life has not been rainbows and daisy’s for me. Thanks… to a short stay in the armed forces, I am quite certain my emotions are beyond repair, and well. I can’t hear worth a damn.

But, I did learn a few useful things in the military.

1. Adapt, and overcome.
2. Drive on.

Edit, matter of fact, I still have issues with depression. Knock on wood though, my kids are fantastic at making me forget about it. But, life still has its ups and downs. Although, I generally do a pretty good job of hiding it. Although, it still takes a significant effort to want to “do things”