Core - Still Alive #7?

[BL42]

Core,

All my investments, 401k, mutual funds, savings rates, etc all tanked. I'm diversified and all tanked since 2021.

Core, your response completely confirmed my impression that you are depressed. But let’s talk about your investments for a moment - you do know, that if you’re diversified, you haven’t lost that money unless you pull it out of your investments? The market goes up and down - it’s never a straight line. You have a long time horizon. You shouldn’t be tying your mood to the swings of your retirement accounts at this age. I think the Mr Mustache site would help you.

I wish it would rebound. It may not this time, the whole market is rigged as we saw with the gamestop debacle. I invested in some impossible to lose stuff and it tanked for a year straight, I finally pulled those during a slight rebound and through the $ at my mortgage. Most of our paychecks wont make up for the inflation hit and we all lost a chunk of savings and 401ks from the inflation. Some of the market will come back for those that got in to things around 2008, its been disappointing to say the least!

The S&P500 is up 533% over the last 13 years. Yes it's down 10% YTD, but the growth the last decade plus has been gangbusters. Surely your 401k and other investments can't be doing all bad?

[kml]

Core - looking back over your first thread, I see you suffer from anxiety anyway. Remember, when it comes to the stock market, a crash for someone your age is a great buying opportunity.

Also, your anxiety is made worse by consuming all this negative media. Read your bible, then find a place to volunteer with those less fortunate. You might look differently at those homeless people once you learn how many of them suffer from mental illness, untreated addiction or are former foster children. Perhaps you could volunteer with a program that is trying to find them assistance to get off the streets. That's what Christ would do.

[kml]

BTW here's one statistic on the homeless: "In California, close to 31% of transition-age foster youth experience homelessness."

[Core]

Core,
The S&P500 is up 533% over the last 13 years. Yes it's down 10% YTD, but the growth the last decade plus has been gangbusters. Surely your 401k and other investments can't be doing all bad?

The bubble is bursting this time. I don't have the right words for it...the market has been fake, or artificially held up. The repercussions from 2008 are coming. Stocks are manipulated, insider trading has been through the roof. US keeps printing and spending. We're going to come down hard but this time gas prices are also through the roof, I'm on a single income and I live in an area with defunded police yet limited self defense laws. It'll be ugly. This isn't depression its just a realization of what is to come.

Core - looking back over your first thread, I see you suffer from anxiety anyway. Remember, when it comes to the stock market, a crash for someone your age is a great buying opportunity.

Also, your anxiety is made worse by consuming all this negative media. Read your bible, then find a place to volunteer with those less fortunate. You might look differently at those homeless people once you learn how many of them suffer from mental illness, untreated addiction or are former foster children. Perhaps you could volunteer with a program that is trying to find them assistance to get off the streets. That's what Christ would do.

Anxiety has been a problem for me. It comes and goes in spurts. I'm coming to accepting it rather than fighting it and not a chance in .... that I'll try a pharmaceutical again. As far as helping others, the reality is nothing I will do will have much impact unless I think of something grand. The oligarchs and governments of the world cause so much destruction that me feeding a few homeless for a day just perpetuates things. Ive yet to think of something that can truly help the world peacefully and lovingly. For example, me cleaning graffiti in one area is negated completely for a lifetime after one protest. Picking up garbage is completely negated everyday when half the city cant find a garbage can 4 feet away. The gov banned plastic bags yet people now fly to space for entertainment completely negating lifetimes of emission prevention.

I hope to find something that can outweigh the negative to have a truly positive effect of the world.

[kml]

There are many ways to change individual people’s lives just by being kind. How about volunteering for Meals on Wheels?

As for the anxiety - natural treatments that may help include 5-htp (especially if you have any OCD tendencies) SAMe, B complex vitamins, exercise, sunshine, and vitamin D. My anxious patients do best if they turn off the news - I tell them I’ll do the worrying for both of us. Get out in nature, and try meditation or Tai Chi or the Calm app on your phone - mindfulness helps.

[Ginger1]

So making a great difference in the life of some individuals that maybe they decide they want to live another day because you helped out isn’t worth it because the negative outweighs it to you? Because you as one person can’t overhaul the world, it’s not worth making a few individual lives more livable?

You are beyond depressed my friend. And I am guessing you had a bad experience with an anti-depressant. But I can’t see how not trying a new one can put weight the heavy depression and doom and gloom you are immersed in.

You have kids. Something bigger than you. Something bigger than the government. Your kids. There is no way this isn’t leaking over to them.

Start small. Rome wasn’t built in a day, was it? I really hope you find a way to start digging yourself out, even if for your kids sake. You deserve it too .

[Core]

As for the anxiety - natural treatments that may help include 5-htp (especially if you have any OCD tendencies) SAMe, B complex vitamins, exercise, sunshine, and vitamin D. My anxious patients do best if they turn off the news - I tell them I’ll do the worrying for both of us. Get out in nature, and try meditation or Tai Chi or the Calm app on your phone - mindfulness helps.

Some good tips there. I know my source of anxiety and its not CNNs lies or Foxs corporate news. The simplest way to put it is that I want to take action in a peaceful way yet I'm in no position to with kids so young and an Ex and justice system that'll scoop my kids up in a moment. Meals on wheels, helping the homeless, all great things. Just for me its feminine energy and I get enough of that as a divorced parent. Masculine energy would be to do something like expose the corruption at the top of society which would have monumental benefits for society for a generation or two until it seeps back in. Not saying that's what I want to do, just an example.

So making a great difference in the life of some individuals that maybe they decide they want to live another day because you helped out isn’t worth it because the negative outweighs it to you? Because you as one person can’t overhaul the world, it’s not worth making a few individual lives more livable?

You are beyond depressed my friend. And I am guessing you had a bad experience with an anti-depressant. But I can’t see how not trying a new one can put weight the heavy depression and doom and gloom you are immersed in.

You have kids. Something bigger than you. Something bigger than the government. Your kids. There is no way this isn’t leaking over to them.

Start small. Rome wasn’t built in a day, was it? I really hope you find a way to start digging yourself out, even if for your kids sake. You deserve it too .

Thank you Ginger for stopping by. Been awhile.

In all reality, no I don't believe feeding the homeless or something of the like will be worth it, for them or me. Most people are one or two paychecks away from being in the same boat. Stemming the problems causing homelessness to continue and to grow beyond population growth is a challenge I'd rather take on than feeding someone for a day.

Is what I wrote depressing, yes. Is it depression, I'm not sure. To me, I just see reality and very few around me do. The problems in todays society are the same as have always been. Not left and right, but rather corrupt elite trying to control the serfs. They take the money, they distract us with problems, they help us solve some they made up, and everyone at the bottom claws each other over our tiny scraps. The problems now however target kids often and now I'm being pulled in to this whether I want to or not. I dont like sex ed in kindergarten. I dont like race based school curriculum which are occurring where I am. My daughter one day at the store saw someone and said "hi X skin color lady". I asked her where she heard that and was told it was "skin color day at school". Guess who looks like the bad guy, the teacher or the guy whose kid is pointing out others with different skin color. Look how my kid now sees someone as different than them, one of the things I tried to prevent. At 5. On top of this, my x who see her race as above and better than others, loves the curriculum so any chance of finding a normal school, means another expensive battle which wont happen because I cant afford it. I'd rather try to help my 5yo than spend $ and time on adults. Selfish yes, is it my job to protect my kids from mental, emotional and physical abuse, yes. But what a waste of time and money it is, when the school could just be normal. Like teaching sex ed and skin color in kindergarten will make a utopia? It's all a designed distraction and now innocent kids are roped in.

I feel like most people have to know something bad is on the horizon. Do others not see it or feel it coming? There's going to be a lot more homeless in the near future. I don't know anyone in the US thats under 65 and over 25 that would call themselves happy currently. Youth have raging hormones and distractions, those older dont worry as much of the future but everyone in the middle seems at edge, and unhappy. I can get by in a day and have fun with the kids and have some happiness with them. I think seeing and preparing for the times ahead is less impactful than what the schools are doing or what the consequences of the west collapsing is going to cause.

[Traveler]

Hi Core, you sound in a very dark place just now.

justice system that'll scoop my kids up in a moment.

It must be scary worrying about losing your kids. I wonder where you heard the stories fueling this fear. My experience, as someone temporarily removed from my parents more than once, having a neglectful ex, and knowing a local social worker, is that the system is strained and permanent removals are rare. They prefer to correct the problem.

I get you want to have a grand impact, and worry helping someone short-term wouldn’t make a difference. The months I was removed from my parents are the only normalcy I knew growing up. I can’t overstate its impact. It taught me what being supported felt like, that punishments didn’t typically involve fear of death.

Whatever you see on the news, the Internet, etc. is already exposed. If people aren’t acting on something you see, it’s either not a priority or they don’t believe it. Consider that by helping kids, you’d learn 1st hand about the system you wish to expose. You could expose that which wasn’t already expose. While helping!

Masculine energy would be to do something like expose the corruption at the top of society. I just see reality and very few around me do.

Core, sorry, that sounds like some mental health condition. I’m not sure how/why you feel you’re privy or could be privy to special info about this group to expose not already on the Internet that either people don’t believe or don’t prioritize. I’m not sure why you feel you have a special ability to see reality that the vast majority lacks.

I’m sad reading this because if you “see reality” and the rest of us don’t, then it’s hard for us to help.

Sending ((hugs)) your way from the happy 25-65 demographic!

[Ginger1]

This masculine vs. feminine energy is BS. It’s not worth making small changes and impact, it’s not worth doing something that is “feminine” which you feel doesn’t make change. Only big scale “masculine” stuff does?

On top of that, it’s not a good thing to teach kids young about different cultures, skin colors, etc? And they aren’t teaching sex Ed. They teach children to respect their bodies and protect them at a young age. I don’t understand what is “normal” school vs “abnormal school”?

This is of course all way way way above our pay grade. I have a feeling because you seem to think the world is a conspiracy right now, you wouldn’t trust a mental health professional. I hope your find some peace and hope somewhere in your life

[Core]

Hi Core, you sound in a very dark place just now.

Seeing alot of the reality of the world is dark inducing. I'm slowly coming out of it though... same as when I was hit with the reality of the D. I've had several family members hit the ER, as well as friends on life support, all under 40, with "sudden issues" the last 10 months. None being from Covid, unless this "long covid" stuff is real. The schools here are teaching k-5 on how to detect heart attacks. Whatever the reasoning or rationale behind it, I am left with some questions.

I get you want to have a grand impact, and worry helping someone short-term wouldn’t make a difference. The months I was removed from my parents are the only normalcy I knew growing up. I can’t overstate its impact. It taught me what being supported felt like, that punishments didn’t typically involve fear of death.

I think I get your point here and I love and respect people who do little things to help. That's the reason I came back here, to thank the vets and long time members. World changing no but immensely helpful. Concurrently, one can also hit at the bigger issues to prevent more smaller ones from occurring. I run out of caregiver-ness pretty quickly but have plenty of anger. I know myself well and finding a bigger purpose will slice in to that anger and will better suit my personality and strengths.

Whatever you see on the news, the Internet, etc. is already exposed. If people aren’t acting on something you see, it’s either not a priority or they don’t believe it. Consider that by helping kids, you’d learn 1st hand about the system you wish to expose. You could expose that which wasn’t already expose. While helping!

Good points and true. Its also repetition and how often we hear something that has an affect. Look how easily many were made to fear the cold war, ozone layer, terrorism, climate change, populism, covid, Russia. I dont yet know how to help, but I know it'll come to me.

Core, sorry, that sounds like some mental health condition. I’m not sure how/why you feel you’re privy or could be privy to special info about this group to expose not already on the Internet that either people don’t believe or don’t prioritize. I’m not sure why you feel you have a special ability to see reality that the vast majority lacks.

I’m sad reading this because if you “see reality” and the rest of us don’t, then it’s hard for us to help.

This one I disagree on. It's 100 percent historical fact that nobles, kings, elites, oligarchs and the like are responsible for the bulk of war and strife throughout history. The same thing is happening now but most people still think its their neighbor who votes differently from them causing their woes. When I was younger, pretty much everyone around me understood not to trust media or politicians and now many deify them and trust them with little to no question.

Sending ((hugs)) your way from the happy 25-65 demographic!

I am happily wrong about this one. I am glad you have peace and happiness, and I imagine you spread it upon the world.