Back to 'normal': Have you changed?

jrosen · 08-04-2021 2:19pm

Become more cynical. I dislike people more now than ever before. My tolerance has vanished. I have realized that for years I have put myself last, pushed down my hurt so as to not rock the boat or upset other people. Thats all stopped. I will focus more on me, if people want to see me or my family they know where we live. I will become more selfish because as far as I can see im late to the party.

dublinbando · 08-04-2021 2:24pm

Do you ever stop to wonder what is this consciousness you are experiencing? why are you alive? why now? do you just spend 80-100 years watching this story unfold and then return to the great void? strange

08-04-2021 2:30pm

dublinbando wrote: »

Do you ever stop to wonder what is this consciousness you are experiencing? why are you alive? why now? do you just spend 80-100 years watching this story unfold and then return to the great void? strange

Consciousness is the universe's way of understanding itself.

sporina · 08-04-2021 2:39pm

MrStuffins wrote: »

I too have experienced this. Some friends and acquaintances have started sliding into the conspiracy side of stuff and a few have started leaning a little more right than they had before.

On the positive side, one of my best mates has actually checked this behaviour. He was starting to go down the "The Government are responsible for everything route", the xenophobia route and was on the road to going full "Patriot".

He recognised it, decided to take a break from Twitter & Facebook and has actually gone back to normal. It's crazy how influenced the human mind can be my the comment sections on social media. You read rubbish long enough that you start to believe it.

I've seen this on Boards actually. And i've seen posters fall deeper and deeper into the trap. Sad to see. Hopefully they can come back to reality when we're back to normal.

Yes I think it showed up vulnerabilities in some people.. brought some cracks to the surface... mayb they felt a loss of control over their lives.. and needed someone to blame as oppose to being able to take it for what it is - a pandemic.. the virus being the enemy.. and not governments trying to control the nations etc.. jaysus like a mate of mine wanted to move to Sweden! Could not instil any hope in her as she's anti vaccine too.. I have had to distance myself from her.. not trained to deal with that (I am sorry to sound harsh but man - was head wrecking)

Parachutes · 08-04-2021 2:48pm

sporina wrote: »

Yes I think it showed up vulnerabilities in some people.. brought some cracks to the surface... mayb they felt a loss of control over their lives.. and needed someone to blame as oppose to being able to take it for what it is - a pandemic.. the virus being the enemy.. and not governments trying to control the nations etc.. jaysus like a mate of mine wanted to move to Sweden! Could not instil any hope in her as she's anti vaccine too.. I have had to distance myself from her.. not trained to deal with that (I am sorry to sound harsh but man - was head wrecking)

Do you take everything the government say at face value? Like you don’t think governments or international organisations could ever have an ulterior or secondary motive(s) for anything?

Why are people like this? It’s not black and white. Yes there is a virus but there’s also plenty of reasons to suspect governments handling of this as well.

08-04-2021 2:52pm

This thread and all of its "I don't think I'll see my different-opinions friends ever again" posts have given me a renewed belief that social media is the worst thing to happen to a species as tribal as ours. And also a renewed gratitude that I have an eclectic collection of friends who can tolerate differing opinions.

sporina · 08-04-2021 3:06pm

Parachutes wrote: »

Do you take everything the government say at face value? Like you don’t think governments or international organisations could ever have an ulterior or secondary motive(s) for anything?

Why are people like this? It’s not black and white. Yes there is a virus but there’s also plenty of reasons to suspect governments handling of this as well.

there is a difference between questioning some of the governments decisions and believing in crazy conspiracy theories like those derived from George Orwell books etc..

08-04-2021 3:08pm

Parachutes wrote: »

Do you take everything the government say at face value? Like you don’t think governments or international organisations could ever have an ulterior or secondary motive(s) for anything?

Why are people like this? It’s not black and white. Yes there is a virus but there’s also plenty of reasons to suspect governments handling of this as well.

It's important to have an open mind, but not so open your brain falls out.

3wayswitch · 08-04-2021 3:10pm

Deleted User wrote: »

This thread and all of its "I don't think I'll see my different-opinions friends ever again" posts have given me a renewed belief that social media is the worst thing to happen to a species as tribal as ours. And also a renewed gratitude that I have an eclectic collection of friends who can tolerate differing opinions.

The problem (at least for me) isn't just people having different beliefs as I'm generally fine with that as long as their differing beliefs aren't racist, sexist, homophobic or otherwise harmful like being antivax. For example you could believe something absolutely insane like smooth peanut butter is better than chunky peanut butter, and I would still be your friend despite how mistaken your opinions are.

My issue is that with my friends who have fallen down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories, this is all they talk about now. Every message they post on Whatsapp or Facebook is about them trying to get everyone to open their eyes about the NWO, 5G or the "scamdemic" etc. It starts to get tiring after a while.

08-04-2021 3:12pm

3wayswitch wrote: »

. Every message they post on whatsapp or Facebook is about them trying to get everyone to open their eyes about the NWO, 5G or the "scamdemic" etc. It starts to get tiring after a while.

I have the same problem. They are literally incapable of talking about anything else.

MrStuffins · 08-04-2021 3:21pm

Parachutes wrote: »

Lizard people, 5G, Bill Gates bla bla who’s saying any of this stuff on this thread?

I was.

And I was making a point about people who are so paranoid that they think people, the Government, society, shady organisations who lurk in the shadows and RTE are plotting against them.

The type of person who, I don't know, would read a post on a thread that they don't agree with and automatically accuse that person of being part of these organisations by calling them a Civil Servant or saying that they work for RTE.

Parachutes wrote: »

And then there’s you, the civil servant.

Parachutes wrote: »

RTE doesn’t count.

Know what I mean?

Not everything is a conspiracy dude. Not everyone is out to get you............ or are they?

08-04-2021 3:45pm

El Tarangu wrote: »

Where are you all planning on moving to - tbh your options are more-or-less limited to South Dakota if your overriding criteria is "no covid-related restrictions".

Or Sweden, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Texas, Florida. Russia could also be an option because of the Russian avos', captured in the following words:

"The casual, often fatalist approach to COVID-19 here is a world away from its treatment in the West, where people spend their days fearful that they could die today, tomorrow, or next week."

https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/01/russia-has-its-own-very-russian-way-of-dealing-with-covid/

PhilOssophy · 08-04-2021 3:55pm

j@utis wrote: »

I've lost trust and faith in government and our societal system as a whole, I feel insecure being part of the system and now more the ever I feel an urge to move out the city into the countryside and start some self-sufficiency project. I just have wait for a year or two for the covid fallout and the whole economy crashing down which should bring positive changes in property market.

Back to normal if everything is open [i.e. till next winter] I only need gym to re-open and schools to remain open for my life to be back to normal fully. I've been working throughout all lockdowns as usual, apart the covid "safety" measures making my work harder and more stressful. I'd go to see my family a little bit more often to make up for the lost time and that's it.

For the OP - savings suck from the economy point of view. We have to be spending the money we have and even better - money we don't have, for economy to do good.

Flawless plan, I wonder if people have even spent the money they didn't have and it worked out well.........

Here's an idea - we don't fuel an economy on borrowed money, because borrowed money is like heroin to an economy - grand while it lasts, but then the fallout is epic.

We need sustainable spending, not boom/bust cycles.

Parachutes · 08-04-2021 3:57pm

MrStuffins wrote: »

I was.

And I was making a point about people who are so paranoid that they think people, the Government, society, shady organisations who lurk in the shadows and RTE are plotting against them.

The type of person who, I don't know, would read a post on a thread that they don't agree with and automatically accuse that person of being part of these organisations by calling them a Civil Servant or saying that they work for RTE.

Know what I mean?

Not everything is a conspiracy dude. Not everyone is out to get you............ or are they?

It was a tongue in cheek response to you bringing up lizard people in the first place :rolleyes:

MrStuffins · 08-04-2021 3:59pm

Parachutes wrote: »

It was a tongue in cheek response to you bringing up lizard people in the first place :rolleyes:

Having seen the rest of your posts, you might want to add some sort of indication when you're being really paranoid or tongue-in-cheek paranoid.

Italics or something!

paw patrol · 08-04-2021 4:08pm

MrStuffins wrote: »

I've seen this on Boards actually. And i've seen posters fall deeper and deeper into the trap. Sad to see. Hopefully they can come back to reality when we're back to normal.

I love how you are always right and its' the others who are wrong

08-04-2021 4:08pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Or Sweden, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Texas, Florida. Russia could also be an option because of the Russian avos', captured in the following words:

"The casual, often fatalist approach to COVID-19 here is a world away from its treatment in the West, where people spend their days fearful that they could die today, tomorrow, or next week."

https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/01/russia-has-its-own-very-russian-way-of-dealing-with-covid/

Ah, sweeping generalisations are my favourite.

PhilOssophy · 08-04-2021 4:14pm

I definitely have a new appreciation for the value of education, science, and in particular the brilliant minds in pharmacy/medicine who managed to develop in 6-12 months what we were told would take 2-3 years.
I am also appreciative of the real front line workers - doctors, nurses, supermarket workers, etc - who have put themselves in harms way to save lives and make sure our food supply chains stayed open. Others have a lot to learn.
I also have a new appreciation for the value of my family - having hardly seen them in the last year, I realise how valuable they are and how much I miss spending time with my parents especially.
Thankfully none of my friends are conspiracy theorists, etc so can't say I have experience of that. This is the closest I come to social media so I am not seeing what is going on on Facebook, etc.

As for what I've also realised about some people, I'll hold it to myself because I'll find myself arguing with an idiot.

08-04-2021 4:15pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Ah, sweeping generalisations are my favourite.

Do you think what Tuvia Tenenbom wrote is inaccurate?

08-04-2021 4:17pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Do you think what Tuvia Tenenbom wrote is inaccurate?

Well, I live in the west and I don't live in fear.

That's the thing with sweeping generalisations, they're simple to topple.

They're for lazy minds.

MrStuffins · 08-04-2021 4:20pm

sporina wrote: »

jaysus like a mate of mine wanted to move to Sweden!

I think sounds like a direct result of too much time on social media. The amount of times I saw people saying "Well, what about Sweden?" as if it was some sort of silver bullet.

Meanwhile, I have close friends in Sweden who were telling me that the picture being painted was quite different to reality.

I was lucky with my mate. He has finally come back to reality. He went from being level-headed, to being completely anti-Govt. and went almost fully anti-vaccine, at one point suggesting that we need to scrap everything we've done up until this point (this was in late Jan), including the vaccine programme, open the economy and go for "Herd Immunity". He'd been reading some of the more extreme stuff on Twitter & FB.

Thankfully he's now back on track and is looking forward to getting his own vaccine. He acknowledges he got sucked in.

I just hope others (like your friend) can do this

08-04-2021 4:22pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Well, I live in the west and I don't live in fear.

That's the thing with sweeping generalisations, they're simple to topple.

They're for lazy minds.

I think he meant most people. He should really have written 'most people'.

08-04-2021 4:23pm

MrStuffins wrote: »

I think sounds like a direct result of too much time on social media. The amount of times I saw people saying "Well, what about Sweden?" as if it was some sort of silver bullet.

Meanwhile, I have close friends in Sweden who were telling me that the picture being painted was quite different to reality.

I was lucky with my mate. He has finally come back to reality. He went from being level-headed, to being completely anti-Govt. and went almost fully anti-vaccine, at one point suggesting that we need to scrap everything we've done up until this point (this was in late Jan), including the vaccine programme, open the economy and go for "Herd Immunity". He'd been reading some of the more extreme stuff on Twitter & FB.

Thankfully he's now back on track and is looking forward to getting his own vaccine. He acknowledges he got sucked in.

I just hope others (like your friend) can do this

What's so bad about wanting to move to Sweden?

MrStuffins · 08-04-2021 4:23pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Well, I live in the west and I don't live in fear.

It's the same rhetoric as the "Wake up sheeple" crowd.

If wearing a mask to prevent Covid is "Living in fear" then wearing a coat when it's cold outside is the same thing. Or putting your hood up when it's raining.

Drama queens.

MrStuffins · 08-04-2021 4:24pm

Deleted User wrote: »

What's so bad about wanting to move to Sweden?

Sweden is lovely. I've been many times.

08-04-2021 4:29pm

sporina wrote: »

Yes I think it showed up vulnerabilities in some people.. brought some cracks to the surface... mayb they felt a loss of control over their lives.. and needed someone to blame as oppose to being able to take it for what it is - a pandemic.. the virus being the enemy.. and not governments trying to control the nations etc.. jaysus like a mate of mine wanted to move to Sweden! Could not instil any hope in her as she's anti vaccine too.. I have had to distance myself from her.. not trained to deal with that (I am sorry to sound harsh but man - was head wrecking)

But if your friend would've been happy in Sweden then wouldn't moving there have been a good idea?

08-04-2021 4:30pm

MrStuffins wrote: »

Sweden is lovely. I've been many times.

Sorry, I replied to the wrong poster. I thought it was you who had a friend who wanted to move to Sweden.

So have I, by the way. Nice country.

08-04-2021 4:31pm

MrStuffins wrote: »

It's the same rhetoric as the "Wake up sheeple" crowd.

If wearing a mask to prevent Covid is "Living in fear" then wearing a coat when it's cold outside is the same thing. Or putting your hood up when it's raining.

Drama queens.

I don't get the big deal with wearing a mask, after a minute I forget that it's on me.

As you say, drama queens.

Lux23 · 08-04-2021 4:39pm

I am coming up to my 39th birthday, and I want table service in a bar for the rest of my life. Other than that, I will probably start going to gigs and things when they start again.

MrStuffins · 08-04-2021 4:43pm

Lux23 wrote: »

I am coming up to my 39th birthday, and I want table service in a bar for the rest of my life. Other than that, I will probably start going to gigs and things when they start again.

I've actually bought some gig tickets in the last week. One of my favourite bands was supposed to be on tour in 2021 but didn't include an Ireland leg.

They announced the rescheduled shows for 2022 and added in some fresh ones...... including an Ireland show. Perfect!

Gig are one thing i'll never take for granted again.

Also, just being able to go for delicious creamy pints with the lads! Can't wait!

Back to 'normal': Have you changed?

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