been thinking about all the little moments tucked away in my memories that are a world unknowable to those younger than me, so consider this an opportunity to reminisce over old times, but also to ask those about the times you did not live through.
I guess my question for those older than me is: before computers, how did you learn to do something?
Did access to knowledge change your life, was a constraint lifted when you no longer depended on having found the right books or people to learn tips on how to cook a new dish, or how to fix a plumbing problem, or how to plant a garden?
Was life more simple, did you have fewer problems to solve without technology in your life, or did technology make life easier?
I’d ask if things get better, but I don’t know if I want to know the answer.
It really depends, but they really did get better for me. I think if you continually and persistently invest in your needs, eventually you make progress. Learning to have a regular sleep schedule, a healthy diet, regular exercise, and developing a career that gives you enough financial security that you have at least more than your basic needs - securing these things can allow you to start to work on higher order problems. It took me decades to get to that point, and I basically still struggle with the fundamentals - but it really can get better. I often look back at my younger self who desperately wondered if it was worth being alive then for a future that may or may not be worth living, and while I’m not sure I would choose the suffering again and I sympathize with the pain I experienced, I do affirm my life today and it is practically heaven compared to how I lived before.
Yes they do. Not sure if 48 counts as older than you, but I’ve definitely seen economic cycles and peace/war cycles come and go. This too shall pass.