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?
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.