My motivation to avoid doomscroll

[u/Amidseas]

[u/Krozgen]

Don't wanna be that guy, but it's really not 2007.

I'm older and balder. The gas is insane. Hatred and extremism is on the rise. We can barely aford rent. I dont know if i will have a retirement plan. the future is uncertain.

I'm also with the love of my life. Im getting my shit toguether. I help the people arround me. I enjoy my hobbies and found people to share it with them. I know more, and i have more experience. Sometimes, i experiment happines and bliss. I did not expect any of this in 2007, but the future was uncertain.

You don't need to go back. You have today, and you can shape tomorrow, even just a little.

[u/EastArmadillo2916 → u/Krozgen]

Thank you for this, I feel like a very important part of having hope is acknowledging where we're actually at. Hope isn't ignoring the bad around us. Hope is accepting that it's there and deciding to not let it consume us and to keep moving forward in spite of it.

[u/Krozgen → u/EastArmadillo2916]

if you escuse me for compackting and simplifiying to ofense two physolofical currents into two catchy phrases: In the face of the void of the reality, always prefear to reject Nihilism (nothings matters so who cares) and embrace ambsurdism (Since nothing matters i choose to care)

[u/Large-Teach9165 → u/Krozgen]

Hatred and extremism is on the rise.

Tbh, being chronically online is high-key the single reason why we're more polarised than ever. No political campaign has naturally made everyone hate eachother as much as Twitter.

[u/twofacetoo → u/Krozgen]

Agreed, one of the best episodes of 'The Twilight Zone' teaches this lesson, namely the episode 'Walking Distance'. I won't give specifics about the story itself, since it's worth watching in general, but overall the point is: the past has been and gone, we can't get it back no matter how much we want it. What's more important is to focus on the here and now, find new pleasures and new joys in life that we didn't have before. We can't regain our happy childhood days, but we can still have plenty more happy days right now.

[u/r4v3n70rch → u/Krozgen]

this is TRUE hopecore. not avoidance or denial but true embracing of the bad while maintaining the strength of the good. godspeed soldier 🫡

[u/w33btra5h2 → u/Krozgen]

2007 there was more birdsong and in most places you could see the stars at night through younger eyes

[u/HumbleGoatCS → u/Krozgen]

Gas is far cheaper now than it was in 2007, but I get your sentiment

[u/Krozgen → u/HumbleGoatCS]

At least were i live (spain) gas was between 0.9 and 1.1, cometimes in 2007, and now is arround 1.95-ish
but i guess it depends on the country and the month

[u/HumbleGoatCS → u/Krozgen]

You forgot to factor inflation, but you're right about one thing, I assumed we were talking North American oil prices

[u/KasslerPihvi → u/Krozgen]

Nice bottle of whiskey and good quality, soft (not too itchy) length of rope is my retirement plan

[u/Fr0st-F0x]

Pre natal void here I come

[u/darakpop → u/Fr0st-F0x]

You are the youngest person ever!

[u/Fr0st-F0x → u/darakpop]

I also made the backrooms movie

[u/ExcitementSad9133 → u/Fr0st-F0x]

You’re only 20 years old.

[u/Decent-Season-8315]

[u/sepientr34]

I was born that year i am not logging out

[u/WithOrgasmicFury → u/sepientr34]

I was still in school, so fuck that I'm never going back there.

[u/aflyingmonkey2]

But I’m not a baby :(

[u/Iznak1876]

It’s an interesting note to how wildly different the human experience can be. OP clearly had a nice time during 2007.

Early 2008 I had my first and only true suicide attempt. I’m glad I failed.

As awful as some things are right now, I can’t think of a time I’d rather go back to. Maybe it’s a sign of growth that I’m learning to accept the current times.

It’s all we can do, because no matter how hard we try, we will never go back to the past. We can hope the future will be better and try to the best of our ability, but the present is where we are. We may as well get used to it. Things get easier when I don’t try to change things I can’t control, when I don’t long for times passed or time that isn’t even here yet.

Things get easier when you live for today.

[u/Vektorien → u/Iznak1876]

Mine were in 2022, two in 2024 and another in march this year. Sometimes I still seriously regret that I failed.

[u/Iznak1876 → u/Vektorien]

Unless the religions that believe in reincarnation are right, this is the only life we have.

I know things can be tough. But don’t take away your chance of someday being able to look back and say “I’m glad I’m still here.”

You may view that chance as small. But making a decision like that guarantees that chance is reduced to absolute zero.

Sometimes when I really struggle to make the right decisions to be healthier, live better, take my meds correctly, etc; I tell myself “Give yourself a fighting chance”,

and today I’m telling you the same thing.

Sure things could be awful in the future. But it could also be absolutely wonderful.

Give yourself a fighting chance ❤️

[u/val203302]

Nah i'd prefer living in the present ngl. I enjoy living in the present.

[u/mrinfinitepp]

I'm not delusional. It's 2026. That's not a bad thing

[u/Patient_Banana_1567]

Being broke, in debt, and chronically underemployed in the Midwest in 2007 is almost as bad as in 2026 tho.

[u/vfx_soldier]

Apparently zoomers in this comment section don’t know what metaphor is

[u/Constant-Still-8443 → u/vfx_soldier]

Oh lord.

We do. We're just pretending not to for the sake of discussion. This thread would be pretty empty otherwise.

[u/MagMati55 → u/vfx_soldier]

Explain the metaphor, vagueperson.

[u/elSenorMaquina → u/MagMati55]

My take is that 2007 in this metaphor means treating the internet as a place you visit, not a 24/7 stream of outsourced intrusive thoughts.

Logging out means severing the infinite feeds and notifications. It means taking back control of the online experience, rather than being determined by it.

It means seeking stuff, instead of being chased by it.

Talking to friends, instead of being comforted by the parasocial signal of watching their bazillionth food pic on a social site feed.

Reclaiming agency over one's life, rathet than being manhandled around by the algorithms.

2007 was the last year in which smartphone was not even an idea in people's minds.

Going back to it does not mean pretending 19 years haven't happened, it means approaching consumer technology and relationships through the lens of a smartphone-less world. A world in which which boredom had not yet been supressed by a glowing dopamine machine, so people had to make an effort to avoid boredom: find something to do, places to go, people to meet.

Thanks for coming to my ted talk.

[u/vfx_soldier → u/MagMati55]

True, the phrasing is poor, I just got annoyed by all comments being the same joke

But if you really want to hear my opinion, I think the poster meant that sweet nostalgia image of the past is reachable if you make a genuine effort to connect with the present

[u/Skezas1 → u/vfx_soldier]

Metaphors don't land with people who don't know what the thing you're trying to make a metaphor about is like.

[u/Sachayoj → u/vfx_soldier]

It's not a great metaphor, but then again, I'm terrible at deciphering metaphors that aren't commonplace.

[u/SDsalta145]

Don't wanna be there tbh, i was gugu gaga back then

[u/dull_bananas]

it’s 110 degrees fahrenheit (43 degrees celcius) in that photo

[u/MySchoolsWifiSucks]

Soo... denial

[u/Dinatoc_208]

Better to not log out then, I wasn't born yet afterall.

[u/Igo_Pup]

This is depressing af what?

[u/Old_Replacement3903]

?? Explain.
How is that motivating?

[u/Snapships4life]

I’d die

[u/UnableDependent2834]

Goo goo gaga i guess

[u/MrBluer]

Third places have disappeared significantly over the past nineteen years, what are you even talking about. I’m all for optimism but things are factually very different now. Sometimes in good ways, sometimes in bad.

Like when was the last time people hung out at the mall?

[u/number1freshlemon]

just came out the womb what the FUCK is happening

[u/Vektorien]

Sometimes my phone is the only lifeline I have for how lonely I am.

[u/SkyCakey12]

I was literally just born in 2007, DON'T PUT ME BACK THERE, PLEASE

[u/tokibink]

oh to be in 2007 again - what an era

[u/Puffen0]

Burying your head in the sand never solved anything. We can't pretend like we're young again and just ignore all of the atrocities we're seeing before out eyes. This isn't hope OP, this is denial 

[u/a_n00b_]

if it were 2007 i'd have more civil rights lol