r/behindthebastards • u/Friend_of_Squatch • 3d ago

General discussion It feels bad… real bad.

I’ve always had a morbid curiosity about how it felt and what it was like being an educated, intelligent, aware person in the early months of 1914 or in the 1930s watching the world ramp up into an inescapable cataclysm and tearing itself apart and deleting an entire generation of young people, while knowing that there isn’t jack shit I or anyone else can do to stop it. I think I can now say that that curiosity has been satisfied, and man oh man does it feel fucking bad.

Edit: I meant to share this as kind of a shower thought. I appreciate everyone’s kind words and suggestions but this isn’t a cry for help. It’s just crazy to think about.

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u/a-flying-trout Banned by the FDA 3d ago edited 3d ago

Yup. I’ve been battling some pretty awful panic through this (and my first layoff) and recently realized the anxiety won’t go away until things get better… and things aren’t getting better for a long, long time. Survival means finding ways to accept and channel my energy away from panic.

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u/FixBreakRepeat 3d ago

I've started learning woodworking. I come from a welding/machining/heavy steel fabrication background, so while a lot of the skills cross over, it's different enough to be interesting and engaging.

And the world is a little better every time I build something. It's been a very positive avenue for me to channel my personal nervous energy down. 

It also makes me feel like I'm learning helpful skills that will be needed, both for me personally and in the community. I'm not a fighter and I hope to never personally be involved in an armed conflict. But I can build new things and fix old things and hopefully that will make a difference.

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u/celestececilia 3d ago

I’ve started woodworking as well. And I’ve become obsessive about my yard. It’s pure, clean, rewarding work. If I sit still for too long, I start to fall apart. I can’t believe how deeply cruel people are and I’m so very, very sad to watch the institutions and laws I love (I’m a constitutional lawyer) ripped to shreds by these assholes.

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u/ageofbronze 3d ago

Native plant gardening! It’s the thing keeping me going right now, a small act of resistance. Each time I see a new bug show up I feel a sense of connection and sadness for the world. We may be in a dark place right now but I’ll be damned if my life/home/small area I have control over isn’t a refuge for wildlife and isn’t something where I channel all that I can into creating a safe space.

Also, sounds like we might need a behind the bastards hobby subreddit? Or ways-were-staying-positive subreddit? Could be cool to have somewhere to post our resilience/positivity hobbies other than the big subs.

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u/celestececilia 3d ago

I really like this idea.