AIBU - to be worried about the future for my grand children

I think a lot of our worry comes from too much information all the time. In the past people were unaware of much beyond their own village but now we see the bad news 24 hours a day. Wars and disasters have always happened but mostly we were unaware of them unless they were close to home. I believe there is much good news that we don't see and we are overloaded with doom and gloom.

I couldn't agree more, WishIwasyounger. Other than the coronavirus. There have always been threats to health through plagues of some sort.

But all the other points? Rise of right-wing popularism, climate change, the loss of the NHS, poverty, poor quality of UK state education, rise in racism, our now political isolation outside of Europe, removal of the welfare state.

Britain is an awful place to be young in (not so great to be old in unless you're well heeled). I worry for my grandson.

thank you, Urmst.

I don't think anyone can reassure you, wishiwasyoungher.
When I think of the future for my dgc I'm hopeful and alternatively resigned to doom and gloom.
I wish I could see into the future.
All we can do,is be aware of our own footprint on the planet, and all we use , eat, etc in our lives has an impact on the bigger picture.

SueDonim totally agree.

If there’s no possibility of putting the world right, we may as well party while the Titanic sinks.

Your post was most poignant welbeck.
❤️

I heard an advocate on the radio talking about doing away with active shooter drills in schools due to the fear the practice has instilled in the children-

Their solution is for teachers and staff to take more rigorous training, rather than subject the children to drills-

I think advocacy is one way to help children understand our world without instilling them with fear- It teaches them early on to be proactive, to have healthy concerns and less worry-

There is absolutely no way that the pollution we've created can ever be cleared.

We are eating, drinking and breathing in plastic particles all the time. We've destroyed rainforests and native habitats to the extent where the 'lungs of the world' are failing. I see no possibility of putting that right either.

generally, i agree with wild above, re diseases, medical advances etc. and think of how much better dental surgery is now, compared with the horrors of childhood.
but just yesterday there was a news item about the upsurge in mumps, and the long-term problems it can cause. it has not been eradicated, and those anti-vaxxers have a lot to answer for. i think we can all try to help by challenging any we come across.
i have been wondering if i can get the MMR vaccination. i asked a few district nurses but they just looked blank. didn't seem to be aware that there are people who were born before it existed...
does anyone have any experience of having it as a grown-up.
to the OP, maybe this is some projection of personal anxiety, as we age we become more aware of our ultimate powerlessness. we cannot protect those we love, utlimately.
we cannot control most things. sometimes i dont care. then suddenly something hits me and disturbs me.
i realised im likely to die before my only relative. so he will get where i live. of course, would want him to, and any money. but then i thought further, of his wife, whom i hardly know, live far away, and her relatives, whom i have never met and probably have nothing in common with.
as they have no children, if she survived him, then eventually, these strangers, her relatives would take over where i live, and dispose of it. and that hit me somehow. though illogical. what would it matter. but its to do with the memory, the influence of others who were dear to me.

I have to agree with previous posters. I have always thought that each generation has challenging issues to deal with - wars, disease, poverty, hunger etc. There is nothing new under the sun. However, I do believe that global warming presents humanity with the most serious problem yet. We each have to be the change we want to see and place our faith in those who will come after us.

There are going to have to be really drastic changes to ensure any kind of decent future worldwide. We've created a ticking time-bomb with our selfish lifestyles.

Humans are adaptable, though, so we have to believe that the worst consequences can be minimised.

Governments, though, don't have our best interests at heart. Their short-term thinking will probably lead to too little, too late.

Previous posters are right WishIwasyounger thus it ever was. There are a lot of things to be grateful for now and we can all try to do our bit to improve things for the future.

I think people have always worried about their children/grandchildren’s future. The worries, be it disease for Victorian parents, wars for those in the first half of the 20th Century, nuclear war in the second half, climate change now, might vary but concerns have always been present. I think we need to have faith in the future and faith in our young people and at the same time do what we can to avert calamity.

Every age has it's scary stuff. Some of us lived through the horrors of a World War, the atrocities of the Holocaust, etc etc. Although the coronavirus is worrying, our children no longer have to worry about polio, or smallpox, or even mumps/measles/rubella etc (all killers of the past).

I don't suppose there is a parent or grandparent who isn't concerned about the future - but I believe that has been the case since time began.

I don't think anyone can reassure you that everything will be okay. But you have listed many negatives that may or may not affect your grandchildren. Why not focus on the positive things in today's world that make life better for everyone? Has there ever been a period in history where everything seemed perfect?