This isn’t the world I want to live in.

petra

glasshalffullagain
Unlike your username I’m a glass full person.
As many on here who know me know that I have empathy when it’s needed. But I won’t waste my energy where it’s pointless and in this situation it is.
If gnawing on your knuckles makes you feel that you’re helping the situation, rock on.

This is unkind.

Claremont

petra

Claremont
It is frowned upon in the sect ( that’s what it is) to have friends who are non believers.
How anyone could call one of them a friend is odd to say the least.

I do believe JW vary from region to region. She is definitely a friend, and so was her late husband, the head of our local group. She is in her 80s and very frail, and we help her a lot with transport, etc. We are both out and out agnostic humanists.

How can your Jehovah witness friend be an agnostic humanist.
Neither believe in God or a godlike figure 🤷‍♀️

Ah, apologies. We are both indicates my DH and myself, who are both friends with a JW, and were before with her DH (now deceased) who was the local JW leader.

Allira

Claremont

Don't worry about me- but thanks. Garden is full of snowdrops, aconite, scillias, crocuses, and ... tons of ... snowflakes.

It is very possible to be very concerned about what is going on today with Trump and Putin, and others ... and not be clinically depressed or unhappy as a person.

snowflakes? 😯

I sat outside for a while this afternoon, it was really quite warm.

Yes, snowflakes. In the context, I found a mention funny. These are spring snowflakes, I also have taller, summer ones. Look them up.

I will!
Similar to snowdrops. Very pretty but I'd never heard of them.

Me neither!

Nor me

My daughter asked me, in all seriousness, why English people are so miserable all the time. I mentioned the weather as a possible answer but seriously I think in some respects she is right. No doubt people will pour scorn on me and whinge but I do think there is a negative feeling coming through which is different from how people from some other countries view life.

Perhaps poor health and no hope of a quick solution, poverty, poor choices, debt, grief, virtually non existent public services, the long winter, loneliness, low mood, chronic pain, estrangement in families make them whinge.

We don't all suffer from all those things.

Nor do I think that all 'poms' are miserable. I'm certainly not.

nanna8

My daughter asked me, in all seriousness, why English people are so miserable all the time. I mentioned the weather as a possible answer but seriously I think in some respects she is right. No doubt people will pour scorn on me and whinge but I do think there is a negative feeling coming through which is different from how people from some other countries view life.

She must know the wrong British people nanna8, because the Brits are amongst the happiest nations in the world.
Here the Happiness Index - everything is measured these day.
worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/happiest-countries-in-the-world

She doesn’t meet many Brits at all, there are very few round here but she has come across some through our grandchildren’s school who are probably discontented with their lives here and perhaps want to return to their country of birth. So they whinge all the time.I can’t say I agree with her in the people I have come across. They make me laugh, great sense of dry humour but I only know a couple these days except for some cousins who still live in Yorkshire.

kittylester

We don't all suffer from all those things.

Nor do I think that all 'poms' are miserable. I'm certainly not.

Of course we don't all suffer from all those things. I was merely offering somes idea as to why people might be struggling.Empathy, kindness, a friendly smile or even a wave can lighten the load.

We don't know what people are carrying.
I see now that happy clappy daffodil smelling is the way forward

The way you described the state of the nation was ridiculous.
Yes, wake up and smell the roses (or daffodils if you prefer.) It’s actually not a joke and please don’t dismiss people who try to view things in a positive way.

I agree, LaCrepuscule, there's a delightful lady connected to GN who has four things from the above miserable list, but that doesn't stop her always genuinely asking about me and my own family, and talking optimistically about the future.

Brits have a very dry, self deprecating sense of humour often misjudged by many who simply don’t understand it at all
I do see misery and unhappiness in all countries depending on their standard of living and I do wonder when these lists are made out how they are judged.
I wonder if real native Australians have a ‘sense of humour’ at how they have been treated in their own country I wonder if they are included when these surveys are done I wonder what the sense of humour diffetences would be if the Native Australians had their own list ??
Getting away from your daughters experience I often wonder how the cold Nordic countries always top the tree my grandson worked in Norway for a bit, admitted out in the wilderness , but he hated it and said he’d never willingly go back the expense was off the roof I have a Finnish friend who much prefers over here It’s too individual to make any judgement

You cannot ever judge a whole country because those living in poor conditions will be unhappy those with more money and better conditions will be happy it’s not even down to how rich a country is it’s all far far too individual to make any assumptions
Just personal to me but I think winge is a horrible term

LaCrepescule

The way you described the state of the nation was ridiculous.
Yes, wake up and smell the roses (or daffodils if you prefer.) It’s actually not a joke and please don’t dismiss people who try to view things in a positive way.

Sorry are you addressing me please? slightly confused. I wasn't commenting on the state of the nation. I was mentioning that some people have challenges.

Being mocked for chewing my knuckles is pretty dismissive.

I haven’t met many native Australians but those I have met are happy and contented, a lot happier than most of us. The ones I have met live far north of here with a fairly traditional way of life. They share everything and smile all the time. I am talking pure Aboriginal people not the ones who say they had an indigenous great grandmother and now claim all the benefits but live as the rest of us do. They get the genuine people a bad name.

Today I will be doing my foodbank shift.
I will be giving parcels of food to the very needy. With a few exceptions, we will be chatting and laughing and the atmosphere will be good- almost no whingeing from volunteers or clients, who might be said to have good reason to complain.
If the news makes me despair, the generosity of our donors and fellow volunteers, and the resilience of our clients gives me hope.

I think you have hit the nail on the head Nanna8 with the observations of traditional life and happiness the rat race and unrealistic goals make for unhappiness however I think the other statement about the not ‘real’ inhabitants is something I don’t agree with but that’s a whole other story to that subject and I m not going there 😀

Chocolateloninggran
Today I will be delivering clothes/ toys/toiletries to a women’s refuge centre.
This is all from the charity shop where I sort donations.
To visit the refuge centre I had to get a DBS background check. i paid for that.
Then I will go and pick up a Vax carpet cleaner because the the person donating it not only can’t drive she can’t move it.
No expenses paid to me.
I have plenty of empathy where it’s needed, not to be wasted.
IYSWIM. 😉

I do think that enjoying a good old moan ( whinge fits the bill) really is a British characteristic.Be it about the weather, state of the nation, young people today or anything else😫😄

Yesterday I went to a silent Vigil for peace in my local Quaker Meeting Hall, it focussed my mind and left me feeling very benign towards the crowds milling around the streets afterwards.. it was very uplifting and I shall do again..

petra

Claremont
It is frowned upon in the sect ( that’s what it is) to have friends who are non believers.
How anyone could call one of them a friend is odd to say the least.

I don't know about that - ie frowned on to have non-believer friends if one is JW.

I've had 3 friends over the years who have been JW.

I know they do have these sort of beliefs - but I take the view personally that any friend can be whatever-the-heck they please personally (ie any church/any religion/no religion). The only thing I draw the line at is I don't want to know if someone goes in for either fundamentalist Islam or black magic. Apart from that - it's the character that matters of the person and "each to their own".

So there are even JW believers that havent heard of/or ignore any "Don't mix...." instructions they're given.

nanna8

My daughter asked me, in all seriousness, why English people are so miserable all the time. I mentioned the weather as a possible answer but seriously I think in some respects she is right. No doubt people will pour scorn on me and whinge but I do think there is a negative feeling coming through which is different from how people from some other countries view life.

DD has just been helping neighbours during Storm Alfred and has volunteered for the clear up as well as working full-time.

No, we're not all whinging Poms!
(Nor "bloody Poms" as someone called my other DD!)
You have to be robust to stand up to Aussie humour though.