For anyone over the age of 50 -

Zero interest in "involvement" and "commotion".

Every day I see people buying crap, with all of them thinking "this will make me happy". When that doesn't make them happy, what do they do? They go buy more crap!

And I am so infinitely glad that I never reproduced!

Sure, I run into a few -- very, very few -- people in our age bracket with kids who turned out self-respecting and self-supporting.

But mostly, I hear the woes of people our age whose grown kids and grandkids are draining them, unable or unwilling to function on their own.

So then, on an average trip to a store, I see women my age buying more and more crap to feed, clothe, and AMUSE their 'failure to fly' kids and grandkids.

And life is so much better without television! We just let ours die, and never replaced it.

It's not until you live without TV that you realize what a drain it is.

Yes, I "wonder" about dying alone. But I get more and more okay with it all the time.

and yes.

Good post OP. I'm 56 and spend much time walking in the woods with my dogs, observing nature. Both parents gone now....worldly friends don't understand me anymore and visa versa. Life has changed.

I also withdraw from most electronics at home and enjoy living simply the way I grew up. Got rid of the TV and don't listen to music much anymore. I prefer just natural sounds around me..keeps me focused and in the present.

I do worry about growing old alone, so I'm moving closer to a brother who is similar to me in thought. Keeps to himself and away from the nonsense.

I enjoy talking to people of moral fiber and intelligence ...but keep visits brief unless it is a person I can completely trust.

I've come to understand animals and their place on earth in a much better light.

I feel the same way as the OP. Yes yes and yes.

As I made my career as a social worker, insulating oneself is usually a red flag (as I was taught). Now, I do not see it that way. I am tired. I have given all to God and country. It sucked. I do not generally like very many people. Their values vastly differ from mine.

The only way I see myself as staying somewhat sane is to form my own little sanctuary and limit contact as much as possible. It works for me. The future? Well, who knows. I'll deal with it when it happens. I believe that I'll be given options that will be acceptable to me as I also believe that I create my own reality.

Whatever, we'll see. What is gratifying is that I see from this thread that I am not alone. Very gratifying.

Cheers everyone!

Yes. 52 here. I'm tired of diminishing opportunities that were there for my fellow boomers that aren't there for me.

Every job I've had eventually attritions away due to the smaller margins...until...technology, outsourcing or both replaces it completely.

I was born on the tail end of the boomer bell curve.

All those older than me thought in terms of company retirements and benefits.

All those younger think in terms of a fast paced career and live for today. Party on Garth. A completely different mindset.

I don't fit well in either generation, thus, I can't identify with either.

So I am completely shut off from everyone younger or older now. The older because I'm so angry at them for not having to worry about much and bragging about their good fortune simply based on their loyalty to show up everyday...in a time when that strategy worked for the boomers. There was no global competition based on slave labor. Companies were loyal to both them and America and everyone prospered.

No friends. No family ties.
I'm happy to be alone.

Word of advice, don't be born at the tail end of any generation.
It's awfully depressing.

Well stated my friend.I`m 55 with no kids.I do have a woman
that I will grow old with (not married).I went through the facade of marriage 30 years ago and ended up broke.Your last
sentence is the one people must realize.I am happy where I
will be going and will live the rest of my life as it is
dealt to me.

brother

It seems that a lot more people today over 50, and even some younger, have decided to cut ties with people around them and spend time by themselves, with no regular human companionship.

I've grown tired of trying with family that doesn't give a damn about being kind and sensible, of wasting time with friends who only want to complain about their lazy husbands or talk about their grandkid's soccer games, and tired of people being so apathetic and willing to be a sheeple.

So if you want to give your own feedback - please do:

Have you cut ties with 'family'?

Do you find 'friends' to be self-centered and boring?

Are you finding it less complicated to be by yourself, with a pet, communing with nature, hobbies, etc.?

If the answers are yes, are you worried about being alone as you get older?

---------------------------

A sage Dr. Shankar said " family members are just friendly enemies.

We are all alone. We came here alone and leave alone. It makes sense that we are even alone in between birth and death.The illusion is that just because we are surrounded by people or in a relationship we are not alone. I never felt more alone when I was in a marriage gone sour.

Friendship is also illusory. Labels in the mind. They are our friends simply based on likes and dislikes not love. We like them and consider them friends because they agree and think like we do. Honesty is illusory as well. We have all refrained from saying things and being completely honest in fear of losing a friend or getting our spouse upset. How do I like honey as a wife will ask her husband. She looks like crap but you say you look beautiful honey. Why lie??? Lies maintain a relationship. You say she looks beautiful because you don't want to be honest and you want to get sex that night so you lie. Nothing wrong with it.

Not worried about being alone in the future. First off we are alone to begin with. And there is no future. Only now. Now is all there is. The past , present and future are just mental concepts in the mind. The mind doesn't meet life. Life is thoughtless and timeless. Time exists only in the mind as well as thoughts. When in deep sleep where is time ? The world even disappears in deep sleep showing us that we live in a world of thoughts. When we wake up the mind is activated and then the world comes to be along with thoughts and time.

All problems exists is the mind only and not in life. Life is a singular flow. A play of light and sound. That is it. All the drama you talk about exists in the mind only. That is the function of the mind so nothing wrong with it. It is the place of drama.

We are conditioned to think that being alone is not good. That there is something wrong with you if you are not in a relationship. But check it out. It is all selfish. You want a relationship because you don't want to be alone. It has nothing to do with that person but your own selfish motive. Your expectations and desires. All about using the person for your own needs. I am not judging just exposing the truth of it all. Nothing is wrong for all going into a relationship has an agenda. That is why they don't really work out. It ain't about love. Love is unconditional. It is about owning someone. Notice the language. My wife, my husband, my boy or girlfriend. None of it is yours. Their is no "mine."Everything and everyone comes and goes. Nothing is permanent. All an illusion.

There is indeed wisdom that comes with aging, at least for anyone who is awake of enough to learn. I have reached the point where trying to change, or awaken anyone, is no longer important. I also have reached an age where I no longer give a fuck what anyone thinks or says about me. How liberating that is! We all must do our own soul searching, and no one can be forced to search for something without the awareness that anything is even missing. How do you possibly reach someone like that? You can't, so why waste valuable energy in doing so? Why take on that responsibility? It's much more valuable to become the change you seek, and then see how others respond.
A wise man once said perhaps people need to experience more suffering. When suffering finally reaches a level of being unbearable, existing individual paradigms will collapse, making one ripe for growth opportunities. Most people only want relief from their suffering, and do not realize that there is a way to actually transcend it.

Okay, I just green karma pinned this thread to advance the discussion and fellowship of us "disengaged old folks".

An ancient Buddhist proverb comes more and more to mind:

The true measure of a person's welath (or 'prosperity') is not what he has, but what he can comfortably live without.

I just don't do amusements or commotions any more.

Yet all around me, I see people obsessed over them.

Last Edited by goodmockingbird on 04/15/2013 10:04 AM

Ditto.

For entertainment, when you go through the store checkout line, tell the young clerk "Yes Mam" when she asks you if that is all. Emphasize the "mam" bit. It un-nerves em a bit when an older person does that. Even if they don't seem to notice, subconsciously they do. You are planting seeds of "hey kid, your getting older, time to panic"

our society is becoming atomized.

Noam Chomsky once said that the basic social unit would be reduced to one person and one tv. That was long before the hand held computer was realized.

A lot of misdirection of energy is responsible for the break down of our social fabric. The list is long and it includes everything from the demise of the consumerist American dream to television, internet, video games and indoctrination. Our whole society is technologically advanced but hasn't developed emotionally since we were hunter gatherers.

The world we live in is artificial, it offers little for the heart or the soul. One million channels and nothing on.

Gawd - I could have written that , my thoughts exactly !

I came to this at 36 years old, I am 45 now, no regrets.

Life is much simpler my way. I never was one for drama and my family seems to thrive on it, f'em.

Me, too! I thought maybe it had to do with turning 50!

llook at the bright side OP, we get to spend all the money that is left !!!!

Wow, so happy to hear I'm not alone in this. I feel somewhat guilty about severing ties but life has become so much more peaceful and purposeful without unconscious play acting that most people are still doing.

I realize this is a huge part of the awakening process, but it can get very lonely at times. Used to be that I faulted myself for withdrawing, but the farther out I go, the more I am at peace with my decision.

Bless you all. Again, I'm glad to know I'm not alone.

only two things are certain: death and that we all die alone.

taxation can be avoided.

Not very Christian like now is it? Perhaps you need to be different making them want to change? Set the examples?...instead of slamming the door?

Your plan sounds like a plan the corrupt wish to implement. Destroy the very fiber and threads which weave a strong family together.

Your changing, but for the worse.

Interesting POV - I was asked by friends, Y I did not have a smart phone? I told them I did want one cause it would suck my brains like it has done 2 U all!

A relative of mine, by marriage, is the same age as I - pushing 50 and is in the midst of a nervous breakdown because of her age. She still wears short, short mini skirts and goes out to clubs. Looks like an old woman hanging on.

I on the other hand have no time for that nonsense. I am better today than I've ever been. Mostly because I don't give a rats ass what anyone thinks about me. I have never been more self confident and self-assured and I have not yet begun to peak. It is so liberating!! So liberating!!

Yes , for exactly the same reasons.

I would never cut ties with family because at the end of the day, that's all you got. Sure friends come and go, but family is something else. As someone once said , living to an old age is a privilege some don't get.

I will add my yes also. Have my immediate family, since my kids are just young teens still. Late bloomer you might say. The rest are so caught up in "stuff" it is just clutter. None can see what is really going on, nor do they even want to see it. They want to have their happy fun life and are scared of anything that might take their illusions away.

Even Jesus said don't throw your pearls before swine. Also when people reject the truth you make a show of taking off your sandals and shaking off the dust as you leave.

49 here,but close to 50

I keep in touch with my elderly parents.The rest of my family,no.

I was decieved by every friend I ever had when I was young so I stopped having friends.Don't need them.

I would not like to live by myself.I'm pretty sure I would go insane without a significant other to give and recieve love and share my life with.
I have had a half dozen cats before,and bred hamsters giving each their own mansion.I've owned probably 30 hamsters at the same time.Between cleaning litter boxes,and keeping the hamsters mansions clean I pretty much wore myself out.After my last pet died I quit having pets and won't have anymore.

Yes, I worry about being alone when I get older.If something happened to my bf I don't know what I'd do.I think I would probably lose it.

Last Edited by Anonymous Sun on 04/15/2013 10:57 AM

This but is started at 20.

Yeah, a group of self serving, ego driven leeches.

Bitter? I guess. But that's my prerogative. Even the grandkid detests me, but that is probably because I slammed his ass up against the wall when he drew back a fist to his mom. Smart kid, but stupid as hell.