When you get old do you just not care?

[HEyHEY]

I mean, here I am at 31 and can never seem to feel the same passion for things I once felt. I remember after a few drinks I could listen to a song of Leonard Cohen's, Dylan's the pixies and feel more passion then for it than I currently do for my deepest beliefs. Does this just happen? I kind of miss caring about things.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My dear HEyHEY...

I'm not sure that's a function of age...

I suspect it's more from fatigue. I suspect that many of us, and maybe you too, suffer from overload, and after a while, we just want to hunker down and protect ourselves.

I know I feel that way some of the time. I suspect that one of these days, something will either piss you off or engage you passionately, and then you'll be back among the caring...

Good to see you!

:hug:

[HEyHEY]

4. Could be, I've hit the sauce pretty hard the last year.

Plus, I think after years of working as a journalist in North America, and now China, I'm jaded as fuck.

[tavalon]

10. Sounds like you're doing a bit of self medicating there

And no, this isn't going to be a commercial for Prozac. You sound depressed. There are a lot of natural things you can do to get out of depression, hitting the booze isn't one of them. Yes, I think we all mellow some with age (and thank the gods for that - I hated adolescence) but if you've lost the joy of life and are looking for it in a bottle, there's a problem.

[hobbit709]

2. My give a shit factor varies as to how I feel.

[jobycom]

3. Not me. I can cry like a baby or grin like a doofus over any old corny pop culture thing.

Embarrasses my kids to no end. And I'm 45.

[tango-tee]

5. GAFF (Giving A Flying Fuck) tolerance

depends on many factors.

It's not so much a matter of age, but what is coming at you, where you are and how you view this situation. Try to sort things out at your leisure... what's important, what's not. All of this may take a while, because you might be going through a period of transition in your life.

Don't be hard on yourself, there's no need to worry - a little patience with yourself will do wonders. Look forward to the good things waiting for you!

And without doubt, you will care again.

[MilesColtrane]

6. I throw my hands in the air like I just don't care.

But, I really still do.

[sammytko]

7. things like songs, just move down lower on your list of important things

Doesn't mean you don't care, just have other priorities. Now I'm old - 50 in a couple of weeks - and I love not caring about some stuff. It is so freeing. What people think of me, what I wear etc. Now, I care about what I look like, but don't care if others think I dress too young or am too chunky.

I had a yard sale last weekend that started at 0800. Clearly stated in the ad. I'm putting out stuff at 0700 and people start showing up. They ask if I would mind if they looked around. I said YES - I do mind. They looked stunned, probably thinking they would get an automatic - no, go ahead. They drove off, but came back later. One bought all my big stuff. She resells and I don't care about that, just follow the rules.

I felt like the Yard Sale Nazi and I loved it!

[carlyhippy]

8. the passion for things did a complete axis shift for me, mellowing comes with age

I have more passion for music now, really feel the music, where before the music I just "heard", and didn't "listen" to. What I really like about being older is not giving a crap what others think of me. It is very freeing to be this way. Embrace it. I kinda feel sorry now for the younger people who stress out on every little thing-I used to be that way.

[seabeyond]

9. i am not unsettled. i am more balanced and centered with self. there is not

the struggle of figuring who i am. i am comfortable and content. but.... i certainly have the passion for outside issues.

[lunatica]

11. I feel more passion now

It's just that it doesn't show because it's a steady abiding feeling. I've become more open minded, more tolerant and more progressive. I've outlived my own cynicism and have a true belief in humanity as a whole. I love diversity, the planet and what I know is artistic creativity in humanity. I feel this way because I've chosen to believe in the better side of humanity's nature even though it doesn't seem to be in evidence in our government.

[ismnotwasm]

12. No

But you get the wisdom to not be as emotionally invested in certain matters. Avoids what they call burnout. It's about action and not emotion. It's a kind of Zen detachment that doesn't preclude love and caring. In nursing you learn this well and you learn this young (th trick is to avoid cynicism and bitterness) or you do burn out.

If you've been a journalist, I think you've been exposed to a lot. They are emotional vampires out in the world, situations that take everything we have and give nothing back and we don't realize we're running on empty

I used to have a friend who'd say "Fuck you, with love" If you can understand that. He meant it. Always cracked me up.

[PassingFair]

13. I was listening to Leonard Cohen with passion just yesterday...

as I was driving in my car...

Then my kids made me pop out the CD...

So, YES, the passion is there, but we
don't have the time or permission to
exercise it very often.


PS--I'm 50

[femmocrat]

14. I no longer "sweat the small stuff"....

Little things don't bother me, especially at work. I've made an art form out of being invisible. I never get involved, no matter what it is. That leaves so much more room in my life for things that I enjoy like family, home and the dogs.

I can still muster up a little passion for politics though.