extreme thoughts as i age ??

*reports ton to Prevent*

It’s for your own good.

<glib>Chill Daddio</glib>

The older i’m getting the more right wing i’m getting (and so is everyone i know…friends, colleagues, customers….).

I know this is what conventional wisdom says happens to most of us as we age. The polar opposite has happened to me though and to a few of my friends. The reasons mentioned in some of the stuff above about having the wisdom to listen to alternative narratives and experiences and how that can challenge beliefs and pull the rug from under youthful certainties about life.

In my case that has demolished a lot of right leaning views I held in my youth, many inherited from my parents, teachers, bosses etc. I hope it’s made me a bit more compassionate in my old age.

Go and have a chat with your GP.

They should ask some questions to explore whether you might be experiencing a mental health condition.

From experiance:

Taking medication (newly started or for some time), even if nothing to do with mental health, can cause mood and behaviour change. Check the information sheet for “Possible side effects”.

Coming off medication can cause mood and behaviour change, even if it is nothing to do with mental health. Again, check the information sheet .

My politics haven’t changed with age or circumstances. I get outraged by what’s happening to the young: low wages, housing, p poor management, plus world events. I now ration my news intake but I happily have a pint with a rightwing mate and just make light of our differences. Possibly we get more stressed with age but I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to medicalise the issue. Just find new ways to unwind and more time on the bike?

Not a doctor, but the issue would seem to be the anger – not the content of OP’s “extreme” thoughts.

He clearly feels it’s affecting his life, or he wouldn’t have posted here. Not helpful to minimise it IMO.

As I’ve aged I tend to remember the many, many times that I’ve **** up myself before casting judgement.

At the same time although I’m less likely to go along with something that I disagree with just to people please, I think am getting better at keeping quiet to avoid upsetting people unnecessarily.

This is all IRL of course.

God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

I’m not a religious man but that just about sums it up for me. I hope that aging has made me wiser.

It sounds like a male version of the menopause – the ‘manopause’ for want of a better word.  Aka the testy bark of the post middle aged woman.  You kind of have to learn to recognise it and walk away from other people until you feel better.

Blokeuptheroads first post sums it up for me.

I try and listen to lots of different podcasts too so that I hear more than one opinion.

Also, I (you) don’t actually have to have an opinion on everything, or care about everything for that matter.

@ton are you critical of yours

As with Blokeuptheroad I have definitely become more left leaning as I get older.

Unfortunately I ride with someone who is the complete opposite and I find I don’t agree with any of his ideas or prejudices. I used to try and express an alternative view but it fell on deaf ears.

As a result, I’m riding on my own now ………

Unfortunately I ride with someone who is the complete opposite and I find I don’t agree with any of his ideas or prejudices. I used to try and express an alternative view but it fell on deaf ears.

As a result, I’m riding on my own now ………

Why on earth the need to talk politics on a bike ride?!? Of all the topics suitable for discussion on bike rides surely politics must be very low on the list?

My opinions have definitely not become more extreme as I have aged nor have they become more moderate.

But perhaps the one change that has occurred as I have got older is that I think racism probably now annoys me more than any other previous time in my life.

I agree. No need for it, but it’s out of my control.

With the state of this society, I wonder whether extreme thoughts really are that extreme.Perhaps, violent far edge solutions are required before more liberal approaches to things will work.Mad Max could not be responded to with polite reasoning.

Perhaps, violent far edge solutions are required

No to violence. I’ve no clue what a ‘far edge solution’ is though.

my wife reckons i need to see someone for some help.

A mistress ? My,that is very kind of her.

.

As to extreme thoughts. Dont worry, you can carry on doing the life stuff without needing to worry about fantisizing pushing TJ off beachy head.

Its all perfectly normal 🙂

i used to be one for violence, no longer.    i just feel crimes and acts against the general good of society should be punished and dealt with, in a way it deters people.

and my thoughts are centred around this….. sadly.

Dynati  😦😮🤣

Is it your thoughts getting more extreme, or just that you have less of a filter stopping those thoughts coming out? I think you get less self conscious as you age, less inhibitions, so you let more of those thoughts out.

60 years old always been left wing even though i have all the trappings of the middle class. I have certainly moved further to the left  and  i often tell the local Tories in the pub that i am slightly left of Stalin…. they think its a joke…

They are all on my list natch….

Redistribution from the poor to the rich is a much worse act of violence than almost anything I can think of, impoverishment is constant and daily. These kin Tories certainly have extreme thoughts……..and actions.  They invite an extreme response.

NB a bit confusing though if you are a Royalist

+1 BillMc. Think your very misguided about the Royal Family however.

Be more Dude, less Donny.

It’s really quite easy… when your monkey brain kicks in, just say “pause” to yourself and be in the moment…. If you have to think, think about something you are grateful for.

Ton, I think you enjoy looking after/watching the grand kids, right? Ok, so when you start ranting to the wife, mates, yourself just think of the last time the dustbin lids made you smile.

Have fun

i used to be one for violence, no longer.    i just feel crimes and acts against the general good of society should be punished and dealt with, in a way it deters people.

and my thoughts are centred around this….. sadly.

I do not see anything wrong with that view at all.  Nobody is perfect.

As I aged I understand a bit more of life but it is not easy.

I think that’s a sign of intelligence…the more you think you know, the more you realise there’s a whole lot more you don’t know.

see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

With the state of this society, I wonder whether extreme thoughts really are that extreme.Perhaps, violent far edge solutions are required before more liberal approaches to things will work

My boss was saying something similar today, that we’re too relaxed in the UK, and I thought ”oh here we go we all just need to work harder” but then she just started talking about how shit the government are instead.

Watch this video and then ask if any of it really matters.

The problem with anger is that it is intoxicating. The more we indulge it, the more we are likely to indulge it in future.

Anger can be constructive, but mostly it is not. Even when it is constructive, often there are better ways of going about something than relying on anger as motivation, both for ourselves and for others.

IME most anger comes from within.  It is our critical inner voice turned outwards.

We can learn to control our anger. The first step is learning to recognise it when it occurs. Once we can do that, we can then learn to take a step away from it. The more that we do that the easier it becomes.

As I recall you retired a few years ago – getting out enough, social enough, especially with new people ?

i used to be one for violence, no longer. i just feel crimes and acts against the general good of society should be punished and dealt with, in a way it deters people.

I suppose that you could consider what it was that made you change your mindset then? Iirc you’ve posted on here that in your younger days that you spent some time in prison? (Apologies if that is incorrect!!) You seem to have made a change without any ‘extreme punishment’ element.

We live in very polarised times unfortunately, so I think that it is all too easy to get sucked in to more ‘extreme’ ways of thinking.  In my unqualified opinion (but having suffered mental health issues myself) I’d say that your current thought patterns aren’t indicative of a good mental state, so maybe seeing a professional might be a good idea.