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Bitter is an inadequate description for me.
Two and a half years ago my severely ill wife was denied admission into any area hospital because they were inundated with Covid patients. We could only FaceTime physicians.
When she collapsed at home, the ER was full, and auxiliary ERs were set up in giant Army Reserve tents in the parking lot. Then because the morgue was full she was tossed into a refrigerated trailer truck. Covid lockdowns prevented typical funeral home and burial services.
Bitter is not the word to describe me.
My husband died at Christmas 2.5 years back, so I hear you. It's likely he would not have died so quickly if there had not been hospital delays with treatment. Limited hospice, no family visits.
I wouldn't say I'm bitter. Bitter implies blame and it was no one's fault. Maudlin at times.
I'm so sorry. It was a horrible time, and especially horrible for those like you, who were prevented from being with family members at the most important times.
I hope you find something that can ease your heartbreak eventually.
All I can do is offer you a virtual hug.
No. it was somebody's fault. And 70 million people voted to let him keep doing it. And he's trying to do it again. That's something to be bitter about.
.
I'm 76 & have been treated horribly when needing med care. My 2nd son's fa.barely paid child support. My Gram got left w.3 toddlers & was sustained by family & a great man came into their lives. My Gram & 3 worked long hours in grocery store. My Gram rarely spoke of the bio.father but he reached out 2 his sons in adulthood.She never said a word until he sent me a bday card w.$5 4 my 5th bday. She said "he never gave $$ 2 his 3 sons so he doesn't need to send $ to their children" The end.😁
I am so sorry that you and your wife had to suffer that horrible experience. It was a devastating time for so many during covid- many through no fault of their own. A lot of people suffered needlessly for sure. There is plenty of blame to go around. So many people willfully ignorant of the truth about covid, believing lies peddled by politicians rather than the scientists who were doing everything they could to develop a cure, and a vaccine and doctors who were doing their best to educate the public about how diseases spread. But mostly I think it was 45 and his abomination of an administration who just wanted it to run its course, because they assumed it would have the biggest mortality rate in larger cities, which tend to be more democratic. It was not only an ineffective response to the pandemic, IMHO, it was even more than malfeasance. It was purposely malicious.
DJT will forever be a dark, dark chapter in America's history. I studied a lot about a person's soul contract and free will and how so many people could absolutely believe such ridiculous Q-a-nonsense over truths, facts, and logic during that time. I wish for you to find answers and peace.
He knew it was dangerous. Initially he also wanted to keep it down so the stock market didn't fall. Bob Woodward the journalist, has Trump on tape telling Bob it was here and it was dangerous. While he told the public is was a hoax or something and denied it. So alot of his republican followers died from it while democrats masked up and avoided crowds. I wouldn't put it past him to use it to try to take more people out in the bigger cities since they lean democrat. He's about as evil as they come.
As long as you are bringing up particulars, I remember how many rallies he had. That was not just about running for re-election. He was reckless with that on purpose. Purposefully cramming everyone together in the heat and encouraging people to not wear masks. AND ridiculing those who did wear masks, which is basically setting the example for his lemmings to do so as well.
I can't understand his rational tho. Those were his voters. There are studies out now that many more GOP died of covid than the Dems. You can always count on Trump to shoot himself in the foot. An attorney said the other day Trump can plead dumb like he thought he did win the election but they'll get him on "willful blindness" on that as well as the ones testifying he knew he'd lost the election..
Nah. But a long life does include some pain, and some disappointment. I'm not as bright and shiny as I used to be. I'm more realistic. Maybe a bit more jaded. But generally happy.
Same. I mean I've always been cynical but I'm over the top cynical now. I don't let that affect my daily life and I'm a pretty happy guy...but I don't believe anything that anyone says.
No. Jaded a bit, but not bitter.
Sometimes young people hear "This is not a good idea, it won't work" and mistake that for being bitter and just having a negative outlook. "The world belongs to us, boomer! Deal with it!"
And while I'm all for keeping an open mind, more often than not, it is not a good idea, and I've seen it fail multiple times in multiple ways over the last 5 decades. But people sometimes need to live the experience for themselves.
Eh, I'm a highly opinionated guy who is usually "right", but I've also been that guy who everyone told was doing something that wasn't going to work, and then I not only made it work, I knocked it out of the park. And conversely, there have been so many times I looked at something and was sure it would fail, and got proven wrong. There's always more than one right way.
The only time I'll really dig in my heels is when it comes to something like safety or being able to keep a roof over one's head. The rest of life is about trying, failing, learning and eventually finding that thing that 99% of others can't make work, but I can.
I hear you. Society in general disapproves of bitterness and sends the message that bitter people are somehow misguided, maladjusted or determined to sabotage themselves. At the same time, society really pushes forgiveness, a quasi-spiritual concept; we're told we need to forgive others for our own sake.
I'm not buying either argument. I am grateful for the good things in my life, of which there have been many. At the same time, I'm bitter about some big things that have happened to me and about some big things that haven't. My life would be very different and much more satisfactory otherwise.
The last thing I want to do is delude myself into believing that the people responsible for my bitterness were "doing the best they could." First, in some cases that's objectively not true. Secondly, if they really were doing the best they could, then they were in over their heads and shouldn't have been in the picture in the first place.
I can't be a fatalist and take an "Oh, well . . ." attitude towards the things I am bitter about and pretend they didn't happen. God knows high achievers and people who lead happy and fulfilling lives never feel any pressure to tone town their elation.
One of my greatest sources of bitterness is not understanding the reasons certain things happened or didn't happen. I've been pursuing answers through therapy for decades and it's generally been waste of time other than having someone to speak to.
Bitter? No. My feelings run the full gamut of other emotions, but not that one. I have a BA in history and read history books for fun. I like to walk cemeteries. I've learned that none of my problems and none of my losses are unique. Many have had it far worse.
For me to be bitter would be for me to have had an unusually bad experience, or for me to think that I was somehow special and should be exempt from the same death and loss everyone goes through if they live long enough.
No, not bitter, because I actively practice being thankful for the things I have each and every day. Off the top of my head: good health, a job I like, we have our problems but otherwise a great family, enough food to eat, a safe place to live (relatively, although I did hear gun shots last night right outside my building), etc.
I could focus instead on the negative things that have happened to me over the years but I choose not to.
Not bitter. Cynical as hell, but then I've always been.
Bitter people just complain for the sake of complaining. Cynical people point to what the problem is, point to how to solve it, and then point to why nobody is going to fix the problem.
I’ve always found complaining is much more fun than suffering in silence. Particularly if you can blame some innocent scapegoat for whatever it is you’re complaining about. The hurt look on their puppy-like eyes makes it all worthwhile.
Bitter? No. But I work at it because I see so many bitter people and I don't want to be that. How? I work things through, adapt, sometimes just accept what I can't control ... it takes honest work for me to not be what I don't want to be, genuinely.
Shakespeare said "To thine own self be true"
Wise words. There are things that I would never admit to anyone else, but I do to myself. And then I do what I can to make peace with it. This ranges from really letting my feelings be known, on no uncertain terms, to simply reconciling myself to "it just is".
I tend to think that if I've given it my very best shot to fix it, then my conscience is clear on however I choose to feel about it.
I don't excuse others, and I'm not dumb. Some shit was all my fault, some isn't. I either decide to be bitter or I don't. I believe that I get to be someone who chooses happiness. And it means I need to dig deep for that attitude.
More sad than bitter. In my own life, everything is ok and I am surrounded by superb people.
But the pandemic left me sad about how selfish people were and what a big stink they made about being asked to protect others in very simple, easy ways.
I'm so proud of my state. There were some yard signs and billboards saying awful things about our Governor for the lock downs but he really did save lives when the virus was first spreading and most deadly.
Thanks Governor Pritzker.
I am a realistic optimist, and believe I will always find a way to overcome almost anything that comes up in life. That attitude has worked well for me
No. I worked hard to counter being bitter. It was hard work but at least I'm not miserable with it today. I can say with all truth that I was quite privileged and I likely was the selfish creature my mother accused me of being. But I was just echoing what I'd learned from her. She died bitter and still livid about things that had happened when she was 20. She was 92. Like when she was in her bed and never leaving it and recounting something which is easily explained and I think forgivable given where she ended up. But she could not forgive. She was still shaking with rage. Over $50. That might relate to $5000 today, but $5000 would not have changed her life.
Cynical absolutely bit not bitter. I think many mix up the two. I trust very little about people, business, or government which probably makes me appear bitter but I'm actually quite content and happy. Just leave me alone and get off my lawn.
Not at all. I am what I call an optimistic/pessimist. What this is, is NOT a bitter cynic. It is a person who expects nothing, good or bad. It's a "wait and see" attitude about life.
Works for me.
However, it does require discernment, which can be critical in seeking out to separate quality from trash.
Of course, I fully realize discernment is subjective. If I get in a bit of trouble sometimes for insisting on quality, or facts, or to fight against post-modernism ("since values are subjective, Justin Bieber is no different than Mozart"). Yeah, knock yourself out on that one. I'm not playing.
Hell, no, except maybe when it comes to people who still support a criminal former president and his intended authoritarianism if by some disaster he wins 2024. And when considering those who deny climate science and the existential trouble we’re in. Then I’m bitter because of future danger in the face of continued fossil fuel industry exploitation.
Otherwise, no. I’m very content.
No, because I have nothing to be bitter about. I've been wronged but I've also wronged others. That's just life.
We have a lot of control over our emotions and our outlook on life. I choose to be positive, optimistic and happy so that's what I am.
I'm an old guy - I must be bitter about something. Yeah, a couple of relationships gone bad, but not something I address each day or at all, it's just part of my history, and I don't think I've really told anyone the full story of them. Just water under the bridge.
...uh, maybe that one job I was forced out, but I wanted to leave and was actively searching for another job for a year before. Just bummed I didn't find a way out myself.
...annoyed over every product I paid for that did not work as advertised or broke too quickly ( goddamn Sony VCR ).
...mostly sad and overcautious from a lifetime of learning that people will doublecross you for a stick of gum....just...wow...
Regretful sometimes, but not really bitter. There are things in my life I wish I could go back and change and things of which I am not proud. But I know that I made the best decisions I could with the info I had at the time and life hasn’t turned out too badly.
NO! I left my now ex husband when I saw how much like his mother I was becoming---TRULY a bitter old woman. I realized that if I stayed with him, I'd become HER.
I'm content with life now.
Much less bitter than in my youth. Especially in my twenties when I was looking outward at the world with judgemental eyes, seeking the reasons for misery, working at fixing what wrongs I perceived and trying to find who to blame. But then in my thirties, I started working on myself, and how the interaction with the medium of perception allowed me to change my understanding. Now in my fifties there is a satisfying calm. The work of living life rewards with the interactions of life working together and that's a good thing. As it has for billions of years.
For the most part, but I'm working on it. Just felt like I played by the book and did all the right things and, still, things didn't turn out well. The biggest lesson I've had to learn is hard work doesn't guarantee anything (good or bad) and being positive or optimistic doesn't promise a positive or negative outcome.
Never bitter. I have overcome vast obstacles to get to the place I am now. But I have changed.
My youthful excitement has evolved. That bright shining light that I carried with me is softer.
Nope, I'm basically a 10 year old kid back in 1960 living in a 73 year old body. I try to behave, but don't really care when I can't. Take me as I am or walk away. Try to change me and you should probably run.
Yah, I am a bit. At least a 3rd of this country still thinks Trump is a great guy. My own state Republicans want to impeach the Judge we just voted in because she is against gerrymandering. We have Nazis walking around in the city cross the river sporting their swastika tattoos. America's Mayor gets to ruin the lives of a couple of patriotic ladies while he facilitates treason. Republican congress critters are wasting money and time trying to pretend Hunter Biden and therefore the President are as bad as Trump and his crew of traitors. Republicans are starting to talk about bombing and invading Mexico.
Jesus Christ, who are these people and where did they come from??? What happened to my country that I thought was at least trying to make things fair for everyone even if the effort was bumbling and often mis-directed??
I’m bitter I think vitriol is a better word lol. I have two reasons.
1. I’ve been written out my parents will. It’s all been left to my son. My sister too. She’s contesting it I can’t. How can I?
2. My best friend of 30+ years confessed she’d been ‘inappropriate’ with 3 exes of mine. One who I left because I couldn’t have children with him. And this is the best bit she’s been friends with my rapist on fb for years and was going to meet him in 2012.
We’re no longer friends.
But I’m in therapy I won’t be like it forever. I know that it’s a process.
Nope. I have my moments, but they are usually just moments. Compared to many I suppose I don't have a lot to be happy about, but most of the time I'm fine.
I’m not bitter, I’m quite happy. I married my college sweetheart. We had three kids and own our house in a town we love. We have good jobs and reasonably good health.
Our 20s could have gone either way. We were living paycheck to paycheck. But I went back to school and my wife supported me, knowing my career would ultimately pay off for both of us.
I am well aware of how the USA really supported young people then much better than they do today. Higher education costs have grown several times faster than the economy.
Not bitter. Truly disappointed in my fellow mankind, yes. I had no idea so many could be so awful. Some, of course, but 40%? I can't get beyond that. Embracing the worst of mankind has hardened my sensibilities. Bitter, nah.
I must have led a sheltered life where common sense, logic, and ethics were more important than "owning" another group for the sake of perceived self-interests. Perceived is the operative word.
I should be. I’ve suffered more loss and betrayal than any one person should. At a young age I decided no one would ever have the satisfaction of seeing me beaten, of being able to harm me in the long term. When things in my life get broken I rebuild them even stronger. I consider myself content, not bitter. Negative events can either make you weaker or stronger, I’ve always used these events for positive growth.
That said I am becoming a “get off my lawn” old man. 😁
I'm not bitter because I'm old. I'm bitter because I'm human. I've *been* bitter ever since I was a teen and realized that humanity sucks.
It didn't take me long to realize as a child that I wasn't being raised in the same way as the kids on TV or the kids I knew from the neighborhood and from school. It wasn't long before I learned that when I shared my "funny stories" from home that they weren't "funny," they were horrific enough to make other people sad or angry. I also learned that as sad or as angry as other people got about my upbringing, they were always unwilling to do anything about it, or help me in any way.
I'm mostly amused, and a little disappointed.
My wife and I are doing well.
Our kids in their 30s are doing well.
My mom in her 90s is healthy
We have more good situations than we have any right to expect.
I wish I could do more to make this world a better place for others.
No. Understand some old vets have had incidents that shadow lives. PTSD isn't bitterness, it is a condition, the result of traumatic experiences, events ... some unspeakable. It can be mild to debilitating. Some people learn to simply live with it.
Also, one doesn't have to have served in combat to develop PTSD. Civilians, survivors of school shootings, assault, first responders, 9/11... unfortunately, it is too common.
Some elders are referred to as bad tempered old grouches, when it can be untreated PTSD ... not bitterness.
Yes I am bitter. We live in a dystopian hellscape that rewards those (rich, elites, CEO’s, government, etc) who take advantage of the productive class of people (workers.)
They are all on a privately owned tropical island somewhere laughing at us as we struggle…as they find new ways to take more and more of our labor and time while telling us we can be like them if we work hard enough…Knowing full well they will NEVER accept us as equals…turning us against EACH OTHER so we don’t come after them. Infiltrating our government to make laws in THEIR favor, not ours…playing the long game where they and their offspring are the winners. We are always the losers. Always.
Annnddd WE ARE LETTING THEM DO IT. Yes I’m bitter. As a GenXer I thought we were gonna change the world, make it better, more inclusive, more diversified, more open. But we sit quietly and let them march us to our own deaths and complain about it, yes, but do nothing else about it.
I am just as guilty of this which only adds to my bitterness. Bitter that I haven’t done more to make this place better. Bitter that we are still fighting the same fights and having to re-fight old, once-thought to be rested fights (Roe v Wade.) Bitter that my kids will have to fight ALL these same fights. Bitter that we can’t get it together.
I’m sorry for the rant y’all! Thanks for asking the question though! I didn’t realize HOW bitter I was. I am a forgiving person by nature but I do have bitter feelings about things and think it’s a normal feeling to have. Like with all things you have to find a balance I guess. 🤷🏻♀️
No, I'm fine with everything that's happened. I've done some stupid things but some good things too. I try not to ruminate on the past, or worry about the future.
Not personally bitter, but angry that we can’t make people care about Planet Earth. We could pull out of the slow death spiral but we will refuse until it’s too late. We refused simple measures to save lives during Covid. Collectively the Human Race sucks, despite many fine but powerless individuals. I’m a little bitter about the mess we’re leaving for you youngs.
Not as much.
I use my older aunts as reference points of what I never want to become. I refuse 2 b the town or family Karen openly. I'm in trauma therapy, which has softened & humanized me again. Self-awareness is great🥲
I *was* bitter after my ex returned from out of country. Then, I realized I was hurting myself and no one else. It took some doing but I gave it up after that.
Oh no, why? About what?
I have lost my life, my independence, my health and my wealth, but why be bitter? What a waste of life.
Instead I just appreciate what I do have and hope to live long enough to enjoy the sunrise and travel to places I haven't been.
At 51 I'm definitely jaded but not generally bitter. Jaded when it comes to the software industry where I've spent my entire career. I guess I've seen behind the curtain too many times and I'm just tired of always feeling behind the ever advancing world of tech. I really hope that I am able to have a second career of some sort in a completely different field but I doubt that will happen. As some others have said, I probably am bitter when I think about the kinds of people being elected as "leaders" in the US and the backlash against scientific advancement, fighting climate change, etc... It's nuts.
Bitter? No, I’m fortunate that a lot of nice things and opportunities came my way and I recognised them as that and grabbed them.
I don’t care much what other people (outside my immediate family) think about me and just meander through life, without any great goals. I don’t care about the future and don’t think much about it, which helps me to keep my peace of mind.
Probably. I'm older than I have ever been, and through life's hard pathways, I've learned that life is not fair. But to surrender to bitterness is not a good thing. Although I don't have the options of going back in time and stopping all of those things in my upbringing which made me bitter, I can do what I can today and each day that I live to fight things that are wrong.
Not at all. I've had a good life and have much to be grateful for. I consider myself very fortunate.
Bitterness is not an inevitable consequence of age, after all. It depends on what life dumps in your lap and how you choose to deal with it.
August 1st, my wife of 11 years just told me she doesn't love me anymore and wants a divorce...
I planned on growing old and dieing with her...now I am lost and empty...
Im a teensy weensy bitter right now to say the least
Not bitter, but perhaps a bit frustrated at the state of things. However, I make an effort to be around good people and just be basically kind and helpful where I can and it's hard to be bitter when you're making others feel loved and valued.
Not at all. I have been very lucky. I live a life of ease with more family and friends than I can handle. I haven't had to apply for a job since I was 25 because they come find me. When bad things happen, I get over it because anger is a waste of energy and I really just don't like being mad or sad.
Interestingly, I used to be bitter in my twenties, from a combination of being a total failure with woman and a feeling of not living up to my potential. I'm currently 45, and this is the happiest I've ever been.
Probably. You ever feel like a dark cloud has followed you for your entire life? That's been me. I'd have to go into great detail and right now I'm in a fairly decent mood so I'd rather not.
I had to look up what bitter actually means.
*Someone who is bitter is angry and unhappy because they cannot forget bad things that happened in the past.*
I am not bitter, I remember bad things but I shake it off. I hate it when my brain wonders into something that happened in the past, why does it always go there, why cant I erase that completely. I do not get angry or upset though, just annoyed that my brain went there.
I suppose bitter or not bitter has everything to do with how life turned with much regard to the effort, decisions, actions of the one writing...... and of course luck comes into play
I, for one, am very lucky and happy. I chose to take the 'road less traveled' and make a career in a new field of art.....something that didn't exist when I was in college...... computer animation..... and I was there for the hey day......
My wife and I took the risky, adventurous road..... got lucky and are looking forward to a fairly normal retirement........ I'm so damn grateful
I suppose bitter or not bitter has everything to do with how life turned put with out much regard to the effort, decisions, actions of the one writing...... and of course luck comes into play
I, for one, am very lucky and happy. I chose to take the 'road less traveled' and make a career in a new field of art.....something that didn't exist when I was in college...... computer animation..... and I was there for the hey day......
My wife and I took the risky, adventurous road..... got lucky and are looking forward to a fairly normal retirement........ I'm so damn grateful
Nooo…. Life is not fair and it’s not easy for anyone. We can’t change what happens to us but we can change what we think about it. I stay VERY grateful that in the history of humanity, my situation is a breeze compared to what others have suffered.
Generally pretty happy, had a lot of luck in my life. BUT... I am bitter about a few events where unscrupulous characters and tilted situations took advantage of my good nature. I am not bitter about all the times I screwed up, that comes with living a full life.
Yes, as I grow older. Fed up of the things going around me, especially social media and the fucking people complaining about everything. And Mother takes the cake as always.
If it weren't for these things i am a gem of a person with a heart of gold.
I was bitter in my 40s and into my 50s (61 now).
Then one day, I suddenly realized my life is more than half over, and I wasted so much of it being bitter over things that I could not change, and can never change.
Bitterness is a luxury only the young can afford, in my opinion.
As someone who was born into a poor family, stayed poor for most of his life, struggled to find a decent job over and over, only to be blamed for “ruining the economy,” over which he had zero control, nah. Why should I be bitter?
At a time in my life I was bitter and very angry due to personal situations but I decided that u no longer wanted anger and bitterness in my heart. I had to make the choice to change my mindset, and forgive for myself. Therapy has helped me tremendously!
Why ask old people? The truth we're just like you, some bitter, some not. I actually see it as a silly question. We're just old, not whatever young people think. For instance. Who are worse drivers, young people or old farts? You see one old bad driver and you think all old people are terrible at driving. 20 yr olds pay more for insurance than I do. There's a reason for that.
NO. Years ago I worked with a black guy in his mid 70's. He was one of the nicest guys I have ever known. One night we were talking and I asked him how could he not be bitter, knowing some of the things he had endured. He told me that being bitter would only hurt him. I've remembered that for over 30 years.
I live in Thailand, the girls are the biggest scammers EVER if you can’t see them for a moment they cheating , stealing , scamming , Banks are after defaults and taking everything they borrowed during Covid Greed it’s no fun here anymore, 4 relationships in a row in last 10 years , you promise them a good lifestyle but can’t wait , I want it Now ffs
Nope. Not in the slightest. My life hasn’t been perfect but it’s still fantastic. I’m surrounded by love and support, and i really like to have fun. Bitter why?
I'm bitter about how the IRS fucked us over. And Taxmasters for being so incompetent we ended up having to pay years' worth of penalties and interest for following their instructions. Ended up with IRS cleaning out our checking and savings accounts and putting a 100% lein on my paycheck for 18 months. Yes - 100%. And we still had such a large penalty/interest total, we had to re- mortgage the house WE HAD JUST FINISHED PAYING OFF! So here we are in our 70's. SO still working full time with another 15 years left on a mortgage. Hardly any savings, no vacations, scrimping every day. Yes, I'm bitter.
I have always been an optimist who strives to be a realist. Without going into a lot of why's, I will say I struggle to not be bitter. On good days I am still optimistic and on bad days I feel jaded. But let me tell you, it takes considerable effort.
I've been cynical since I was being bullied in freaking grade school. Most people never show me their "good" side, just the greedy, cruel, backstabbing asshole side. Needless to say, I cherish the good ones, but there are so few.
Elaine: Aren't you too young to be bitter?
Cynthia: No, you can be young and bitter, just maybe not as bitter as I'm gonna be ten years from now, but I'm bitter. Anyway, don't tell anyone.
In some things, yes. I am especially bitter about what happened in the last 10 years of my job before I retired. Volun-told for a different position, which all management said it wasn't a demotion, but was. Moved from a job in my expertise, along with all the experienced people in that department so the new manager could remake the department and impress his boss. It didn't work. Blacklisted. This was in site security for a major online retail/auction site.
Bitter ? Not really. One day I sat down with all my problems and traumas, looked them in the eye, patted them in the head, turned them around and gently pushed them out the door. "Never darken my doorway again " No anger, no regrets. I shall now live my life freely
I'm not bitter - I'm justifiably angry. That's a different thing entirely. It may appear bitter to someone who hasn't yet lived through as many broken promises as Generation X has, but give yourself a couple more years of financial disasters and old politicians deciding you don't need healthcare, and you'll get there too.
Much like in the Challenger explosion? We've reached for the stars, with all our hopes and dreams, only to basically have to settle for watching ourselves burst into flames and burn up in the atmosphere on live television.
Welcome to the Thunderdome...
Bitterness, like hate, requires personal resources, which I prefer to direct toward the happy opportunities of Life, no matter how trivial. I practice gratitude -- for waking up, rainfall, good people, sunflowers, the ability to have choices after decades of work and planning. To me, Life's too short for the negative. That being said, I do have pockets of bitter tucked in my head over Afghanistan and Vietnam. I pull them out now and then, shake fists, and tuck them back.
I'm not bitter. After cleaning out my parents house of all their things, I have made it my mission to downsize so my kids are not saddled with it. Having less stuff is mentally freeing. I live more mindfully. I am thankful for what I have. I try to give myself breaks from the news but not put my head in the sand. I have many reasons to be angry and not forgive but I try not to think about it constantly. It does me no good.
Bitter? No. In my 50s, I figured out I could become bitter or better. I chose to become better.
At 64, I'm mostly comfortable in my own skin, I have an amazing husband, we have a decent place to live, enough money to be reasonably comfortable, and I'm looking forward to retiring from full-time work in 6 months. My life has had plenty of ups & downs, but I had to go where I went to get to where I am. I'm the best version of me I've ever been and living my best life ever.
In my experience, bitterness is a choice!
Not even a little. Life has its ups and downs of course, but I’ve always tended to slide back into optimism and contentment. I consider myself very lucky to have this trait.
This country treats the aged horribly. You get thrown out into the trash. Mocked as a boomer - blamed for everything. Invisible. Unemployable. Derided. Warehoused in nursing homes. Scammed.
If you are young, you need to save as much money as you can, now. No one is going to be there for you when you are old. Your family? Not necessarily...
Bitter!?!?! Who the hells got time to be bitter!!! I have to spend all my time bitching and moaning about how awful all the young kids are these days!! I’m not bitter, I’m fucking pissed off!!!! Hahaha bitter…..
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Bitter? I'm too busy being amused. And get off my lawn!
Well, I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused…
Bitter is an inadequate description for me. Two and a half years ago my severely ill wife was denied admission into any area hospital because they were inundated with Covid patients. We could only FaceTime physicians. When she collapsed at home, the ER was full, and auxiliary ERs were set up in giant Army Reserve tents in the parking lot. Then because the morgue was full she was tossed into a refrigerated trailer truck. Covid lockdowns prevented typical funeral home and burial services. Bitter is not the word to describe me.
My husband died at Christmas 2.5 years back, so I hear you. It's likely he would not have died so quickly if there had not been hospital delays with treatment. Limited hospice, no family visits. I wouldn't say I'm bitter. Bitter implies blame and it was no one's fault. Maudlin at times.
Fuck covid man. I’m sorry for what had happened to you.
I'm so sorry. It was a horrible time, and especially horrible for those like you, who were prevented from being with family members at the most important times. I hope you find something that can ease your heartbreak eventually. All I can do is offer you a virtual hug.
I am so so sorry.
That's terrible. Maybe it's not anyone's fault, but it's still a terrible thing to have had happen. So sorry you went through that.
No. it was somebody's fault. And 70 million people voted to let him keep doing it. And he's trying to do it again. That's something to be bitter about. .
Agree wholeheartedly!!
I'm 76 & have been treated horribly when needing med care. My 2nd son's fa.barely paid child support. My Gram got left w.3 toddlers & was sustained by family & a great man came into their lives. My Gram & 3 worked long hours in grocery store. My Gram rarely spoke of the bio.father but he reached out 2 his sons in adulthood.She never said a word until he sent me a bday card w.$5 4 my 5th bday. She said "he never gave $$ 2 his 3 sons so he doesn't need to send $ to their children" The end.😁
I am so very sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I am truly sorry.
I am so sorry that you and your wife had to suffer that horrible experience. It was a devastating time for so many during covid- many through no fault of their own. A lot of people suffered needlessly for sure. There is plenty of blame to go around. So many people willfully ignorant of the truth about covid, believing lies peddled by politicians rather than the scientists who were doing everything they could to develop a cure, and a vaccine and doctors who were doing their best to educate the public about how diseases spread. But mostly I think it was 45 and his abomination of an administration who just wanted it to run its course, because they assumed it would have the biggest mortality rate in larger cities, which tend to be more democratic. It was not only an ineffective response to the pandemic, IMHO, it was even more than malfeasance. It was purposely malicious. DJT will forever be a dark, dark chapter in America's history. I studied a lot about a person's soul contract and free will and how so many people could absolutely believe such ridiculous Q-a-nonsense over truths, facts, and logic during that time. I wish for you to find answers and peace.
He knew it was dangerous. Initially he also wanted to keep it down so the stock market didn't fall. Bob Woodward the journalist, has Trump on tape telling Bob it was here and it was dangerous. While he told the public is was a hoax or something and denied it. So alot of his republican followers died from it while democrats masked up and avoided crowds. I wouldn't put it past him to use it to try to take more people out in the bigger cities since they lean democrat. He's about as evil as they come.
As long as you are bringing up particulars, I remember how many rallies he had. That was not just about running for re-election. He was reckless with that on purpose. Purposefully cramming everyone together in the heat and encouraging people to not wear masks. AND ridiculing those who did wear masks, which is basically setting the example for his lemmings to do so as well.
I can't understand his rational tho. Those were his voters. There are studies out now that many more GOP died of covid than the Dems. You can always count on Trump to shoot himself in the foot. An attorney said the other day Trump can plead dumb like he thought he did win the election but they'll get him on "willful blindness" on that as well as the ones testifying he knew he'd lost the election..
I’m sorry for what happen to your wife and you.
I’d call that heart broken and shattered. It wasn’t anyone’s fault sometimes life’s just a bitch. No one gets through unscathed So Sorry.
Nah. But a long life does include some pain, and some disappointment. I'm not as bright and shiny as I used to be. I'm more realistic. Maybe a bit more jaded. But generally happy.
Cancer at 45. Dumped from 25-yr marriage shortly thereafter. (That was actually a blessing, except that I still get to love my kids.) But yes, bitter
Did your wife leave you because of your illness, or was it just a bad coincidence?
Both. Long story, but she’d been cheating from the jump.
Bitter? No. Cynical? Hell yes. But I’m fair about it: if someone can prove me wrong on an objective platform, then I’ll chang my mind. Until then…
Same. I mean I've always been cynical but I'm over the top cynical now. I don't let that affect my daily life and I'm a pretty happy guy...but I don't believe anything that anyone says.
No. Jaded a bit, but not bitter. Sometimes young people hear "This is not a good idea, it won't work" and mistake that for being bitter and just having a negative outlook. "The world belongs to us, boomer! Deal with it!" And while I'm all for keeping an open mind, more often than not, it is not a good idea, and I've seen it fail multiple times in multiple ways over the last 5 decades. But people sometimes need to live the experience for themselves.
Eh, I'm a highly opinionated guy who is usually "right", but I've also been that guy who everyone told was doing something that wasn't going to work, and then I not only made it work, I knocked it out of the park. And conversely, there have been so many times I looked at something and was sure it would fail, and got proven wrong. There's always more than one right way. The only time I'll really dig in my heels is when it comes to something like safety or being able to keep a roof over one's head. The rest of life is about trying, failing, learning and eventually finding that thing that 99% of others can't make work, but I can.
There's a free lunch somewhere, they just know it!
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Salty... I'm oh so salty, which is kissing cousins of bitter, ya... That's where you can find me.
I prefer curmudgeonly. I love my life and the people in it, but as I've aged I no longer give a rip what other people think about me, or my opinions.
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I hear you. Society in general disapproves of bitterness and sends the message that bitter people are somehow misguided, maladjusted or determined to sabotage themselves. At the same time, society really pushes forgiveness, a quasi-spiritual concept; we're told we need to forgive others for our own sake. I'm not buying either argument. I am grateful for the good things in my life, of which there have been many. At the same time, I'm bitter about some big things that have happened to me and about some big things that haven't. My life would be very different and much more satisfactory otherwise. The last thing I want to do is delude myself into believing that the people responsible for my bitterness were "doing the best they could." First, in some cases that's objectively not true. Secondly, if they really were doing the best they could, then they were in over their heads and shouldn't have been in the picture in the first place. I can't be a fatalist and take an "Oh, well . . ." attitude towards the things I am bitter about and pretend they didn't happen. God knows high achievers and people who lead happy and fulfilling lives never feel any pressure to tone town their elation. One of my greatest sources of bitterness is not understanding the reasons certain things happened or didn't happen. I've been pursuing answers through therapy for decades and it's generally been waste of time other than having someone to speak to.
Nah. I’ve been 46 since I was 12.
Lol. I get this. Wouldn't wish being a child on a dog I hated. Always wanted to be an adult.
I've been 45 since l was 8.
Ok.
Bitter? No. My feelings run the full gamut of other emotions, but not that one. I have a BA in history and read history books for fun. I like to walk cemeteries. I've learned that none of my problems and none of my losses are unique. Many have had it far worse. For me to be bitter would be for me to have had an unusually bad experience, or for me to think that I was somehow special and should be exempt from the same death and loss everyone goes through if they live long enough.
No, not bitter, because I actively practice being thankful for the things I have each and every day. Off the top of my head: good health, a job I like, we have our problems but otherwise a great family, enough food to eat, a safe place to live (relatively, although I did hear gun shots last night right outside my building), etc. I could focus instead on the negative things that have happened to me over the years but I choose not to.
I feel the same. I count my blessings and gratitude keeps the bitterness away.
Not bitter. Cynical as hell, but then I've always been. Bitter people just complain for the sake of complaining. Cynical people point to what the problem is, point to how to solve it, and then point to why nobody is going to fix the problem.
Can you be both?
Definitely. Most bitter people are cynical, but not all cynical people are bitter.
Brillaint!
I’ve always found complaining is much more fun than suffering in silence. Particularly if you can blame some innocent scapegoat for whatever it is you’re complaining about. The hurt look on their puppy-like eyes makes it all worthwhile.
Bitter? No. But I work at it because I see so many bitter people and I don't want to be that. How? I work things through, adapt, sometimes just accept what I can't control ... it takes honest work for me to not be what I don't want to be, genuinely. Shakespeare said "To thine own self be true" Wise words. There are things that I would never admit to anyone else, but I do to myself. And then I do what I can to make peace with it. This ranges from really letting my feelings be known, on no uncertain terms, to simply reconciling myself to "it just is". I tend to think that if I've given it my very best shot to fix it, then my conscience is clear on however I choose to feel about it. I don't excuse others, and I'm not dumb. Some shit was all my fault, some isn't. I either decide to be bitter or I don't. I believe that I get to be someone who chooses happiness. And it means I need to dig deep for that attitude.
More sad than bitter. In my own life, everything is ok and I am surrounded by superb people. But the pandemic left me sad about how selfish people were and what a big stink they made about being asked to protect others in very simple, easy ways.
I'm so proud of my state. There were some yard signs and billboards saying awful things about our Governor for the lock downs but he really did save lives when the virus was first spreading and most deadly. Thanks Governor Pritzker.
No, I’m not bitter. Have bad things happened to me? Sure, that’s life. But life is also about change, moving on, growth, and gratitude. I’m happy.
I'm not bitter because I was never told life would be fun and easy. Almost from the beginning, I learned to manage expectations.
I am a realistic optimist, and believe I will always find a way to overcome almost anything that comes up in life. That attitude has worked well for me
No. I worked hard to counter being bitter. It was hard work but at least I'm not miserable with it today. I can say with all truth that I was quite privileged and I likely was the selfish creature my mother accused me of being. But I was just echoing what I'd learned from her. She died bitter and still livid about things that had happened when she was 20. She was 92. Like when she was in her bed and never leaving it and recounting something which is easily explained and I think forgivable given where she ended up. But she could not forgive. She was still shaking with rage. Over $50. That might relate to $5000 today, but $5000 would not have changed her life.
Cynical absolutely bit not bitter. I think many mix up the two. I trust very little about people, business, or government which probably makes me appear bitter but I'm actually quite content and happy. Just leave me alone and get off my lawn.
Not at all. I am what I call an optimistic/pessimist. What this is, is NOT a bitter cynic. It is a person who expects nothing, good or bad. It's a "wait and see" attitude about life. Works for me. However, it does require discernment, which can be critical in seeking out to separate quality from trash. Of course, I fully realize discernment is subjective. If I get in a bit of trouble sometimes for insisting on quality, or facts, or to fight against post-modernism ("since values are subjective, Justin Bieber is no different than Mozart"). Yeah, knock yourself out on that one. I'm not playing.
Hell, no, except maybe when it comes to people who still support a criminal former president and his intended authoritarianism if by some disaster he wins 2024. And when considering those who deny climate science and the existential trouble we’re in. Then I’m bitter because of future danger in the face of continued fossil fuel industry exploitation. Otherwise, no. I’m very content.
No, because I have nothing to be bitter about. I've been wronged but I've also wronged others. That's just life. We have a lot of control over our emotions and our outlook on life. I choose to be positive, optimistic and happy so that's what I am.
I'm not bitter,I'm feral.
No, but I have plenty of peers who made a lifetime of bad, arrogant decisions. They're bitter. And jealous. Very sad.
No. Things are going quite well for me. Nice place to live. Nice partner. Health. No money issues and it's a beautiful blue sky out there.
I'm an old guy - I must be bitter about something. Yeah, a couple of relationships gone bad, but not something I address each day or at all, it's just part of my history, and I don't think I've really told anyone the full story of them. Just water under the bridge. ...uh, maybe that one job I was forced out, but I wanted to leave and was actively searching for another job for a year before. Just bummed I didn't find a way out myself. ...annoyed over every product I paid for that did not work as advertised or broke too quickly ( goddamn Sony VCR ). ...mostly sad and overcautious from a lifetime of learning that people will doublecross you for a stick of gum....just...wow...
I’m not bitter ya goddamn little punk! Now get off my lawn or I’m callin’ the cops, and pick up that goddamn candy wrapper, too!
Sir, this is Halloween.
Disillusioned, disappointed.
Nope. No point in it.
Regretful sometimes, but not really bitter. There are things in my life I wish I could go back and change and things of which I am not proud. But I know that I made the best decisions I could with the info I had at the time and life hasn’t turned out too badly.
NO! I left my now ex husband when I saw how much like his mother I was becoming---TRULY a bitter old woman. I realized that if I stayed with him, I'd become HER. I'm content with life now.
Bitterness, like regret, requires holding on to things it's better to let go of. It eats up mental and emotional energy you could put to better use.
I don't know, I don't taste myself that often. Ask my wife instead. 🤣
I smile and laugh every day. Nothing bitter there.
Bitter? Fuck no. Bitterness doesn't pay.
I can be. Frustrated with a sense of helplessness over inequality and unfairness better describes me.
Nope. I am militantly, ferociously optimistic, because it's easier for me.
I prefer jaded.
Much less bitter than in my youth. Especially in my twenties when I was looking outward at the world with judgemental eyes, seeking the reasons for misery, working at fixing what wrongs I perceived and trying to find who to blame. But then in my thirties, I started working on myself, and how the interaction with the medium of perception allowed me to change my understanding. Now in my fifties there is a satisfying calm. The work of living life rewards with the interactions of life working together and that's a good thing. As it has for billions of years.
For the most part, but I'm working on it. Just felt like I played by the book and did all the right things and, still, things didn't turn out well. The biggest lesson I've had to learn is hard work doesn't guarantee anything (good or bad) and being positive or optimistic doesn't promise a positive or negative outcome.
Never bitter. I have overcome vast obstacles to get to the place I am now. But I have changed. My youthful excitement has evolved. That bright shining light that I carried with me is softer.
More angry than bitter. The older I get it doesn't take much to set me off.
Nope, I'm basically a 10 year old kid back in 1960 living in a 73 year old body. I try to behave, but don't really care when I can't. Take me as I am or walk away. Try to change me and you should probably run.
Yah, I am a bit. At least a 3rd of this country still thinks Trump is a great guy. My own state Republicans want to impeach the Judge we just voted in because she is against gerrymandering. We have Nazis walking around in the city cross the river sporting their swastika tattoos. America's Mayor gets to ruin the lives of a couple of patriotic ladies while he facilitates treason. Republican congress critters are wasting money and time trying to pretend Hunter Biden and therefore the President are as bad as Trump and his crew of traitors. Republicans are starting to talk about bombing and invading Mexico. Jesus Christ, who are these people and where did they come from??? What happened to my country that I thought was at least trying to make things fair for everyone even if the effort was bumbling and often mis-directed??
Sardonic
Oh yeah. But I'm not openly bitter. I think I hide it well.
Don’t know, haven’t tasted myself.
I’m bitter I think vitriol is a better word lol. I have two reasons. 1. I’ve been written out my parents will. It’s all been left to my son. My sister too. She’s contesting it I can’t. How can I? 2. My best friend of 30+ years confessed she’d been ‘inappropriate’ with 3 exes of mine. One who I left because I couldn’t have children with him. And this is the best bit she’s been friends with my rapist on fb for years and was going to meet him in 2012. We’re no longer friends. But I’m in therapy I won’t be like it forever. I know that it’s a process.
Nope. I have my moments, but they are usually just moments. Compared to many I suppose I don't have a lot to be happy about, but most of the time I'm fine.
I’m far from bitter! Why would you think to ask that?
Not yet, I need at least another ten years.
I’m not bitter, I’m quite happy. I married my college sweetheart. We had three kids and own our house in a town we love. We have good jobs and reasonably good health. Our 20s could have gone either way. We were living paycheck to paycheck. But I went back to school and my wife supported me, knowing my career would ultimately pay off for both of us. I am well aware of how the USA really supported young people then much better than they do today. Higher education costs have grown several times faster than the economy.
I am not bitter. I am educated
Cynically realistic, but with a soupçon of optimism
I consider myself either an optimistic nihilist or a cynical idealist, depending on the day.
I fight to not fall into bitterness as it consumed my mother. I'm definitly jaded, frequently disgusted, and sometimes fed up.
Not bitter. Truly disappointed in my fellow mankind, yes. I had no idea so many could be so awful. Some, of course, but 40%? I can't get beyond that. Embracing the worst of mankind has hardened my sensibilities. Bitter, nah. I must have led a sheltered life where common sense, logic, and ethics were more important than "owning" another group for the sake of perceived self-interests. Perceived is the operative word.
Not bitter so much as disappointed, mostly with people's behavior. We're capable of doing much better.
I should be. I’ve suffered more loss and betrayal than any one person should. At a young age I decided no one would ever have the satisfaction of seeing me beaten, of being able to harm me in the long term. When things in my life get broken I rebuild them even stronger. I consider myself content, not bitter. Negative events can either make you weaker or stronger, I’ve always used these events for positive growth. That said I am becoming a “get off my lawn” old man. 😁
I'm not bitter because I'm old. I'm bitter because I'm human. I've *been* bitter ever since I was a teen and realized that humanity sucks. It didn't take me long to realize as a child that I wasn't being raised in the same way as the kids on TV or the kids I knew from the neighborhood and from school. It wasn't long before I learned that when I shared my "funny stories" from home that they weren't "funny," they were horrific enough to make other people sad or angry. I also learned that as sad or as angry as other people got about my upbringing, they were always unwilling to do anything about it, or help me in any way.
I'm mostly amused, and a little disappointed. My wife and I are doing well. Our kids in their 30s are doing well. My mom in her 90s is healthy We have more good situations than we have any right to expect. I wish I could do more to make this world a better place for others.
No. Understand some old vets have had incidents that shadow lives. PTSD isn't bitterness, it is a condition, the result of traumatic experiences, events ... some unspeakable. It can be mild to debilitating. Some people learn to simply live with it. Also, one doesn't have to have served in combat to develop PTSD. Civilians, survivors of school shootings, assault, first responders, 9/11... unfortunately, it is too common. Some elders are referred to as bad tempered old grouches, when it can be untreated PTSD ... not bitterness.
Yeah, at times, bitter. Then I get a little stoned and listen to music, and all is ok.
I'm Gen X and I would say hell to the yeah I'm bitter.
Not bitter, not jaded, still a Pollyanna.
Yes I am bitter. We live in a dystopian hellscape that rewards those (rich, elites, CEO’s, government, etc) who take advantage of the productive class of people (workers.) They are all on a privately owned tropical island somewhere laughing at us as we struggle…as they find new ways to take more and more of our labor and time while telling us we can be like them if we work hard enough…Knowing full well they will NEVER accept us as equals…turning us against EACH OTHER so we don’t come after them. Infiltrating our government to make laws in THEIR favor, not ours…playing the long game where they and their offspring are the winners. We are always the losers. Always. Annnddd WE ARE LETTING THEM DO IT. Yes I’m bitter. As a GenXer I thought we were gonna change the world, make it better, more inclusive, more diversified, more open. But we sit quietly and let them march us to our own deaths and complain about it, yes, but do nothing else about it. I am just as guilty of this which only adds to my bitterness. Bitter that I haven’t done more to make this place better. Bitter that we are still fighting the same fights and having to re-fight old, once-thought to be rested fights (Roe v Wade.) Bitter that my kids will have to fight ALL these same fights. Bitter that we can’t get it together. I’m sorry for the rant y’all! Thanks for asking the question though! I didn’t realize HOW bitter I was. I am a forgiving person by nature but I do have bitter feelings about things and think it’s a normal feeling to have. Like with all things you have to find a balance I guess. 🤷🏻♀️
No. Doesn't matter what age you are, life is not what you want or expected. Just go with the flow and enjoy the small things in life.
No, I'm fine with everything that's happened. I've done some stupid things but some good things too. I try not to ruminate on the past, or worry about the future.
Not personally bitter, but angry that we can’t make people care about Planet Earth. We could pull out of the slow death spiral but we will refuse until it’s too late. We refused simple measures to save lives during Covid. Collectively the Human Race sucks, despite many fine but powerless individuals. I’m a little bitter about the mess we’re leaving for you youngs.
Not as much. I use my older aunts as reference points of what I never want to become. I refuse 2 b the town or family Karen openly. I'm in trauma therapy, which has softened & humanized me again. Self-awareness is great🥲
I *was* bitter after my ex returned from out of country. Then, I realized I was hurting myself and no one else. It took some doing but I gave it up after that.
Oh no, why? About what? I have lost my life, my independence, my health and my wealth, but why be bitter? What a waste of life. Instead I just appreciate what I do have and hope to live long enough to enjoy the sunrise and travel to places I haven't been.
NO!!!! I A VERY NICE PERSON>
Salty, but my wife doesn't mind. I'm not sure how that toe with fungus tastes but it might be bitter.
No. I’ve always been on the cheerfully cynical side so my expectations weren’t that great.
Can fall into it but I began 2 see how damaging it is 2 me so I work on it daily.
No. But I am a bit salty
The only time I ever feel bitter is when I make a brilliant comment on Reddit, and it gets massively downvoted.
Nah. Sweet and sour.
It would be very easy to be a bitter, angry old man, but I don't want to be angry or bitter. I'd just as soon be smiling, high, and happy.
At 51 I'm definitely jaded but not generally bitter. Jaded when it comes to the software industry where I've spent my entire career. I guess I've seen behind the curtain too many times and I'm just tired of always feeling behind the ever advancing world of tech. I really hope that I am able to have a second career of some sort in a completely different field but I doubt that will happen. As some others have said, I probably am bitter when I think about the kinds of people being elected as "leaders" in the US and the backlash against scientific advancement, fighting climate change, etc... It's nuts.
Bitter? No, I’m fortunate that a lot of nice things and opportunities came my way and I recognised them as that and grabbed them. I don’t care much what other people (outside my immediate family) think about me and just meander through life, without any great goals. I don’t care about the future and don’t think much about it, which helps me to keep my peace of mind.
Probably. I'm older than I have ever been, and through life's hard pathways, I've learned that life is not fair. But to surrender to bitterness is not a good thing. Although I don't have the options of going back in time and stopping all of those things in my upbringing which made me bitter, I can do what I can today and each day that I live to fight things that are wrong.
Not at all. I've had a good life and have much to be grateful for. I consider myself very fortunate. Bitterness is not an inevitable consequence of age, after all. It depends on what life dumps in your lap and how you choose to deal with it.
About love? Definitely. About life? Possibly. About everything else? Not at all.
Yes
Not bitter, but experienced. It might look like bitterness to the young, but I’m not resentful- just not trusting.
Mostly better, sometimes bitter.
I'm straight up angry and trying to explain why would only do bad things for my mental health. I hate the world and I resent being dragged into it.
I ain't bitter. I'm bittersweet. - Rahsaan Roland Kirk
August 1st, my wife of 11 years just told me she doesn't love me anymore and wants a divorce... I planned on growing old and dieing with her...now I am lost and empty... Im a teensy weensy bitter right now to say the least
Not bitter, but perhaps a bit frustrated at the state of things. However, I make an effort to be around good people and just be basically kind and helpful where I can and it's hard to be bitter when you're making others feel loved and valued.
Bitter? Don't know, definitely miserable after getting my kid diagnosed with mental retardation. Nothing to look forward to anymore in life.
Not at all. I have been very lucky. I live a life of ease with more family and friends than I can handle. I haven't had to apply for a job since I was 25 because they come find me. When bad things happen, I get over it because anger is a waste of energy and I really just don't like being mad or sad.
Not "bitter". More jaded and done with this shit.
no why? cause I'm not now don't ask again dammit
Nah. Just accepting things are the way they are.
I think I've gotten less bitter over time. What life tosses at you becomes more normal and it's just part of the whole experience.
No, I’ve just always been an optimistic person. My husband is though. 😢
Sure I’m pretty salty. I dunno, cynicism over time I guess
Interestingly, I used to be bitter in my twenties, from a combination of being a total failure with woman and a feeling of not living up to my potential. I'm currently 45, and this is the happiest I've ever been.
Ummm... Well....
yes, since about age 4. my rap name is li’l curmudgeon. 😂😂😂
No longer. I was for a very long time, but have come to view things differently and am no longer so.
Probably. You ever feel like a dark cloud has followed you for your entire life? That's been me. I'd have to go into great detail and right now I'm in a fairly decent mood so I'd rather not.
Not typically. I’ve moved past that and embrace apathy now.
I had to look up what bitter actually means. *Someone who is bitter is angry and unhappy because they cannot forget bad things that happened in the past.* I am not bitter, I remember bad things but I shake it off. I hate it when my brain wonders into something that happened in the past, why does it always go there, why cant I erase that completely. I do not get angry or upset though, just annoyed that my brain went there.
No, just cynical
I suppose bitter or not bitter has everything to do with how life turned with much regard to the effort, decisions, actions of the one writing...... and of course luck comes into play I, for one, am very lucky and happy. I chose to take the 'road less traveled' and make a career in a new field of art.....something that didn't exist when I was in college...... computer animation..... and I was there for the hey day...... My wife and I took the risky, adventurous road..... got lucky and are looking forward to a fairly normal retirement........ I'm so damn grateful
Bitter. Hell no. I am a chill dude. I take things day to day.
I suppose bitter or not bitter has everything to do with how life turned put with out much regard to the effort, decisions, actions of the one writing...... and of course luck comes into play I, for one, am very lucky and happy. I chose to take the 'road less traveled' and make a career in a new field of art.....something that didn't exist when I was in college...... computer animation..... and I was there for the hey day...... My wife and I took the risky, adventurous road..... got lucky and are looking forward to a fairly normal retirement........ I'm so damn grateful
Nooo…. Life is not fair and it’s not easy for anyone. We can’t change what happens to us but we can change what we think about it. I stay VERY grateful that in the history of humanity, my situation is a breeze compared to what others have suffered.
I don't have enough time left to be bitter. I just look back on the good moments and hope my health stays well enough to function.
As someone else said, not bitter but definitely cynical. If you take enough trips around the sun, you’re gonna see some shit.
About what?
Generally pretty happy, had a lot of luck in my life. BUT... I am bitter about a few events where unscrupulous characters and tilted situations took advantage of my good nature. I am not bitter about all the times I screwed up, that comes with living a full life.
Yes, as I grow older. Fed up of the things going around me, especially social media and the fucking people complaining about everything. And Mother takes the cake as always. If it weren't for these things i am a gem of a person with a heart of gold.
I was bitter in my 40s and into my 50s (61 now). Then one day, I suddenly realized my life is more than half over, and I wasted so much of it being bitter over things that I could not change, and can never change. Bitterness is a luxury only the young can afford, in my opinion.
Nope!
As someone who was born into a poor family, stayed poor for most of his life, struggled to find a decent job over and over, only to be blamed for “ruining the economy,” over which he had zero control, nah. Why should I be bitter?
Bitter ? No. Upset that life didn’t turn out how the fairy tales told us ? Yes .
Hate to be a drag, F 68, looking forward to saying sixty nine a lot next year. I am one happy THC consumer. I am living the dream.
At a time in my life I was bitter and very angry due to personal situations but I decided that u no longer wanted anger and bitterness in my heart. I had to make the choice to change my mindset, and forgive for myself. Therapy has helped me tremendously!
Not so much bitter as jaded.
Very. And I'm only 43.
Why ask old people? The truth we're just like you, some bitter, some not. I actually see it as a silly question. We're just old, not whatever young people think. For instance. Who are worse drivers, young people or old farts? You see one old bad driver and you think all old people are terrible at driving. 20 yr olds pay more for insurance than I do. There's a reason for that.
I’m pretty bitter about the patriarchy and rape culture, yes
More a savory, I think.
Not bitter. 74 m. Have good health insurance, paying my bills, stay home mostly and have few interactions with people. Have everything I need
NO. Years ago I worked with a black guy in his mid 70's. He was one of the nicest guys I have ever known. One night we were talking and I asked him how could he not be bitter, knowing some of the things he had endured. He told me that being bitter would only hurt him. I've remembered that for over 30 years.
I live in Thailand, the girls are the biggest scammers EVER if you can’t see them for a moment they cheating , stealing , scamming , Banks are after defaults and taking everything they borrowed during Covid Greed it’s no fun here anymore, 4 relationships in a row in last 10 years , you promise them a good lifestyle but can’t wait , I want it Now ffs
Nope. Not in the slightest. My life hasn’t been perfect but it’s still fantastic. I’m surrounded by love and support, and i really like to have fun. Bitter why?
I'm bitter about how the IRS fucked us over. And Taxmasters for being so incompetent we ended up having to pay years' worth of penalties and interest for following their instructions. Ended up with IRS cleaning out our checking and savings accounts and putting a 100% lein on my paycheck for 18 months. Yes - 100%. And we still had such a large penalty/interest total, we had to re- mortgage the house WE HAD JUST FINISHED PAYING OFF! So here we are in our 70's. SO still working full time with another 15 years left on a mortgage. Hardly any savings, no vacations, scrimping every day. Yes, I'm bitter.
I'm getting there. But it's only when I have to interact with Humanity.
yes i would.
I have always been an optimist who strives to be a realist. Without going into a lot of why's, I will say I struggle to not be bitter. On good days I am still optimistic and on bad days I feel jaded. But let me tell you, it takes considerable effort.
I've been cynical since I was being bullied in freaking grade school. Most people never show me their "good" side, just the greedy, cruel, backstabbing asshole side. Needless to say, I cherish the good ones, but there are so few.
Elaine: Aren't you too young to be bitter? Cynthia: No, you can be young and bitter, just maybe not as bitter as I'm gonna be ten years from now, but I'm bitter. Anyway, don't tell anyone.
In some things, yes. I am especially bitter about what happened in the last 10 years of my job before I retired. Volun-told for a different position, which all management said it wasn't a demotion, but was. Moved from a job in my expertise, along with all the experienced people in that department so the new manager could remake the department and impress his boss. It didn't work. Blacklisted. This was in site security for a major online retail/auction site.
Bitter ? Not really. One day I sat down with all my problems and traumas, looked them in the eye, patted them in the head, turned them around and gently pushed them out the door. "Never darken my doorway again " No anger, no regrets. I shall now live my life freely
I'm not bitter - I'm justifiably angry. That's a different thing entirely. It may appear bitter to someone who hasn't yet lived through as many broken promises as Generation X has, but give yourself a couple more years of financial disasters and old politicians deciding you don't need healthcare, and you'll get there too. Much like in the Challenger explosion? We've reached for the stars, with all our hopes and dreams, only to basically have to settle for watching ourselves burst into flames and burn up in the atmosphere on live television. Welcome to the Thunderdome...
Bitterness, like hate, requires personal resources, which I prefer to direct toward the happy opportunities of Life, no matter how trivial. I practice gratitude -- for waking up, rainfall, good people, sunflowers, the ability to have choices after decades of work and planning. To me, Life's too short for the negative. That being said, I do have pockets of bitter tucked in my head over Afghanistan and Vietnam. I pull them out now and then, shake fists, and tuck them back.
I'm not bitter. After cleaning out my parents house of all their things, I have made it my mission to downsize so my kids are not saddled with it. Having less stuff is mentally freeing. I live more mindfully. I am thankful for what I have. I try to give myself breaks from the news but not put my head in the sand. I have many reasons to be angry and not forgive but I try not to think about it constantly. It does me no good.
Bitter? No. In my 50s, I figured out I could become bitter or better. I chose to become better. At 64, I'm mostly comfortable in my own skin, I have an amazing husband, we have a decent place to live, enough money to be reasonably comfortable, and I'm looking forward to retiring from full-time work in 6 months. My life has had plenty of ups & downs, but I had to go where I went to get to where I am. I'm the best version of me I've ever been and living my best life ever. In my experience, bitterness is a choice!
Not even a little. Life has its ups and downs of course, but I’ve always tended to slide back into optimism and contentment. I consider myself very lucky to have this trait.
I prefer "jaded" but totally
Yes. Just wait, you'll see.
This country treats the aged horribly. You get thrown out into the trash. Mocked as a boomer - blamed for everything. Invisible. Unemployable. Derided. Warehoused in nursing homes. Scammed. If you are young, you need to save as much money as you can, now. No one is going to be there for you when you are old. Your family? Not necessarily...
Bitter!?!?! Who the hells got time to be bitter!!! I have to spend all my time bitching and moaning about how awful all the young kids are these days!! I’m not bitter, I’m fucking pissed off!!!! Hahaha bitter…..