Our world of decreasing tolerance won’t be helped by the menopause or living with teenagers, says Mariella Frostrup, who suggests a trip to the GP and an online detox
The dilemma I am trying to understand why the world I live in seems increasingly to be an angry one. Whether it’s drivers in cars, commuters on public transport, employees at utility companies, teachers at my children’s school… Everyone seems to be frazzled and ready to fight. I feel it myself. I have three teenage daughters and all they seem to do is sit on their phones and flounce around the house dropping dirty underwear as they go. If I ask them to get off their phones they treat me like I’m violating their human rights. They also complain about being exhausted all the time when all they have to do is attend school and maintain their social lives. Meanwhile, I am holding down a job, a home, a marriage, caring for my elderly dad and managing a diary for all five of us. Yet I’m never allowed a lie-in or a chance to recharge my batteries. Then, at night, I can’t tear myself away from Facebook. I know it’s natural to become baffled by the world as you get older, but I’m only just 50 and didn’t expect it to happen so soon!
Mariella replies And breathe… I don’t think we’ll need to wait for global warming to finish us off. We’re likely to overheat and self-combust long before then. Thanks for writing. I suspect you’ll have struck a chord, albeit a discordant one, with many. We do indeed live in angry times. Whether it’s the big political picture or domestic details, there seems to be endless opportunity to bicker and battle with colleagues, friends, providers of services and, of course – top of the list – our own families.
Continue reading...from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2vRpiXx
