Latest news with #GenZ'er
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Older Adults Are Sharing The Significant Lessons They Wish They'd Learned Sooner, And Younger Folks Should Take Notes
It's everyone's first time living life, meaning not everyone has it all figured out. Recently, Redditor u/Kafkaesque92 asked older adults of the Reddit community to share the lessons that took them way too long to learn or realize, and as a Gen Z'er, I'm taking some serious notes: 1."Knowing how to make money and manage money are two different things. You can make all the money in the world, but if you can't manage it, it's a futile effort." —Big-Intention8500 2."That I don't have to do what everyone else is doing to be successful. My definition of success has more to do with peace and happiness. When I realized that I could do my job from home, and be damn good at it, my peace and happiness quotient went sky high. It took me MANY years to realize that." —iheartmycats820 3."That some people just enjoy being mean. They seemingly get a charge out of it, and it has nothing to do with you. It took me a long time to realize that there are people who just straight-up enjoy hurting others, for no personal gain other than to be mean." —No_Distribution7701 4."Don't share sensitive things with people who are not going to give you the reaction you need or deserve." —shoppygirl 5."Most of your friends are really just acquaintances, and that's okay." —Imaginary-List-4945 Related: 19 "Body Changes" That Clearly Indicate A Person Is Not Young Anymore, And I'm Not Ready For This Reality 6."Not everyone has your best interest in mind. Even family members will take advantage and screw you over in a flash." —LolaLaser1355 7."You don't need the best car you can afford. A Toyota gets you to the grocery store exactly the same as a BMW." —Old-Guy1958 8."People will treat you the way you allow them to." —LonJohnson 9."'Live in the moment' is a cliché for a reason. My whole childhood, there was a poem in my bathroom about living in the moment that I often read and thought I understood. But smelling the flowers, tasting your food, and living moment to moment is really the way to inner peace." —Equivalent_Grab_511 Related: "This Actually Isn't A Necessity": Millions Of People Watched A Mom Explain How Not Buying This Super Common Household Product Has Saved Her Family Thousands 10."It is not my responsibility to fix what I did not break. It only took me 52 years to learn that lesson." —OperaGlasses1 11."Don't set yourself on fire to keep someone else warm." —Kizzy33333 12."You really can't accomplish great things by yourself. As hard as I've tried and as much as I've believed it was 'me against the world,' my greatest accomplishments required other people to help me, support me, and make some of their own sacrifices. And that's a big reason why you need to choose your friends wisely." —HustlaOfCultcha 13."That I actually DO need to fix my complex childhood trauma. It doesn't just automatically go away by being a good person." —forgiveprecipitation 14."When people show you who they are, believe them." —GoodFriday10 15."Doctors can help, but you know your body best, and you know your child the best, too. If your doctor won't listen to your concerns and observations, find one who will." —Old_Butterscotch2914 16."Great sex doesn't mean it's love." —KelK9365K "I've only just learned — at age 48 — that I really, really, really should have done 'gym stuff.' You know, building strength and muscle. When you hit your mid-40s and/or start perimenopause, your body starts to turn on you. Lower back spasms. Sciatica. Random knee pains. And it's only now I'm realizing that being a bit stronger and more muscular might have either helped prevent all this, or at least sped up my recovery. I thought I was fit and healthy enough: walked everywhere, ran around after the kids, all that. But no — turns out, you really do need to do more strength and muscle work. Once I've recovered from this latest pain in the neck, I'm going to do something about it. Hopefully, it's never too late. But seriously, if you're not already doing it, start building some strength and muscle now. It'll make middle age so much easier to deal with." —Striking-Amoeba-5563 All of these are bars, TBH. If you're an older adult, what's a lesson that took you way too long to learn or realize? Let us know in the comments, or you can drop your wisdom anonymously using the form below! Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity. Also in Goodful: 30 Absolutely Wild Medical Facts You've Probably Never Heard Of But Probably Should Hear Also in Goodful: "I Can't Wait For This To Go Out Of Style": People Are Sharing Popular Modern Trends That Are Actually Pretty Toxic Also in Goodful: 25 Life-Changing Habits People Added To Their Everyday Routines To Improve Their Lives For The Better
Buzz Feed
5 days ago
- General
- Buzz Feed
17 Life Lessons Older Adults Wish They'd Known Sooner
It's everyone's first time living life, meaning not everyone has it all figured out. Recently, Redditor u/Kafkaesque92 asked older adults of the Reddit community to share the lessons that took them way too long to learn or realize, and as a Gen Z'er, I'm taking some serious notes: "Knowing how to make money and manage money are two different things. You can make all the money in the world, but if you can't manage it, it's a futile effort." —Big-Intention8500 "That I don't have to do what everyone else is doing to be successful. My definition of success has more to do with peace and happiness. When I realized that I could do my job from home, and be damn good at it, my peace and happiness quotient went sky high. It took me MANY years to realize that." "That some people just enjoy being mean. They seemingly get a charge out of it, and it has nothing to do with you. It took me a long time to realize that there are people who just straight-up enjoy hurting others, for no personal gain other than to be mean." "Don't share sensitive things with people who are not going to give you the reaction you need or deserve." "Most of your friends are really just acquaintances, and that's okay." —Imaginary-List-4945 "Not everyone has your best interest in mind. Even family members will take advantage and screw you over in a flash." "You don't need the best car you can afford. A Toyota gets you to the grocery store exactly the same as a BMW." "People will treat you the way you allow them to." "'Live in the moment' is a cliché for a reason. My whole childhood, there was a poem in my bathroom about living in the moment that I often read and thought I understood. But smelling the flowers, tasting your food, and living moment to moment is really the way to inner peace." —Equivalent_Grab_511 "It is not my responsibility to fix what I did not break. It only took me 52 years to learn that lesson." "Don't set yourself on fire to keep someone else warm." "You really can't accomplish great things by yourself. As hard as I've tried and as much as I've believed it was 'me against the world,' my greatest accomplishments required other people to help me, support me, and make some of their own sacrifices. And that's a big reason why you need to choose your friends wisely." —HustlaOfCultcha "That I actually DO need to fix my complex childhood trauma. It doesn't just automatically go away by being a good person." "When people show you who they are, believe them." "Doctors can help, but you know your body best, and you know your child the best, too. If your doctor won't listen to your concerns and observations, find one who will." "Great sex doesn't mean it's love." —KelK9365K Lastly: "I've only just learned — at age 48 — that I really, really, really should have done 'gym stuff.' You know, building strength and muscle. When you hit your mid-40s and/or start perimenopause, your body starts to turn on you. Lower back spasms. Sciatica. Random knee pains. And it's only now I'm realizing that being a bit stronger and more muscular might have either helped prevent all this, or at least sped up my recovery. I thought I was fit and healthy enough: walked everywhere, ran around after the kids, all that. But no — turns out, you really do need to do more strength and muscle work. Once I've recovered from this latest pain in the neck, I'm going to do something about it. Hopefully, it's never too late. But seriously, if you're not already doing it, start building some strength and muscle now. It'll make middle age so much easier to deal with." All of these are bars, TBH. If you're an older adult, what's a lesson that took you way too long to learn or realize? Let us know in the comments, or you can drop your wisdom anonymously using the form below!
Buzz Feed
22-05-2025
- General
- Buzz Feed
19 Experiences From Back Then That Confuse Young Folks
The world is constantly changing, and societal norms and experiences change with it. Recently, Redditor u/pascalisntpunk asked the older adults of the Reddit Community to share the things about how the world "used to be" that younger folks would never understand, and as a Gen Z'er, some of these surely surprised me: "There was trash everywhere. Cigarette butts were practically furniture that we just understood would always be everywhere." —AllRushMixTapes "When I was a kid, corporations didn't own every store. Local families did, and the money stayed in the area. Now, every dollar goes to a rich man in another state." "Being bored. They say boredom is the only time you realize what your interests are as a kid/teen. If you're not bored, you never learn who you are and what you like doing. People who kill their potential by consuming infinite amounts of TV or media on their phone or computer are what causes these types of casualties. Of course, it's a matter of perspective." —worgenhairball01 "Darkness. Real darkness. Nowadays, if you wake up in the middle of the night, the damn clock tells you the time and there are little lights everywhere from various appliances and devices. Even when you get a drink of water, there's the stove light, computer monitor — hell, even the dishwasher has a light on it. There are lights EVERYWHERE. I kind of hate it. Remember when you turned out the bedside lamp and it would just "Sometimes, there was just no way of knowing things. You'd see an actor on a TV show and know you've seen them before, but you'd just have to wonder where because you couldn't look up their filmography." "Before everything was made of plastic, there was broken glass all the time. I think about this a lot, and I hope someone older than me can confirm." "Things took time. We mailed letters and made phone calls to a single phone in a home or business. Photos took days to develop. News arrived in the daily newspaper or at 5 p.m. on one of our three TV channels. We used paper maps to navigate; we watched movies at the theater or, years later, on late-night TV. We checked out books at the library and made travel arrangements at an agency that took days to book. It was a slower pace of life, and we accepted it." —Either_Low_60 "Silence." "I'm not quite sure how to make this point, but it was mostly mutually understood that parents had an adult life separate from their kids, and that there was some distance and privacy that benefited the kids, too. Childhood entailed more privacy for kids, I think, and working things out on one's own was just how a lot of things got taken care of. Adulthood was different, too. For adults who have kids, that seems to be the defining factor of their adulthood, and it takes a lot more time, energy, and money than it used to. And I think you can say that kids used to look more at adulthood as the thing to move toward, while adults didn't look at youth as life's peak experience." "They generally were not dressing the same way their kids dressed or doing the same sorts of activities that kids do. They weren't so focused on staying young forever. I'm not saying that one is inherently better than the other, just that there has been a real change in the meanings of childhood and adulthood (in the US, at least)."—Ahjumawi "As a child, I could look up at night and easily see the ribbon of the Milky Way stretching across the sky. Today, we're lucky if we can make out the brightest of stars." "Not knowing or caring what everybody was up to every minute of the day. You'd find out if someone was trying to get in touch with you when you'd come home at the end of the day and listen to your landline telephone's answering machine (if you even had one)." —PilotoPlayero "The joy of simplicity." "Walking into a music store and browsing the bins. Finding a unique-looking record and buying it without knowing what you might hear, then taking it home and listening to it from start to finish. There was so much good music discovered that way." —Comprehensive-Cow128 "You could do stupid shit, and there were no pictures or videos online to prove it." "Being alone, and I don't mean that in a bad way. I mean, like, going for a walk on a sunny day and being completely and utterly out of reach of anyone — it's just you, your thoughts, and maybe a book. It's not just a young person problem either; my similarly aged sisters and in-laws think it's odd that I switch my phone off, work in the garden without my phone on me, and turn it off at night." —indifferent-times "Being able to function in your everyday life without carrying around a giant cup of water." "How little outside stimulus we had and how peaceful that was. My family rarely listened to the radio. We had a record player, but only about five records. We watched TV for a couple of hours — mostly the evening news and only an hour or so of programming per day. We had a daily newspaper and books. We talked, played, did chores, rode bikes, made up games, went to the beach, and walked outside in the hills. Now, I shower with a podcast on and garden while listening to music. I sometimes wonder why I need all this in my life." —Botryoid2000 "The lack of a 24/7 news cycle and the constant drumbeat of ratings-driven negativity. The world is objectively less violent and dangerous today than it was 50 years ago, but you just try telling young folks that." Lastly: "There used to be conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans, and the two parties used to negotiate with each other and pass bipartisan bills on a regular basis." If you're an older adult, what's something about how the world used to be that younger people these days would never understand? Let us know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your thoughts using the form below!
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gen Z'ers Are Revealing How Their Lives Have Been Affected By President Trump's Policies, And They're Not Holding Back ANYTHING
In this special edition of BuzzFeed's political diaries series, we're highlighting the voices of Gen Z'ers to allow them to share their unfiltered experiences living under a second Trump administration. We recently asked Gen Z'ers in the BuzzFeed Community: How has the recent Trump era affected your life so far? Here's what they had to say: the Gen Z'er who said they got an IUD in fear of losing access to birth control under the Trump Administration: "I live in a conservative state, but I am far from conservative. I was so concerned about losing access to the birth control I've used since high school for pain, that I had to get an IUD (nothing wrong with them, but I personally never wanted to get one until I felt I had no choice). It's also really scary to see the economy getting worse so quickly, as someone who has just moved hours away from any family for work. I live alone, and it's absolutely terrifying to think about how much harder it could be to afford basic needs like groceries and rent. I am lucky to have found a job in one of the toughest times for post-grad employment. Many others don't have that same luxury. This is certainly not the life or the America I imagined for my future." the Gen Z'er who said they can "barely afford to eat" because of Trump's tariffs: "I was barely making it by financially because of my student loans, and now the tariffs have made everything so expensive, I can barely afford to eat. Also, being a woman and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I am terrified of losing my rights for just existing as I am. I have to go back on my anxiety meds because I started having attacks regularly." the young Gen Z'er who fears for their father, who is an immigrant with a green card: "I'm almost done with eighth grade, and I graduate in 2029, which means Trump will be president the entire time I'm in high school. I just feel really scared about how me and my friends will have no rights, and we'll have to spend the rest of being teenagers living in fear because of Trump. In addition, my dad is an immigrant and has a green card, but I'm really scared that he could be deported anyway, and I'd have to move away from my home and my friends and everything here I love." Related: If You're Feeling Stressed, Here Are 12 Totally Wholesome Posts To Help Uplift Your Mood the Gen Z air-traffic controller who says they have witnessed aviation safety be impacted by Trump's mass layoffs: "I am an air traffic controller in the military. The large layoffs of federal employees have caused our tower to struggle immensely as we now no longer have civilian contractors/federal employees on our teams. Overall well-being as well as aviation safety are all largely impacted by this." the trans Gen Z'er who said they were verbally attacked after being forced to update documents to their gender assigned at birth: "I'm trans, my pronouns are he/him, and my passport and license have been updated to say 'FEMALE,' under the Trump Administration. An officer pulled me over, and when he saw my license, he called me multiple slurs." Related: I Believed I Was Destined To Be A Nun. But When I Moved Into A Convent, Things Changed. the Gen Z'er whose national park internship was cancelled due to Trump's federal firings: "I had applied for many national park internships for the summer, which have now been cut because of federal funding and firings. It was supposed to be a new start for me. With the cancellation of internships and part-time jobs, and the fact that no one will hire me for a regular full-time job because my resume is too 'overqualified,' I have to live with my parents, who just moved to a different state. So I'm in unfamiliar territory, have only a part-time job after months of searching, and can barely afford rent to my parents. I'm 24." the Gen Z'er who works as a government contractor who is witnessing what they see as instability and inefficiency that the Trump admin has created: "I work at a government facility as a contractor. All my coworkers are government employees worried daily about their jobs. The contract I'm on expires in July, and usually it is a smooth transition to renew the contract, but all the uncertainty is scaring me and others on the contract. My coworkers are scared to retire or leave in the next few years, as they think their spots will never be filled. One person took the fork in the road; he leaves at the end of May, and the government has already informed his department that the position will not be refilled. Efficiency at the facility has decreased based on the daily stress and uncertainty that the administration has created. Now, all employees are getting more responsibilities and duties outside of their credentials." the pre-vet student who said their classes have been cut due to Trump's education funding cuts: "I'm a pre-vet student at a fairly well-known public university, and a couple of classes that I've really been hoping to take have been cut due to funding cuts. I don't know if they're technically necessary, but they definitely would've looked good applying to vet schools. I'm worried it'll keep happening, too. My college just voted to keep their DEI program, and while I'm definitely proud of them and (mostly) proud to attend this school, it does mean that we're going to lose a ton of funding, and that could screw up my future career prospects." the Gen Z'er struggling with the cost of living under the Trump Administration: "Moving out of my parents' home after graduation from college doesn't seem like an option anymore. Applying for jobs is hard, and I've been told it would be at this time of year, but the qualifications in certain institutions seem impossible. My time for health insurance under my family is almost up, and I need a full-time job with health benefits like I need air. It's been hard to go apartment hunting since prices keep going up, and just yesterday, I went to Food Lion and I spent nearly $40 on just eight items for one dinner. How will I provide food for myself? I don't know, it may seem like I'm complaining, but I've outgrown my home and seeing that the cost of living is going up bums me out. All these grown folks keep telling me it's normal, but to this extent???" And finally... the Gen Z college student who fears for their classmates after going through training in case ICE comes to their university: "It's really scary that my neighbors, coworkers, and classmates, people who I consider to be really great, honest, and hardworking people, face this inexplicable tragedy of democracy and fundamental human (and US) rights! It really hit me the most when my history professor (she is not a US citizen, [she's] from Hong Kong) sat us down to have the ICE chat with us. She explained that they have the right to enter the campus without permission from the state or local authorities and enter buildings and capture our fellow students. The president of the university sent out a letter instructing students to never let ANYONE into any on-campus building who looks like they aren't supposed to be there, especially if they look unsafe. It was really eye-opening and downright infuriating that these kids (I'm an older college student) have to face these horrors when they should be worrying about their next exam. NOT worrying about the possibility that they could be indirectly responsible for someone's deportation. Just blows my mind." Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Some responses have been edited for length/clarity. Boomers, we want to hear from you next! How has your life been impacted by the policies of the Trump administration? Share your story in the comments or via this anonymous Google form. Also in Goodful: I Prayed For Years That No One Would Discover The Issue With My Private Parts. Now I'm Done Hiding. Also in Goodful: "It's Soul-Crushing": People Are Revealing The TellTale Signs Someone Has Been Through A Lot Of Shit In Their Life, And Some Of These Might Surprise You Also in Goodful: 22 Cute, Happy, And Wholesome Posts I Saw On The Internet This Week That You Absolutely Need To See
Buzz Feed
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Buzz Feed
Gen Z'ers Share How Trump Has Impacted Their Lives
In this special edition of BuzzFeed's political diaries series, we're highlighting the voices of Gen Z'ers to allow them to share their unfiltered experiences living under a second Trump administration. We recently asked Gen Z'ers in the BuzzFeed Community: How has the recent Trump era affected your life so far? Here's what they had to say: There's the Gen Z'er who said they got an IUD in fear of losing access to birth control under the Trump Administration: "I live in a conservative state, but I am far from conservative. I was so concerned about losing access to the birth control I've used since high school for pain, that I had to get an IUD (nothing wrong with them, but I personally never wanted to get one until I felt I had no choice).It's also really scary to see the economy getting worse so quickly, as someone who has just moved hours away from any family for work. I live alone, and it's absolutely terrifying to think about how much harder it could be to afford basic needs like groceries and rent. I am lucky to have found a job in one of the toughest times for post-grad employment. Many others don't have that same luxury. This is certainly not the life or the America I imagined for my future." There's the Gen Z'er who said they can "barely afford to eat" because of Trump's tariffs: "I was barely making it by financially because of my student loans, and now the tariffs have made everything so expensive, I can barely afford to being a woman and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I am terrified of losing my rights for just existing as I am. I have to go back on my anxiety meds because I started having attacks regularly." There's the young Gen Z'er who fears for their father, who is an immigrant with a green card: "I'm almost done with eighth grade, and I graduate in 2029, which means Trump will be president the entire time I'm in high school. I just feel really scared about how me and my friends will have no rights, and we'll have to spend the rest of being teenagers living in fear because of Trump. In addition, my dad is an immigrant and has a green card, but I'm really scared that he could be deported anyway, and I'd have to move away from my home and my friends and everything here I love." There's the Gen Z air-traffic controller who says they have witnessed aviation safety be impacted by Trump's mass layoffs: "I am an air traffic controller in the military. The large layoffs of federal employees have caused our tower to struggle immensely as we now no longer have civilian contractors/federal employees on our teams. Overall well-being as well as aviation safety are all largely impacted by this." There's the trans Gen Z'er who said they were verbally attacked after being forced to update documents to their gender assigned at birth: "I'm trans, my pronouns are he/him, and my passport and license have been updated to say 'FEMALE,' under the Trump Administration. An officer pulled me over, and when he saw my license, he called me multiple slurs." There's the Gen Z'er whose national park internship was cancelled due to Trump's federal firings: "I had applied for many national park internships for the summer, which have now been cut because of federal funding and firings. It was supposed to be a new start for the cancellation of internships and part-time jobs, and the fact that no one will hire me for a regular full-time job because my resume is too 'overqualified,' I have to live with my parents, who just moved to a different state. So I'm in unfamiliar territory, have only a part-time job after months of searching, and can barely afford rent to my parents. I'm 24." There's the Gen Z'er who works as a government contractor who is witnessing what they see as instability and inefficiency that the Trump admin has created: "I work at a government facility as a contractor. All my coworkers are government employees worried daily about their jobs. The contract I'm on expires in July, and usually it is a smooth transition to renew the contract, but all the uncertainty is scaring me and others on the coworkers are scared to retire or leave in the next few years, as they think their spots will never be filled. One person took the fork in the road; he leaves at the end of May, and the government has already informed his department that the position will not be refilled. Efficiency at the facility has decreased based on the daily stress and uncertainty that the administration has created. Now, all employees are getting more responsibilities and duties outside of their credentials." There's the pre-vet student who said their classes have been cut due to Trump's education funding cuts: "I'm a pre-vet student at a fairly well-known public university, and a couple of classes that I've really been hoping to take have been cut due to funding cuts. I don't know if they're technically necessary, but they definitely would've looked good applying to vet schools. I'm worried it'll keep happening, too. My college just voted to keep their DEI program, and while I'm definitely proud of them and (mostly) proud to attend this school, it does mean that we're going to lose a ton of funding, and that could screw up my future career prospects." There's the Gen Z'er struggling with the cost of living under the Trump Administration: "Moving out of my parents' home after graduation from college doesn't seem like an option anymore. Applying for jobs is hard, and I've been told it would be at this time of year, but the qualifications in certain institutions seem impossible. My time for health insurance under my family is almost up, and I need a full-time job with health benefits like I need been hard to go apartment hunting since prices keep going up, and just yesterday, I went to Food Lion and I spent nearly $40 on just eight items for one dinner. How will I provide food for myself? I don't know, it may seem like I'm complaining, but I've outgrown my home and seeing that the cost of living is going up bums me out. All these grown folks keep telling me it's normal, but to this extent???" And finally... There's the Gen Z college student who fears for their classmates after going through training in case ICE comes to their university: "It's really scary that my neighbors, coworkers, and classmates, people who I consider to be really great, honest, and hardworking people, face this inexplicable tragedy of democracy and fundamental human (and US) rights! It really hit me the most when my history professor (she is not a US citizen, [she's] from Hong Kong) sat us down to have the ICE chat with us. She explained that they have the right to enter the campus without permission from the state or local authorities and enter buildings and capture our fellow president of the university sent out a letter instructing students to never let ANYONE into any on-campus building who looks like they aren't supposed to be there, especially if they look unsafe. It was really eye-opening and downright infuriating that these kids (I'm an older college student) have to face these horrors when they should be worrying about their next exam. NOT worrying about the possibility that they could be indirectly responsible for someone's deportation. Just blows my mind." Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Boomers, we want to hear from you next! How has your life been impacted by the policies of the Trump administration? Share your story in the comments or via this anonymous Google form.
