FATALITY

I thought it was a joke, and then saw the actual post on LinkedIn this morning. That place is something else.

I hear you OP, but in my region (northern Spain and Portugal) you would have to reeducate 99% of the population over 40. Especially in rural areas. It was freeing living abroad in Ireland because people would actually stare at me less, even though I was a foreigner. It’s a weird cultural thing 🤷‍♀️

What are they to do?
Shrinking discretionary budget, more and more responsibilities at work (multiple roles condensed into one), and a looming sense you are easily replaceable with layoffs and AI tools.
On the other, if you are taught your only worth is your job, there is no point in exploring outside of that, and spending your energy on things that won’t make you a good worker.

I get the argument for getting a job, though. Here is my perspective: I would find something I could do part te, and that I felt was really useful. I have consideredany times working in a nursing home with elderly people - being able to help them and hopefully even bring them some joy would benefit me, because my personal sense of purpose is tied to collaborating and giving back to the community around me. Plus, it’s the type of job no one wants to do; if money weren’t an issue, and I didn’t have to put in 40+ hours a week, I would be happy to pick it up.

I took one month off on unpaid leave. Not only did it confirm that I didn’t miss a thing from my bullshit software dev job, those were 4 busy and productive weeks, with many projects I had left on hold. Plus, I felt much better in terms of health. It allowed me to taper off an SSRI. And I lost weight too!

Downvoting not because it is unpopular - I actually agree with parts of it -, but because it’s an incoherent rant fueled by anger against some “undeveloped” country where magically everyone can fix engines with a piece of string. Big “hate the global south” vibes from this one.

All it matters is I still have one more year to tell strangers I’m 27, sweet

I love the sentiment: “just don’t die because it’s awkward AF”. If “joie de vivre” doesn’t make you cling to life, there’s always social anxiety even after death 🤣

Nice misogyny you got there

ew

Are those supposed to be Leclerc and Sainz?

I would love to ditch WhatsApp, but then I wouldn’t be in touch with my family half as much, and it would be a lot more difficult to get anything done.
I am in Spain where people simply assume you have WA, and the majority of small business use it extensively.

Same energy: guy grinning over grave meme

They’re Perez’s fans, of course it doesn’t make sense.

Oh, for a change, Portugal can’t into Eastern Yurop

Yeah, they would be making decisions under too much pressure.

Exactly! Remote work available to more people would also help.
Cities are starting to feel all the same now, so I love staying rural, no food delivery, enjoying what each season brings, and buying less stuff. Cities are hot, full of cars and noise.

I don’t disagree with the sentiment of your comment, but I feel it lacks some nuance.
First of all, where are those empty houses located? A lot of the pressure is in larger urban areas: Lisboa, Porto, Braga, Coimbra. If the houses are away from an urban centre, they might as well not exist.
Portugal also has a huge emigrant community, and it’s common for emigrants to have a house back in the home country, usually in more rural areas, but not always. These houses are a little retirement plan, and tend to stay unoccupied for months or years, only used when that owner goes to Portugal on holidays, or when/if they decide to return.

I look the hotel up in Booking, and then call it directly. I am usually offered better rates for the same room over the phone.