How does one become a crotchety old man?

earllogjam

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Were these guys crotchety young men?

Crotchety - meaning a cranky, ill-tempered, sour, and crusty person.

If they weren't always that way what made them so bitter. I'm trying my damndest to avoid that road to curmudgeonville but I can see it coming sometimes.

Help.
 

Mem

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Were these guys crotchety young men?

Crotchety - meaning a cranky, ill-tempered, sour, and crusty person.

If they weren't always that way what made them so bitter. I'm trying my damndest to avoid that road to curmudgeonville but I can see it coming sometimes.

Help.

They were probably miserable and angry when they were younger. With time they got more resentful as to how their life turned out. Seeing signs towards becoming one is a good sign that you can choose not to be a crotchety old man.
 

monstro

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I believe most crotchety old men were idealists when they were young and become crotchety as a result of disappointments in their lives.

Or something.
 

viking1

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Were these guys crotchety young men?

Crotchety - meaning a cranky, ill-tempered, sour, and crusty person.

If they weren't always that way what made them so bitter. I'm trying my damndest to avoid that road to curmudgeonville but I can see it coming sometimes.

Help.

Perfect description of me. Being very disappointed with life will make you that way, and I am very much disappointed. There is no hope, and it will only get worse.

I guess I was sort of an idealist. The world isn't ideal, though, is it?
I just have a hard time with the way things are in this world. I am so sick of it all I could just scream. I wish I had never been born...
 

MASSIVEPKGO_CHUCK

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Were these guys crotchety young men?

Crotchety - meaning a cranky, ill-tempered, sour, and crusty person.

If they weren't always that way what made them so bitter. I'm trying my damndest to avoid that road to curmudgeonville but I can see it coming sometimes.

Help.
Include misanthropic, and you've got Dr Rock's signature profile.
 

earllogjam

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A good question for the recently departed curmudgeon who named a website after himself.

LOL, I was wondering why you never did migrate. Curmudgeon allergy?

Perfect description of me. Being very disappointed with life will make you that way, and I am very much disappointed. There is no hope, and it will only get worse.

I guess I was sort of an idealist. The world isn't ideal, though, is it?
I just have a hard time with the way things are in this world. I am so sick of it all I could just scream. I wish I had never been born...

Nah Viking, you aren't crotchety. You have a good heart. The world isn't ideal, yeah, but I guess you just decide how much it is going to let it affect you. You can create for yourself pockets of idealism to get through all the drudge. That's why people do drugs, drink and have sex.

Include misanthropic, and you've got Dr Rock's signature profile.

He is perhaps the youngest, old crotchety fart I can think of. Or was his profile age fictional?
 

njreg

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I'm of the opinion that crotchety old men become that way by choice. Yeah, it sounds strange, but they have the choice to change as young men. Why bitch and moan about something when you aren't willing to change it?

Several years ago, a friend told me "You create your own happiness." It was a real eye-opener for me and made me do some serious thinking. After a couple years, I realized I was in a comfortable position financially to do something about it. I quit my job and moved to NYC to attend graduate school.

For you complainers out there, your change need not be as drastic as mine, but just do something to "shake things up," so to speak. Take a vacation, take a class, anything to get you out of your routine. Who knows, you just might find something to be happy about.

Meanwhile, quit complaining about your life. If you're not willing to do something positive about it, then shame on you.
 

sdbg

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I've had a goal all my life that I did not want to be a nasty, old fart when I got older. Well, it seems that I got my wish. At 56 1/2 as of today, I have to say that I'm a very positive, upbeat guy. I'm friendly, outgoing, and usually the first to smile when I make eye contact with people. I've been reasonably fanatical about what I eat since my early 20s. I'm physically active - just rode the Rosarito to Ensenada 50 mile bike ride last Saturday. I like current music as well as the older stuff. I have 2 friends that I've known for 25 - 30 years and all they want to do is sit around and drink beer and smoke pot. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a prude. A little partying is okay, but you have to balance it out with some serious exercise. When I meet other people my age I feel blessed to be me.
 

SpoiledPrincess

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I think people's personalities are set at a very early age and it's very very hard to change the basics of what you are, so I think a miserable whiny young person will grow into a miserable old git although they'll probably enjoy their crabbiness more as they get older.
 

IntoxicatingToxin

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Were these guys crotchety young men?

Crotchety - meaning a cranky, ill-tempered, sour, and crusty person.

If they weren't always that way what made them so bitter. I'm trying my damndest to avoid that road to curmudgeonville but I can see it coming sometimes.

Help.

We actually learned a little bit about this in Psychology class... as a person gets older, their crystallized learning grows, while their fluid learning decreases... which basically means, they are still capable of learning new concrete facts. But, they lose the ability (or the ability at least gets a lot slower) to make new decisions or to learn how to do things a new way. So, because learning new ideas takes so much time for them and is so difficult, they just base their thoughts and ideas and activities on previous behaviors and experiences from their life. It's actually a neurological thing that happens in their brains as neurons start dying. Kinda neat.
 

viking1

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Nah Viking, you aren't crotchety. You have a good heart. The world isn't ideal, yeah, but I guess you just decide how much it is going to let it affect you. You can create for yourself pockets of idealism to get through all the drudge. That's why people do drugs, drink and have sex.

Maybe that's the problem. I have never done drugs or been drunk. I've never had sex either. (Unless masturbation counts). Maybe I should go to the liquor store, the local "house of ill repute" (that's probably the only way), and the local drug dealer. Maybe that WOULD help. Think I should try that???
 

earllogjam

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Maybe that's the problem. I have never done drugs or been drunk. I've never had sex either. (Unless masturbation counts). Maybe I should go to the liquor store, the local "house of ill repute" (that's probably the only way), and the local drug dealer. Maybe that WOULD help. Think I should try that???

Most definitely - YES. At least the sex part. LOL :smile:
 

Ethyl

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Bitterness results from the "agony of defeat" in life. Those who cannot see the bright side of life, the good in any person, hope for the future.

Having been through my own school of hard knocks, I know how easy it is to allow pessimism to fester until it becomes a way of life. Learning to accept the rough areas in life, the heartbreak, frustration and anger made the good times all the more precious to me. Unfortunately some people choose to see that the difficult times made the good ones less so. I refuse to do that; it cheapens every potentially good experience and would make me the curmudgeon i've insisted I would never become

Life is hard but it is also full of beauty. Appreciating both is key to survival in my book.
 

simcha

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OK, so I'm not "old" yet. Can I be crotchety? Sometimes. I find that when I don't take enough breaks to get out and experience the "other side of life" I become more bitter.

What I mean is, that I've been on vacation with my Mom and Brother visiting me since Wednesday of the week before. Before that, I was on the "stress train." My job is extremely stressful and emotionally draining. I hadn't had a real vacation or actual restful time off since January. I had two surgeries at the end of April/beginning of May and was off for 2 weeks because of that, but that didn't count because that just increased all my stress.

Before my family arrived (Dad is sadly gone) I was getting quite crabby and tired. I am known for having almost limitless tolerance, energy, and endurance. That was fading fast. Now during this vacation I've rested some. I've been to Alcatraz Island, Muir Woods, Muir Beach, Stintson Beach, the Presidio, Ocean Beach, Half Moon Bay, and the beautiful gardens around Lake Merritt with my Mom and Brother. We've had some wonderful meals together. I've baked some scones and banana bread. I've had time to make them lattes most mornings. Basically, I've had time to enjoy myself. I miss my family very much living over 2000 miles away from them. It's so nice to see them.

Taking a break has reminded me of why I do the work I do and why I live the life I live. It has allowed me to get re-acquainted with some of the places that really cause me joy that are very close to where I live, especially Lake Merritt. Lake Merritt is only blocks away from my apartment.

So, what I get out of this is that I need to take more regular breaks from my life. Now that I've worked over 5 years for the same agency, I earn 30 days off per year. I should take more of them instead of banking them...