Lived Experience Forum

[Jlol]

Sorry. Incoming rant.

This year, at my job, I've earnt almost 2 and a half times as much as I did than before the pandemic. I'm a white collar professional with tertiary education and close to 15 years work experience. Apart from a mortgage I've never been in debt (never even owned a credit card), never bought anything beyond my means ($3000 cars, 2nd hand furniture), and never had any costly addictions like gambling, smoking or drugs. I don't have children or financially support anyone.

I always thought, in this area of my life, I worked damn hard and did everything by the book.

Then why the hell do I find myself crashing on couches with nowhere to live?

If I'm doing it this tough I can't even imagine how others are coping.

It feels as soon as we (the middle and lower classes) get even slightly ahead in life the powers that be (the rich) snatch it away by moving the goalposts.

"Oh look, people can finally afford a home because the interest rates are below 2%? Better jack it up to 6+! Can't have the plebs not renting!".

"Oh look, people are finally getting a slight pay rise after 10 years of wage stagnation? Better call to layoff 100,000 people!"

Look, I know the RBA does these things in a effort to tackle inflation. But they've only got the one tool of interest rate changes to do this. And I'm meant to believe this one tool just coincidentally doesn't affect the rich "landed gentry" upper crust nearly as much as the rest of us?

Hell, if you've got a mortgage then a good chunk of your mortgage repayments are going straight into the bonus interest rates of Term Deposit Accounts which usually make up part of managed investment portfolios - you're all but just handing your money over to the rich. How am I expected to believe the system is fair when there is all but a direct line of sight from my bank account into the investment portfolios of the 1%?

So, honestly, what's the point of even trying?

[Melbcoffeesnob]

Hi @Jlol 

These are challenging times we are living in that's for sure. The cost of living has become atrociously expensive, everything rises, yet not our incomes.

Going down the rabbit hole of what we cannot change with this economy is something all of us tend to do quite easily, don't we? It's easy to do and harder to get out of.

I just know people are facing homelessness in the region and it's a terrible situation. 

I hope you are managing ok?

We will get through this xx

[chibam]

@JlolWe're in a real mess, aren't we? Not enough jobs, not enough good jobs, and not enough houses/apartments. And to cap it all off, an apparent shortage of construction workers to build the new houses we need, too. I don't know why the government doesn't just hire the unemployed & homeless people to fill those vacancies. Then get them to build houses for themselves, along with all the other homeless people to boot.

Mind, that sill doesn't address the problems of finite water and energy supplies.

And maybe another major problem is that you don't really hear about people rooming together anymore. Back in the late 90s, Friends was the standard blueprint for what we could expect from young adulthood; creating a new family of our own with a half dozen or so people of our own age group and a kindred spirit. But now, everybody seems to want to live all alone, except perhaps for a romantic partner. So instead of needing 1 apartment for 6 people, we now need 6 apartments for those same 6 people = housing shortage.

As for money... the more I hear, the more confused I am about whether the poor have it any better then the rich, or vice-versa. The mainstream narrative is that everything gets better when you get a job (like you apparently do) and have money. But then I've been hearing so many stories like yours from people who have the jobs and are making the money, but their lives are still miserable; for financial reasons. That being said, at least the employed have their work "families" that they get to be with.

[NatureLover]

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@Jlol wrote:

Then why the hell do I find myself crashing on couches with nowhere to live?

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I'm very sorry to hear this @Jlol  😢

Sending wishes you can find somewhere to live very soon...

[Jomo]

I am so your team. The system is rigged and it's getting worse. "What's the point in even trying?" you asked. I might have missed it, but did you say what you were trying to do? Because  I can't help with beating the system or if you are talking about improving your mental health. 

If you are talking about "what's the point in trying to achieve a contented life?", then my view would be: we deserve to be free, and we may sometimes, for a little while at least, catch a moment that seems to make it all worthwhile (if averaging it out, as if we could), a cliched sunrise, a belly laugh, your (my) cat looking up adoringly, a walk in the rainforest with leaves dripping rain from a sun shower, the sound of the sea lapping against the hull of the boat you're below deck on, lying on the bed reading with a slab of sunlight warms your skin... anyway, you get the idea. The point of trying is both despite and in spite of the system we have no control over. 

I'm autistic and may have missed the questio entirely 🙂 if so, please disregard. 

[Jlol]

" did you say what you were trying to do?"

Haha yeah I didn't answer that did I.

I guess I mean putting in effort at work and life in general. I worked hard at my job and learning things yet I'm in the same position I was when I was a student at TAFE.

So what was the point of me completing TAFE, working my ass off, learning new skills on the job and throwing myself into projects?