Made one more attempt at living only for others to let me down again

[KuriGohan&Kamehameha]

Y'know, I think this world is some sort of sick joke. Despite how frequently people boast, "we are living in the best period of human history" and that society as a collective is more egalitarian than ever, I don't really see this in practice.

The way that the job market/capitalism is set up gives no consideration to an individual's circumstances or how desparately they need a job. The selection process is based on the arbitrary needs of an employer, which usually boils down to either nepotistically hiring their family/friends/acquaintances, or picking the person with the highest number of qualifications regardless of whether or not these are relevant to the job itself.

Because I am so disabled, I cannot work full time, much less be able to fulfill the requirements mandated by most jobs-like standing or moving around for hours at a time. So I am very limited in what jobs I can apply for in the first place, there are only a handful of part time jobs that I'd be able to do. I try my best to apply for whatever I can, even if I may not be able to actually do the job.

I apply for dozens of jobs, and will be lucky to get even one interview. After busting my ass to get an interview for an internship, where I had to write over a page long essay to even be considered, I was rejected, because another uni student had managerial level experience and I didn't. Four years of work experience, internships, and volunteering in spite of all my sicknesses means absolutely nothing if a picture perfect candidate exists, I suppose. For an internship, at that. Internships are supposed to be about gaining work experience not having the requirements of a fucking graduate job.


I'm being forced to stay in my university degree even if the stress and expectations are about to kill me. Despite having to be dependent on others the rest of my life due to sickness, I want to have some semblance of my own income, yet this seems impossible. It will be years before I am eligible for disability benefits due to the immigration system, and even then I am likely to be denied as a result having invisible disabilites.

For a long time I've been reliant on my partner for shelter, since I don't have any family. I know I'm a burden. I want to be somewhere free of that guilt, where I don't have to be regarded as a chore and a liability. I know I am causing him pain by being here and needing help with certain things. So I have been discussing the possibility of permanently relocating to my best friend in the whole world's city.

I spent lots of time researching universities that might let me transfer into 2nd year, looking at funding opportunities, living costs, etc. The only issue is time, and finding a place to live. I am not comfortable living with random people I have never met, who may not be respectful of a disabled, autistic person. My best friend told me he loves me more than anything else in this world, we have known each other for years and we got along fantastically when we met in person.

However.. He doesn't seem to want me to live with him even though I could pay rent and there is room for an extra person, in fact, they are getting another tenant. So I am trapped between a rock and a hard place. I feel like people are playing games with me and not comprehending the dire reality of my situation. I am permanently disabled, every treatment has failed me, and there are some things I simply cannot do. I already barely scrape by in university, as I don't have the energy levels or pain tolerance to keep up with healthy people. I feel like no one is taking me seriously.

My SN is on the way, and as it stands, I am going to ctb soon. I figured I'd take one more stab at this fucked up, rigged game of life, but that requires the benevolence of others. I can't force other people to understand how badly I need assistance and compassion.

Knowing there's a way out though is giving me so much relief. I don't have to wait much longer now.

 

[Symbiote]

I feel sorry for people who say that this is the best period of the world that we're living in, because they're view of the world is so small, that they'll never see the darker side where people are struggling and dying. It's either that or they're willfully ignorant and only want to see the good side of things, hence when bad shit happens, they fall apart or turn to religion to help get them through.

Jobs are a PITA. So many college educated students graduating and trying to enter the workforce, but employers are only selecting 'Unicorns' out of the bunch. With the cost of living in most places going up, people are having to work 2 jobs to make ends meet. How can one person get a 2nd job if they can't get the 1st one yet? Once you get a job, you gotta worry about the horde of job-seekers who are more qualified than you waiting to take your spot. It gives employers the right to work you to death because you are expendable and they know they can replace you with someone who would do the job even cheaper. One of my best friends died several years ago cause she worked 3 jobs trying to make rent. Fell asleep in her car during one of her breaks, and never woke up again.

Universities are also like getting a job. Nerve-wracking interviews, cover letters, recommendation letter, just so you can pay them thousands of dollars for a piece of paper that says, "I did 4 years of this so that HR can give me a pass at a job I'll hate". That's all your bachelor, master's, and PHDs are worth nowadays, just an HR check.

All of this devolves into high stress levels for everyone at any time. They say most people are one medical bill away from homelessness. Stress causes illnesses, both physical and mental, and even then the system plays games with it. In America, they ask if you have a disability or not, it's illegal to not hire you because you're disabled, but no one in legal is checking that because the managers chose not to hire you because "they found a better candidate who isn't disabled". If you get Baker Acted, well that's another strike in the HR department because now they see you as a liability and a troublemaker. They literally will make you bend over backwards to kiss someone's ass and your own ass at the same time while taking a boot to the face. And who's fault is it? Humanity's fault. Every single human being is at fault because they dictated the world to be like this and it will always be ten dozen different ways of FUCKED UP.

I didn't get a Biden or Trump yard sign last year, I got a Meteor 2020 sign instead.

 

[BeansOfRequirement]

Population has increased while resources have not, that's it. We can't increase the resources (stop lying), so the arithmetic should be solved in the other possible way. I am also autistic and it's very hard for people like us to get jobs, during the job program shits that I've attended they more or less say outright that the only way to get a job is by networking. I am bypassing this by trying for in-demand vocational training (less HR retards asking about my passions and what my girlfriend/friends, which do not exist, would say about me), but the tests to get in can easily be gamed by normies grouping together (one screenshots the tests and leaks them, all of the questions are child's play and time is the only filter). And it's also extremely common for neurotypicals to help each other and ask teachers for help during their studies and test-prepping, something completely out of the question for many autists.

FUCK NORMIES.

 

[Wrennie]

Y'know, I think this world is some sort of sick joke. Despite how frequently people boast, "we are living in the best period of human history" and that society as a collective is more egalitarian than ever, I don't really see this in practice.

The way that the job market/capitalism is set up gives no consideration to an individual's circumstances or how desparately they need a job. The selection process is based on the arbitrary needs of an employer, which usually boils down to either nepotistically hiring their family/friends/acquaintances, or picking the person with the highest number of qualifications regardless of whether or not these are relevant to the job itself.

Because I am so disabled, I cannot work full time, much less be able to fulfill the requirements mandated by most jobs-like standing or moving around for hours at a time. So I am very limited in what jobs I can apply for in the first place, there are only a handful of part time jobs that I'd be able to do. I try my best to apply for whatever I can, even if I may not be able to actually do the job.

I apply for dozens of jobs, and will be lucky to get even one interview. After busting my ass to get an interview for an internship, where I had to write over a page long essay to even be considered, I was rejected, because another uni student had managerial level experience and I didn't. Four years of work experience, internships, and volunteering in spite of all my sicknesses means absolutely nothing if a picture perfect candidate exists, I suppose. For an internship, at that. Internships are supposed to be about gaining work experience not having the requirements of a fucking graduate job.


I'm being forced to stay in my university degree even if the stress and expectations are about to kill me. Despite having to be dependent on others the rest of my life due to sickness, I want to have some semblance of my own income, yet this seems impossible. It will be years before I am eligible for disability benefits due to the immigration system, and even then I am likely to be denied as a result having invisible disabilites.

For a long time I've been reliant on my partner for shelter, since I don't have any family. I know I'm a burden. I want to be somewhere free of that guilt, where I don't have to be regarded as a chore and a liability. I know I am causing him pain by being here and needing help with certain things. So I have been discussing the possibility of permanently relocating to my best friend in the whole world's city.

I spent lots of time researching universities that might let me transfer into 2nd year, looking at funding opportunities, living costs, etc. The only issue is time, and finding a place to live. I am not comfortable living with random people I have never met, who may not be respectful of a disabled, autistic person. My best friend told me he loves me more than anything else in this world, we have known each other for years and we got along fantastically when we met in person.

However.. He doesn't seem to want me to live with him even though I could pay rent and there is room for an extra person, in fact, they are getting another tenant. So I am trapped between a rock and a hard place. I feel like people are playing games with me and not comprehending the dire reality of my situation. I am permanently disabled, every treatment has failed me, and there are some things I simply cannot do. I already barely scrape by in university, as I don't have the energy levels or pain tolerance to keep up with healthy people. I feel like no one is taking me seriously.

My SN is on the way, and as it stands, I am going to ctb soon. I figured I'd take one more stab at this fucked up, rigged game of life, but that requires the benevolence of others. I can't force other people to understand how badly I need assistance and compassion.

Knowing there's a way out though is giving me so much relief. I don't have to wait much longer now.

Oh Kuri, the amount of shit you've had to endure is heartbreaking and infuriating. I can feel your raw frustration, helplessness and pain through your words. I pray you are able to find relief somehow, however that may be... though I hope by some miracle that rather than SN your circumstances ultimately turn out favorably for you, but I know in this fucked-up world such miracles rarely ever occur. I just want to let you know that I'll truly miss seeing your posts on here... you are so eloquent and contribute so many valuable insights to this forum.

Sending you all of my love & hugs

 

[WornOutLife]

I totally get you what mean, dear.
I wouldn't be comfortable living with random people either.

As for the job system, it's ridiculous.
I've always had trouble with having a "normal job" and was even suicidal because of it.

That's why I became my own boss and I only work as many hours as I want.
Sure, I don't have lots of money but, I'm not planning to be one f*cking "modern slave".

Hope things can better somehow!

Hugs and love,

Matt

 

[Amumu]

Y'know, I think this world is some sort of sick joke. Despite how frequently people boast, "we are living in the best period of human history"

We are living in the most complicated period of human history would be more accurate.

Life used to be simple, you know. You were born, you were taught there were gods above your head, you worked 12 hours/day in the farm, and if you lived until 20 (which happened to 50% of people), you were automatically married for money (not for love, it's recent construct). If you were a woman, you cared about the house, not really farming, and even less wage earning.

All in all, you didn't need to have any skill to be part of society. The problem is, now we've eaten the forbidden apple (sorry for the metaphor, I find it appropriate), it's difficult finding a meaning when there's no god or finding a job when people don't need your hands to feed themselves anymore.

 

[FuneralCry]

This life certainly is a curse. The way the world works is unfair, many people are always at a disadvantage no matter what they do often due to factors that are completely out of their control. At least you have a way out if things get too unbearable, it must be a relief. I do hope things get better for you.

 

[Pharmaruined]

Y'know, I think this world is some sort of sick joke. Despite how frequently people boast, "we are living in the best period of human history" and that society as a collective is more egalitarian than ever, I don't really see this in practice.

The way that the job market/capitalism is set up gives no consideration to an individual's circumstances or how desparately they need a job. The selection process is based on the arbitrary needs of an employer, which usually boils down to either nepotistically hiring their family/friends/acquaintances, or picking the person with the highest number of qualifications regardless of whether or not these are relevant to the job itself.

Because I am so disabled, I cannot work full time, much less be able to fulfill the requirements mandated by most jobs-like standing or moving around for hours at a time. So I am very limited in what jobs I can apply for in the first place, there are only a handful of part time jobs that I'd be able to do. I try my best to apply for whatever I can, even if I may not be able to actually do the job.

I apply for dozens of jobs, and will be lucky to get even one interview. After busting my ass to get an interview for an internship, where I had to write over a page long essay to even be considered, I was rejected, because another uni student had managerial level experience and I didn't. Four years of work experience, internships, and volunteering in spite of all my sicknesses means absolutely nothing if a picture perfect candidate exists, I suppose. For an internship, at that. Internships are supposed to be about gaining work experience not having the requirements of a fucking graduate job.


I'm being forced to stay in my university degree even if the stress and expectations are about to kill me. Despite having to be dependent on others the rest of my life due to sickness, I want to have some semblance of my own income, yet this seems impossible. It will be years before I am eligible for disability benefits due to the immigration system, and even then I am likely to be denied as a result having invisible disabilites.

For a long time I've been reliant on my partner for shelter, since I don't have any family. I know I'm a burden. I want to be somewhere free of that guilt, where I don't have to be regarded as a chore and a liability. I know I am causing him pain by being here and needing help with certain things. So I have been discussing the possibility of permanently relocating to my best friend in the whole world's city.

I spent lots of time researching universities that might let me transfer into 2nd year, looking at funding opportunities, living costs, etc. The only issue is time, and finding a place to live. I am not comfortable living with random people I have never met, who may not be respectful of a disabled, autistic person. My best friend told me he loves me more than anything else in this world, we have known each other for years and we got along fantastically when we met in person.

However.. He doesn't seem to want me to live with him even though I could pay rent and there is room for an extra person, in fact, they are getting another tenant. So I am trapped between a rock and a hard place. I feel like people are playing games with me and not comprehending the dire reality of my situation. I am permanently disabled, every treatment has failed me, and there are some things I simply cannot do. I already barely scrape by in university, as I don't have the energy levels or pain tolerance to keep up with healthy people. I feel like no one is taking me seriously.

My SN is on the way, and as it stands, I am going to ctb soon. I figured I'd take one more stab at this fucked up, rigged game of life, but that requires the benevolence of others. I can't force other people to understand how badly I need assistance and compassion.

Knowing there's a way out though is giving me so much relief. I don't have to wait much longer now.

I've posted this before but obviously not everyone sees it.

But there is a guy on YouTube that teaches you step step how to make money online. He literally has 100s of ways, some are ridiculously easy.. he makes money from YouTube ads btw . so the info is free

. Ive had several internet businesses since 1996 and can vouch that his methods are legit

Anyway , his YouTube channel is called "not taught at school"

if u see anything that looks fun or interesting or something u want to try and have questions, feel free to pm me and I'll do whatever I can to help u out.. I have no affiliation with this guy btw..

Many blessings, hope u can find a way out of your dilemma regardless.

 

[LastLoveLetter]

I am sorry for everything you are going through, Kuri. I can see how you try so hard to improve your circumstances and live, only to be repeatedly let down at every turn. You don't deserve that.

I relate to your employment predicament, due to also being disabled and having very few positions I could manage due to the severity of my illnesses and their unpredictable nature. Personally, I have frequently found the job market to be consistently ableist. Able-bodied individuals tend not to believe or recognise this, because disability is a "protected" characteristic and disability discrimination is unlawful, but the fact is I have experienced ableism in every position I have ever undertaken and many I have applied for (even when I have met or exceeded the essential criteria). Employers generally want able-bodied, healthy employees who can work long hours, in addition to fulfilling arbitrary requirements regarding qualifications and experience. It places those who are poor, ill and have had less opportunities at a major disadvantage.

I am sorry to hear about your best friend as well, that must have hurt so much. I cannot fathom the mindset of someone who proclaims to love you more than anything else in the world, yet is prepared to leave you trapped in an increasingly abusive relationship with nowhere to go, with knowledge of your circumstances and suicidality. It is incomprehensible to me. If someone I cared about in any capacity was in such a dire situation, I would invite them to stay without hesitation. Heck, I have historically accommodated friends I only met once and those I didn't know very well, because the thought of knowingly letting them remain in an abusive dynamic was utterly unconscionable.

If your friend and their family are seeking a tenant, they are essentially intending to rent their spare space to a stranger, so I don't understand how that is somehow superior to letting you stay instead, particularly if you are able to pay rent.

I am sorry it has come to this. You were one of the first people to catch my eye on SS due to the similarities we share, in relation to health and to trauma. Your posts have resonated with me so much, and I truly feel that if you left this world, that would be a profound loss to this community and in general. You are an intelligent, kind and talented person with so much to give, if only others would be more benevolent themselves. I do not want you to continue to suffer, I only wish you weren't pushed into a corner.

I truly hope things can improve for you. You deserve so much more than the suffering you have endured and continue to experience in life. If there is anything I can do to help or support you, I am here.

 

[KuriGohan&Kamehameha]

Population has increased while resources have not, that's it. We can't increase the resources (stop lying), so the arithmetic should be solved in the other possible way. I am also autistic and it's very hard for people like us to get jobs, during the job program shits that I've attended they more or less say outright that the only way to get a job is by networking. I am bypassing this by trying for in-demand vocational training (less HR retards asking about my passions and what my girlfriend/friends, which do not exist, would say about me), but the tests to get in can easily be gamed by normies grouping together (one screenshots the tests and leaks them, all of the questions are child's play and time is the only filter). And it's also extremely common for neurotypicals to help each other and ask teachers for help during their studies and test-prepping, something completely out of the question for many autists.

FUCK NORMIES.

That is one of the harsh realities of autism that the, "omg it is such a gift I am literally a savant like sheldor from the bing bong theory, it's a difference not a disability! " crowd conveniently ignores.

Connections are capital. Without a wide network of people in your sphere, it is near impossible to get your foot in the door when it comes to the majority of jobs. Hell, this principle applies even when completing qualifications, as you've mentioned. Unless you can get your normie classmates to add you to their group chats, it's really hard to get any pragmatic sort of help in university.

I had the exact same experience when I went to disability agencies. Where I used to live, there was a government service that was meant to assist autistic people in finding work, ultimately so that they would be discouraged from seeking benefits.

They told me that I could not be helped until I had a university degree. What they didn't tell me, a naive little teenager, was that completing university when you have autism, is like trying to enjoy a single episode of Boruto- fucking impossible.

There is no help for people in our situation. As you say, a lot of potential assistance relies on being able to say the right things to the right people. Yet, even if you do manage to reach out to the disability teams, they are often completely useless, and make you feel ashamed for asking for help in the first place. So I completely feel your frustration with these virtue signallers who do nothing tangible to actually help autistic people.

A rule that my university has is that you may not ask lecturers and staff questions about graded assignments, including long papers and essays. Then what is the point of having support staff, if they cannot lead you in the right direction and guide you when you're completely stuck?

They expect you to magically make connections with your peers. Somehow, your classmates will help you. I had to go out of my way to get added to my course's private group chats, to be able to ask my peers questions. If I had not conveniently clicked on the right link, at the right time, I would be completely in the dark when it came to knowing information about what was going on with certain assignments or lectures.

Even then, I am excluded from pretty much every social event while the other people on my course have managed to bond in spite of remote teaching. I joined the club/society for my course, which costs money in the UK if you don't know, only to not get invited to a single event and purposefully not added to every group chat they have. I have been isolated with no way to fix it. My classmates have openly mocked me for asking an "obvious" question, then try to act all cheeky and smug about it, like it's the funniest shit they've ever seen.

People will say higher education is all about independent learning, when that couldn't be more of a farce. Those who can socialise and network will do the best in uni. It's like you say, they're gonna chat amongst themselves and figure out the answers, while the guy all on his own is left for the wolves.

Every part of your livelihood is dependent on how well you can play the socialisation game. Even before I became physically disabled, I have never had energy to parade around masking and faking a personality. However, society expects this of you at all times, autistic or not.

Neurotypical normies will never understand how it feels to spend every waking moment of your life as an alien. Then wonder why we want to die.

 

[MindFog]

The rat race has always been hard for neurotypicals already. And it's even worse when the wages are never enough to cover people's cost of living.

For neurodivergents? It's a f*cking shit show. And you're even considered lucky just to get diagnosed cos a least you know why it's difficult for you. But that's the bottom of the barrel. We badly need help but we're just treated as liability..

I got hired on a dead end job. But it's only cos I never announced my status. But there's that fear of messing up and getting fired cause of it. I hate having Asperger's rather than be proud I'm "unique".

I'm sorry you had to experience this. From the employers and your peers. I'm sorry cannot do anymore than send a hug and hope your situation gets better.

This world belongs to the trash.

 

[miserableforever]

Not to make this about me, but oh god can I relate. No one believes the things Ive been going through the past 2 years. Kept my mouth shut when I should've spoken up. I'm at my wits end with life. So many are watching, yet no one does anything.
I can't go into detail but some of those things aren't even allowed. Every night I tense up in my sleep and I wake up with anger in my heart, hopelessness to creep in every morning around the same time.
You're not alone in whatever it is you're feeling That's my contribution. I hope it helps you a little.

 

[Sprite_Geist]

Your post rings true @KuriGohan&Kamehameha.

I think that you are correct in doubting the so-called "egalitarian" society that everyone supposedly lives in. Yes - the world might be safer to live in overall, because there are less physical threats like murder and such - depending on where you live though. However: just because most ordinary people do not run around slaughtering each other this does not mean that we or the environment which we live in is any more civilized than past iterations. What we lack in violence, like our predecessors, we make up for with narcissism, coldness, ignorance and an obsession with social media; which in turn has lead to a new kind of abuse: online bullying. Physically we are much more tame, but socially we are still (if not more) vicious. The preaching of kindness that is seen on platforms like Twitter does not hold much weight when randomers in street cannot even be friendly to each other.

You must put so much effort into even getting a job interview, but then if you actually manage to get hired many of those blue-collar jobs simply do not pay enough; they do not offset extortionate living costs, and so will not allow a person to live a comfortable life. What is the point in working, then, if it offers no benefit to your livelihood? Is this not the purpose of work - to provide needed labour in exchange for enough resources to keep you alive? It is supposed to be a symbiotic relationship.

Now what has been said above is often countered with the argument that we should not complain about this problem, because "You are not owed a living!" - meaning that nobody is obligated, legally or otherwise, to pay a wage that is in balance with the cost of everything else. Yet despite being told this we are also still expected to work and contribute to the group (society); these contributions are usually taken in the form of taxes which are deducted from our wages. If we are not owed a living, or a wage that would let us live, then why is society owed whatever we make from our living? It is unfair...

This is parasitic.

 

[Deleted member 8579]

I wholeheartedly agree with everything you write.

I feel sorry for people who say that this is the best period of the world that we're living in, because they're view of the world is so small, that they'll never see the darker side where people are struggling and dying. It's either that or they're willfully ignorant and only want to see the good side of things, hence when bad shit happens, they fall apart or turn to religion to help get them through.

These people only see the good side of things when it benefits or doesn't affect them.
Imagine a released convict moving into the flat next door; suddenly they aren't so willing to only look at his good sides.

Universities are also like getting a job. Nerve-wracking interviews, cover letters, recommendation letter, just so you can pay them thousands of dollars for a piece of paper that says, "I did 4 years of this so that HR can give me a pass at a job I'll hate". That's all your bachelor, master's, and PHDs are worth nowadays, just an HR check.

When I entered university, I was under the mistaken assumption that one should study because one is interested or passionate about a certain field.
I was very irritated that some of my fellow students were prone to copying homework and a general lack of interest in understanding the material on a deeper level than necessary to pass the tests. It finally dawned on me that universities are mostly concerned with producing well trained workers, and not in developing people's intellects.

I am also autistic and it's very hard for people like us to get jobs, during the job program shits that I've attended they more or less say outright that the only way to get a job is by networking. I am bypassing this by trying for in-demand vocational training (less HR retards asking about my passions and what my girlfriend/friends, which do not exist, would say about me), but the tests to get in can easily be gamed by normies grouping together (one screenshots the tests and leaks them, all of the questions are child's play and time is the only filter). And it's also extremely common for neurotypicals to help each other and ask teachers for help during their studies and test-prepping, something completely out of the question for many autists.

My university experience in a nutshell, although I'm not diagnosed with any autistic tendencies.

People will say higher education is all about independent learning, when that couldn't be more of a farce. Those who can socialise and network will do the best in uni. It's like you say, they're gonna chat amongst themselves and figure out the answers, while the guy all on his own is left for the wolves.

Every part of your livelihood is dependent on how well you can play the socialisation game.

Don't make me sad. There were quite a few people in my course that were dumb as a rock but managed to get through because the befriended the model pupils, while I spent my time doing everything alone. I was so mad; they spent half their time slacking off and still got acceptable grades, because they helped each other and learned exactly the kind of thing one needed for the tests, while I was always busy because I wanted to penetrate the material on a deeper level.

I dropped out of uni during my masters because I was so fed up with everything. The only lessons I ever enjoyed were some private lessons as a teenager, because it was only me and the teacher.

We are living in the most complicated period of human history would be more accurate.

Life used to be simple, you know. You were born, you were taught there were gods above your head, you worked 12 hours/day in the farm, and if you lived until 20 (which happened to 50% of people), you were automatically married for money (not for love, it's recent construct). If you were a woman, you cared about the house, not really farming, and even less wage earning.

All in all, you didn't need to have any skill to be part of society. The problem is, now we've eaten the forbidden apple (sorry for the metaphor, I find it appropriate), it's difficult finding a meaning when there's no god or finding a job when people don't need your hands to feed themselves anymore.

An excellent observation. I've always felt that modern life was just needlessly complicated.
I hate technology (yes, I am aware that I'm typing this on an internet forum), I hate bureaucracy, I hate being contactable all the time, I hate globalisation, I hate that everyone needs to be able to drive, I hate the fast pace of modern society, I hate that every aspect of life is controlled, I hate the myriad of regulations and laws, I hate it.

Progress progress progress, but for whom? Do we really need some new improved vacuum cleaner every year? Why must there be constant growth? Why the rush? Why must everything be done as fast as possible?

The problem is that there is no going back. People have grown accustomed to the amenities of modern life and would never willingly surrender it, and even if they wanted to, they couldn't. A lot of knowledge and many skills have been lost in the process of automatisation.
People have no patience. I once watched a "Columbo" episode where they spent a good three minutes showing him make a turn around in car, all in a single static shot. Nowadays you can't go a second without some franatic cut. A letter needed time to arrive, and that was okay. Since the advent of e-mail and smartphones, people suddenly have no time to wait for an answer anymore.

The worst part is that you have no choice; once the new technology becomes commonplace, you need to familiarise yourself with it.
To quote Kaczynski:

"A technological advance that appears not to threaten freedom often turns out to threaten it
very seriously later on. For example, consider motorized transport. A walking man formerly
could go where he pleased, go at his own pace without observing any traffic regulations, and was
independent of technological support-systems. When motor vehicles were introduced they
appeared to increase man's freedom. They took no freedom away from the walking man, no one
had to have an automobile if he didn't want one, and anyone who did choose to buy an automobile
could travel much faster and farther than a walking man. But the introduction of motorized
transport soon changed society in such a way as to restrict greatly man's freedom of
locomotion. When automobiles became numerous, it became necessary to regulate their use
extensively. In a car, especially in densely populated areas, one cannot just go where one likes at
one's own pace; one's movement is governed by the flow of traffic and by various traffic
laws. One is tied down by various obligations: license requirements, driver test, renewing
registration, insurance, maintenance required for safety, monthly payments on purchase
price. Moreover, the use of motorized transport is no longer optional. Since the introduction of
motorized transport the arrangement of our cities has changed in such a way that the majority of
people no longer live within walking distance of their place of employment, shopping areas and
recreational opportunities, so that they have to depend on the automobile for transportation. Or
else they must use public transportation, in which case they have even less control over their own
movement than when driving a car. Even the walker's freedom is now greatly restricted. In the
city he continually has to stop to wait for traffic lights that are designed mainly to serve auto
traffic. In the country, motor traffic makes it dangerous and unpleasant to walk along the
highway. (Note this important point that we have just illustrated with the case of motorized
transport: When a new item of technology is introduced as an option that an individual can accept
or not as he chooses, it does not necessarily remain optional. In many cases the new technology
changes society in such a way that people eventually find themselves forced to use it.)"

I probably should have made a new thread for all this ranting, but here we are.