I can't deny one word you have written. It's grim.

About all I can say positively is that it gives me personally some sense of serenity about being older: "I had an easy and pleasant life that these poor kids will never have." But I don't think, "My suffering allows Tom to feel better about his lost youth," is really any consolation for you.

I'm surprised you didn't blame boomers, because we totally deserve it. It's primarily our generation that robbed you of your hope for the future. I tried to do a bit better myself, but there's more than enough blame to go around.

It's an intergenerational Ponzi scheme and the final generations get left holding the biggest bag in history.