[GarrisonPrime]

It's easy to be critical of these people, much as it is easy to poke fun at "spoiled Millennials" in the West.

Though I can appreciate their perspective. If society around you is a frantic rat race, and you're not allowed to live for yourself, and it doesn't seem to make a difference what you do, then why bother?

I don't quite feel the same, but I admit much of modern life is so discouraging as to be a farce of a civilization.

Social isolation seems to be a big part of it. Friendships, jobs, and even family ties feel fleeting and superficial. Why work on building a life when everything shifts so much that your environment, activities, and social contacts completely change every couple of years?

[rhezab]

I agree. Some parts of modern life seem to strip sense of agency and sense of control away from us, which is in itself super depressing. Reminds me of this Paul Graham post (http://www.paulgraham.com/todo.html) where he distills the top regrets of the dying into a single piece of advice: don't be a cog.