Middle-Aged Crisis: Three Unavoidable “Disasters”
As people mature with age, they accumulate life experiences and eventually settle down. For most people, this happens in middle age.
At this stage, many have their own families and stable careers, and their lives are on track.
However, whether they’re happy or not is hard to generalize, as everyone defines happiness differently, and their lives are unique.
When people reach middle age, they often face the so-called “disasters.” Basically, there are three unavoidable ones!
Marital Problems
After many years of marriage, the love between couples often fades like a worn-out shirt. The once-vibrant colors have dulled, leaving only a blank slate.
A dull marriage is a graveyard, and a dull life can’t satisfy the wild and restless heart.
The tasteless life makes many couples magnify their petty problems, leading to the so-called “seven-year itch” or “ten-year itch.”
The two people who should be closest often quarrel over trivial matters, and home is no longer a safe haven but a “hell” they can’t wait to escape.
Although it seems like life and work are separate, they’re actually interconnected. When one aspect is unhappy, the other follows, and the person falls into anxiety and frustration.
Children’s Rebellion
Nowadays, kids are getting harder to manage. They advocate for self-autonomy and freedom, especially during puberty.
It seems that kids at this stage don’t care what their parents do; they’ll do the opposite. If you tell them to go east, they’ll go west.
As parents, we hope our kids have a bright future, at least not walking the wrong path. But we dare not be too strict.
From news reports, we see that many teenagers, after conflicts with their parents, take extreme measures.
Compared to other things, as long as the kids are alive and well, their studies and grades don’t matter.
In daily life, parents and kids should maintain a balance of power. We should seek their opinions when making decisions.
This sounds easy, but it’s difficult in practice. Often, kids’ opinions are incorrect or contradictory to their parents’.
If we respect their opinions, we might face negative consequences and even encourage their self-centeredness.
If we don’t respect their opinions, kids might think we’re just going through the motions and lose trust in us.
It’s hard to guide kids to recognize our point of view, especially during puberty, when they care more about their freedom and respect from parents.
Encountering True Love
Many people like roses not because they’ve seen many flowers and realized roses are their favorite, but because they’ve only seen roses.
So when they encounter a gentle and elegant lily, they might fall for it, realizing roses are just okay.
If you’re single, it’s easier to deal with this issue. But for middle-aged people with families, they carry not only their own emotions but also their family’s.
How do you choose between love and family? Whichever you choose, you’ll hurt someone.
If you prioritize your family, you’ll hurt your loved one. If you choose your loved one, you’ll hurt your family, especially your children.
If you sacrifice your true love, the pain and regret will become an unhealable wound in the future.
We used to think that saying goodbye meant leaving someone you don’t love. But one day, you’ll realize that saying goodbye means leaving someone you love, and that’s a painful goodbye.
In such situations, it seems that whatever you choose is wrong, because someone will always get hurt.
Life is like that. When you think that not having money is the problem, you work hard to earn more. But when you succeed, new troubles arise.
However, no matter what difficulties or choices you face, the ultimate goal is to get closer to happiness. On this journey, try to minimize the harm to others as much as possible, and that’s a successful life.
