I grew up believing in the promise of hard work. My parents—immigrants who became citizens—came to this country not for themselves, but for a chance to give their kids a future better than they were afforded. They taught me that if I kept my head down, saved what I could, and stayed loyal to my job, I’d be okay. I’d have a home. A retirement. A little bit of security.
Instead, I’ve watched people like them—like us—get crushed by a system designed to benefit only the rich, corporations, and politicians. And I can’t help but ask myself: WHEN WILL THEY HAVE TAKEN ENOUGH FROM US?
I have done everything I was supposed to do. I’ve worked for over a decade—sometimes, like many of you, two jobs at a time. I skipped vacations. I put the needs of others before my own, because as long as they had what they needed, that was what mattered. I never lived beyond my means. And yet, it’s becoming painfully clear that the safety nets we have worked our whole lives for are being ripped away.
We were told that if we just kept working, these systems would be there when we needed them. Now, for the first time since their creation, they may fail us entirely.
For the first time in American history, the next generation will be worse off than the one before it. Something has to give.
I refuse to let my life be governed by fear, but we must face the reality in front of us:
There is no retirement. No safety net. No comfortable golden years. Just the fear of what happens when my body can’t keep up anymore. Will I be working until I die? Will I lose what little I have left?
I know I’m not the only one seeing this. I see people my age struggling, working jobs they can barely stand because stopping isn’t an option. I see younger people drowning, already realizing that no matter how hard they work, they may never even make it as far as I have.
This is not personal failure. This is a broken system. A country that told us to work hard, play by the rules, and we’d be taken care of—only to abandon us when we needed it most.
I don’t know what the answer is. But I know this isn’t normal. We can’t keep accepting this as the cost of living. Because this isn’t living. It’s barely surviving.
And no one should have to spend their final years terrified of what’s coming next.
Originally Posted By u/transcendent167 At 2025-03-09 06:31:35 PM | Source
