SINGAPORE: Feeling burnt out and discouraged, a Singaporean man in his 50s has shared online that he no longer knows how to move forward in life.
In a post shared on the r/singaporespeaks forum on Friday (May 15), the man explained that he is currently out of work, believes employers are no longer interested in hiring someone his age, and has gradually lost touch with many of the friends he once considered close. On top of all that, he said he still does not have a place of his own to live in, which he sees as one of the biggest failures of his life.
“Can you believe it?” he wrote. “Such an important thing I don’t even have. Just owning a flat in Singapore is so unachievable…what more for a person like me.”
“I really want to cry, but the tears can’t even come out. I feel so sorry for myself. Don’t think my life can get much worse.”
The man also revealed that for a period of time, he thought he had finally found a way to turn his life around through “trading.”
“Trading was the one thing that gave me some hope. For a while, I was doing well, almost 100 days of zero loss. I thought maybe I had found a way back. Maybe I could live normally again.”
But the optimism did not last long.
He said one major loss eventually wiped out nearly everything he had earned.
“One huge loss wiped me out. I tried again. I managed to recover a little and even did well for a while. Then it happened again. Another huge loss.”
“The worst part is that trading made me believe there was still a way out,” he added. “It gave me hope, and I was stupid enough to believe that it could be a way out for me. Now I don’t trust myself anymore.”
The man went on to share that he has found himself repeatedly “on the edge” over the years, though this time he feels far more drained and worn down than before.
“This time, I’m sick of this. Sick of being sick,” he said. “I dunno why I’m writing this, but I don’t know what to do either.”
“It’s never too late to start again. Take one day at a time.”
In the comments, one Singaporean Redditor left a long, supportive message.
“Hi, you’re important, and the world is a better place with you in it,” they began. “Life is not only about having a house, job, or money. Society has convinced us that these are the most important, but they are not. Singapore is too fast-paced. Think back to when you were younger. What were your hobbies? What brought you joy? You can pursue them again.”
They added, “As for a job, maybe you can try applying for public transport. I see many walk-in interviews nowadays for bus drivers, station staff, etc. It’s never too late to start again. Take one day at a time. Jiayou.”
Another commenter wrote, “Try to find a job as a cashier to tide you through first, and stop looking towards trading. You’re just gambling your money away.”
To motivate the post author, a third user shared his own experience of going through something similar.
He said that at 54 years old, he lost his job and saw his savings completely “wiped out” during the COVID period. At the same time, his wife was not working due to medical reasons, and he still had a son in secondary school to take care of.
With bills piling up and no steady income, he had no choice but to keep going for the sake of his family.
“I just kept telling myself tomorrow will be a better day. I kept sending out CVs, talking to people, and searching the web, and I did part-time work / Grab / other jobs that paid around S$12 an hour.” Eventually, after grinding through that period, he managed to get back on his feet and later found a job overseas.
In response to all the comments, the post author said, “Thank you all for the replies, really down and have no energy to live another day anymore. I feel like the world has grown so much colder, and Singapore is really hopeless for people like me.”
In other news, a man shared his frustration online after yet another experience with catfishing on a dating app, saying the woman he met looked completely different from her photos and also behaved in a way that left him feeling like he had been treated as a “meal ticket.”
On Wednesday (April 8), he wrote on the r/sgdatingscene subreddit that he had been chatting with the woman for about a week before they agreed to meet.
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