One of the most selfish things you can say to a younger person is "I suffered in a specific way at your age, so you ought to suffer that way too."

It& #39;s a parfait of selfishness, in fact, requiring more than one tweet. One is obvious -- it& #39;s self-satisfied sadism.

Two is that it& #39;s forcing another to suffer in order to validate your own existence. To make your own suffering seem like something that couldn& #39;t be avoided, something inherently noble to have endured. To sacrifice another& #39;s happiness to validate yourself. I find that disgusting.

Three is that it& #39;s an attempt to force that younger person to become more like you. To be shaped into a form more like yours by exposing them to the same traumas. In a way, it& #39;s a fear of death. Of disappearing because you& #39;ve made your past suffering part of who you are inside.

This isn& #39;t a subtweet to anyone or even a reaction to any kind of recent event. In fact, that& #39;s part of the problem -- this attitude *isn& #39;t* remarkable, it& #39;s just something a lot of people my age or older do. Every day, all the time.

I don& #39;t approve of it. I want less suffering.