Discussion If you stare long enough into the abyss

[Epsilon0]

@Jon

Liberal studies provides us the ability to 'think', whereas...


As Wallace puts it, a liberal arts education teaches you "that you can choose what to think about". There's a subtle nuance there, that I really like.

There is a skeleton hanging at the back of a monastery I know of to remind people nothing really belongs to them. Creepy eh!

Churches are full of memento moris. Leave it to organised religion to remind the masses that all men are mortal and should abstain from the feast... while the clergy get fatter and fatter. The fatter, the better.

 

[Jon]

@Jon

But above all, avoid what ever makes you depressed.

Here, I must confess, we see things differently. At first glance, it sounds like a simple and reasonable enough idea, but if you put it under a microscope you see that, just like the apparent smoothness of a bone is made up of cavities, so is this statement full of holes.

Depression is not something you can avoid in the same manner you can avoid an allergic reaction, for instance: refrain from ingesting peanuts and you won't go into anaphylactic shock. If it were that simple, then all we would have to do is identify the trigger, avoid it, and bid depression farewell. As I am sure we both know, it is much more complicated than that.

I agree, depression is complex mix of biological and environmental factors. I get downcast, rarely depressed, when I do it's because I'm suffering from benzo withdrawal. So I can't say that I fully understand depression. But some things make me angry or upset, such as reading the news (especially politics), seeing photos of people cheerfully gathered around in groups, and also at myself when I feel I've wasted the day. I've pretty much eliminated the news (I only occasional check reuters.com as it's more objective and avoids taking sides, or using language that serves only to rouse anger).

I regard the internet as a plague: nobody who uses it can fail to not be affected, every comment leaves a mark which affects us in some way. So, while avoiding the internet can help some people, it won't completely remove depression. But I think it's little steps which can at least reduce depression to manageable levels. Both hatred and anger go side by side with depression; nobody can feel anger without being depressed inside. So if you can't fight depression, at least fend of anger, or another destructive emotion. But again this is subjective and I don't deny that for many it can be impossible.

 

[Epsilon0]

@Jon

I've pretty much eliminated the news.

Oh, if I had a penny for each time I turned off the tv, or threw away the daily newspaper, because I could not bear the horrors they were reporting. There's a cool Pink Floyd song called Brain Damage that perfectly describes this:


The lunatics are in my hall
The paper holds their folded faces to the floor
And every day the paperboy brings more


Yeah... every day the paperboy brings more.