+1. But I don't think OP is purely on a Swoly train here. He really did resonate with the internet and societal expectations being big problems. I agree with him there. I do think there are more people: (1) seeing their economic fortunes as pretty bleak (paycheck to paycheck), (2) receiving none of the glamorous fame that our media says good people receive, and (3) feeling more isolated from real communication. We think the internet is human communication but somehow, I don't think it scratches the biological itch we need for fellow humanity. (He said, typing before 6 a.m. on a keyboard.) FWIW, I was trying to help one of my badly off students this semester. (She dropped all her classes but, for some reason, my hardest class ever, but she got through it.) Anyway, I talked a lot about her case with a psychologist who works on our campus, and the psychologist was saying it's most helpful to NOT think of depression as the opposite of happiness. It's more the absolute opposite of playfulness. I don't know. I thought that was interesting.
If you are not depressed, you are probably just not aware. I'll throw this one out there: as science and skepticism reduce the perceptions of validity for traditional religions there is no rational justification for being or existing. The toils and desperation of life seem futile when reproduction and a continuing cycle of karma have a certain and inevitable end. I had a biology teaching assistant at A&M whose specialty was dinosaur coprolites. Her theory about dinosaur extinction was that after 100 million years they figured out that there was no point in continuing to reproduce and just quit doing it. That could eventually happen to humans; we become obsolete for most functions, we are not needed in vast numbers across the planet, for agriculture, wars or tending to our elderly. Industrialized nations have a dropping birth rate now. For those of us already living though, we might as well make the best of it.
Good post Also the exact reason why I've never ever wanted kids What a horrible place the world is becoming
(1) Depression is a real illness, and it is often fairly independent of prevailing conditions. I think you mean: "if you're not down-hearted, you are probably not aware." (Not that I agree with that either.) (2) No offense to your TA, but I hadn't heard that any biologists believe dinosaurs had that kind of reasoning/ennui capability. Big, emo lizards? It's a poetic idea though for sure. (3) Agree completely and doing my paltry best. Let's look on the very bright side for a moment, shall we? Oldie but still relevant: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jbkSRLYSojo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Sorry, but one more optimistic voice, this one from Pinker. https://www.ted.com/talks/steven_pinker_on_the_myth_of_violence?language=en A lot of our "world is collapsing" feelings are not data driven. They are driven by us learning about the planet and humanity (and a negativity-obsessed media of course) but not based on actual trends. So the most accurate thing to say is that the world may be hellish, but in long-term trends of life expectancy, health, and violence, all trends are very positive and we're living in a great time, relative to past times.
I thought his post was satire. Anyway yes if in your mind being aware means being depressed then not having kids is the right thing.
Eliminating sweets eliminated my (diagnosed) depression. No sugar, no fruit, no chewing gum - even switched over to unsweetened toothpaste. I'm honestly so mad I didn't do this a long time ago. Off all depression/anxiety meds. I'm also in the first few weeks of quitting alcohol, caffeine, and herb. The clear headedness is almost surreal. I feel like I can do anything.
It isn't on the increase. There is less stigma so more people are seeking help instead of suffering in silence.
This is a pretty good way for people that do not experience clinical depression to understand what it is. http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2013/05/depression-part-two.html
I think despite the increases in diagnosis, most experts agree it is on the increase for varying reasons. Suicide has certainly increased. My theory is small cars, cubicles, neighborhoods and houses.
My Mom has been suffering from depression for quite some time now. It's tough because there are days she doesn't even want to get out of bed. I wish there were things to do to help but I know that I can only do so much. She also is a recovering alcoholic. She enjoys going to her meetings and helping others. She has such a wonderful heart that it's amazing to some people that she can even be depressed. Depression is very real and I hate that she goes through it. I feel for everyone battling depression.
We are just our chemical and electrical reactions. And they are subject to genetic, environmental and social influences. I'm quite sure clinical depression is an imbalance in the complex relationships of those. I'd suppose that anxieties about status, love, work, money and death are a big factor in the body's response. I never believed the fanciful dinosaur story, it has always just struck me as an interesting tangent of science fiction asking questions about the nature of existence, and the point of life and reproduction from an unusual source. She spent years analyzing dinosaur crap down to the electron microscope level and that is what she came up with.
While there is less stigma, I honestly think there is a bigger problem, according to a lot of people I know working in healthcare, and according to the data sets I can find. According to my hundreds of student data points, there is a significant difference between the late 90's and right now. It's not even close. 1 in 9 college-aged people is a lot of freaking people (including severe anxiety in that stat). That's a national stat so it's not just my weird-ass university in this case. Cheers.
Sugar is one hell of a drug, man. What's upsetting is how common it is. It's in most ****ing bacon. Why? Why put that on bacon? What's the point?
