Dealing with Depression - Damaged Shields

I would never want to discount anyone's feelings of depression, or hopelessness... I know these feelings, they are an acquaintance of mine, so I understand them quite well. My heart goes out to anyone and everyone who has experienced, or is experiencing depression, in all it's forms. But sometimes, when I finally find some rare time, where I can sit and reflect upon myself and my life, I look deep inside of myself, and find that bright spot the resides within all of us. It's a warm light, and it feels as though it is beyond our own selves even. It's a place that is the common denominator of all life. And within that spot, I can ask questions, and it's amazing and wonderful how quickly the answers come. The answers are pure and simple. You don't have to ask the questions in elaborate cosmic form. And you can ask anything you want, no matter how simple it seems.

So one day, while I was in this warm spot, I asked about depression. What is it? Why is it so debilitating? Why does it seem to affect so many people? Why does the amount of people it affects seem to increase in direct proportion to the speed of technological advancement in this society? The answers came quickly.

I had visions of growing up in the farmlands of the Midwestern United States. We weren't devoid of stress, but the amount and severity of the stress was far less than what we experience today. I had visions of the food we ate. The vegetables that my grandmother grew in her garden, from the rich soils, fed by the Mississippi river. The home raised cattle and pigs. The free roaming chickens and turkeys and their eggs. The fresh country air after a midwestern thunderstorm, I could smell it, even today when I think about it. I remembered the smell of the sheets on the bed, that my grandmother had dried outside on the clothesline. I pictured my uncles, who were farmers, sitting around the dining room table, after a long day of being in the fields. They were a bit tired, a bit muddy, and sure, they were a bit stressed or concerned about the yield of their crops, but they were happy. And they were well fed to say the least. They drank a bit of beer, smoked a few cigarettes, and played some card games in the evening, but their pace was slow and mellow. The weekends were busy in the morning with feeding the livestock and weeding the garden, all outdoor activities though. And in the afternoon, there was always time for a game of horseshoes, or lawn darts. There was always time for a ride on the tractor, or hiking down to the pond to catch frogs and tease the muskrats. The mouser cats always had a litter of new kittens tucked away in a hollow tree stump, left there for me to discover I'm sure.

The adults worked hard, but there was always laughter in between chores and running into town to check the mail, or pay the bills, or do the laundry. If the kids got out of line, there was discipline, but it wasn't really severe. Maybe a sit or two in the corner to think about things, but no major punishments. Then it was right back out to the mud puddles. Monday morning, at the bus stop there was time to play tag and glance back into the window to see mom drinking a cup of coffee before doing some household chores. It was comforting to know that she was there when we left, and would be there when we got home.

Okay, so I've made my point. No wonder we're all so damned depressed. The cities have crept into our rural communities. The shoebox apartments have stacked themselves all over the landscape. The cars are faster, the bills are higher, the pay is not keeping up with financial demands. People are crankier. We don't eat well, the food is processed, the water is polluted, as well as the air. Store clerks aren't as cheerful, as you purchase your many many brands of items, in many many different types of packaging, that is non-biodegradable and wasteful. Dad *AND* Mom work, kids come home to an empty house. Television, with it's hundreds of channels, is insulting to our intelligent, and glorifies the "conveniences of modern society", and tells you how to be/live/think. Commercials tell us that we're full of all kinds of ailments and we have to have a walk in medicine CLOSET in order to keep on hand all the remedies we need to take care of all of our ailments caused by the "conveniences of modern society". The TV has become our baby sitter, our GOD, our thinker. We work 10 hour days and hardly see the sun, hardly breathe the air, hardly feel the soil and grass between our bare feet.

The opinions expressed in any responses above are opinions only, and should not be taken as therapeutic
advice or counselling. For professional help with any problem, contact a trained therapist, or an appropriate
12 step or other support organization.
All contents Copyright Relationshipweb.com. Postings may be downloaded for personal or non-commercial use.