If I like this, does that mean that I am mean and uncaring too?
I've never experienced depression, so that impairs me in responding to people who say they are experiencing it. I have definitely felt very sad, anxious, and despairing, but I've never found these to be particularly debilitating. I was always able to get my work done and complete necessary tasks. I've also been lucky in that I've always enjoyed the work that I was paid to do and knew that I did it competently.
I often feel trapped between wanting to be generally tolerant, and despairing of understanding so many people who seem completely ill-equipped for any kind of life at all. I wonder if they would simply have been left to die in the past. Perhaps they were better cared for by others when people lived in smaller communities and extended families, but I'm not sure. I doubt it.
Susanna Moodie's *Roughing It in the Bush,* a chronicle of the English author's life in the Ontario bush in the 1830s--rough farming, no running water, everything made by hand, no doctor, no police, no real government--tells of people who went mad in the bush. One guy drank himself into oblivion; another abandoned his wife and children, who were cared for by neighbors as best they could. I'm sure many people suffered horrifically. Moodie herself went through a terrible time with illnesses like ague. At one point, her husband had his leg broken when a tree fell on it while he was clearing their land. He dragged himself home and they set the leg themselves, and she cried because they weren't sure what would become of them with the man of the family unable to work. But they managed, barely, and she even wrote a book about her experiences at night while her children were sleeping.
I think there probably are conditions that worsen mental illness today: the very lack of any need to leave the house for weeks on end is surely itself debilitating and sick-making in its way, and endless screen time does weird things to our brains and emotions. At the same time, we have access to so much information that is enraging, enervating, and anxiety-producing, information that we can't really respond to in any proactive way. The Moodies didn't even know of the Rebellion of 1837 until it was almost at their doorstep. Moodie's husband signed up immediately to fight for the British government, and this was a good thing because it meant that they were getting a monthly stipend for the first time in years despite the risk to his life (he survived it). The loss of religious faith and broken families are also surely huge factors in our time; and many forces that deliberately demean and demoralize. Non-stop rage news can't help. The more I read of that, the more I dislike my fellow man and have to watch some animal videos to compensate, and to remind myself that there are still good people in the world and reasons for joy.
It’s wild. It seems like having it easy has made these people more useless than ever, in ever way possible. The irony is that if they challenged themselves to do all these things they claim they can’t do they would feel much better! It’s all very frustrating.
You referenced earlier, but the ease of everything because of technology, is another way that contemporary society makes itself less and less mentally well
I think a lot of this as an “illness of society” kind of thing. We create mental illness to some extent. The baseline used to be pretty happy, now it’s neurotic. It’s completely typical (but not normal) to have a number of psychiatric disorders on your chart. Social media seems to have created or encouraged a personality disordered culture
I stay away from most social media so can’t imagine how annoying it is to hear this all the time. I don’t think most people know the difference mild depression, anxiety, general neuroticism and true, severe mental illness.
The later is not pretty. It’s ugly, painful, and cruel. Not something you’d want to associate your sense of self with it’s kind of like when the devil is in the dosage (or something?!).
Mild depression is a completely different animal than severe depression, which can include psychosis, diminished executive functioning, inability to feel loved or to feel love for others, accidental injury or death, suicide etc
There are people who would give anything to have mild mental health symptoms
It was great living in South Korea from 2003 to 2019.
A nation that went from a dictatorship to democracy, and from one of the poorest nations on planet earth to one of the richest. At one point in the 1960s North Korea had a higher GDP than South Korea.
Korean my age, older Gen Xers, went from poverty to having a public medical system better than Canada is now. Koreans also went from needing permission to travel outside of the country to going on vacations in Canada.
Living there made me stronger and returning to Canada in 2019 was reverse culture shock.
On a hopeful note: I do find many under 30s Canadians to be good as all my nephews and nieces are in those generations. And I absolutely love all the Elementary kids I teach.
I subscribed just to say thank you for writing this. It’s really what I needed to hear. I probably need to force myself to read it every morning. As Stephen Fry has said, self pity is possibly the worst vice.
One thing I don’t really understand about the doordash discourse is why people who order excessive amounts of delivered food don’t make more use of pre-made food? Have they not heard of a frozen lasagna and frozen broccoli? It’s still more expensive and less healthy than cooking from scratch but way cheaper than ordering and there are worse things nutritionally speaking.
Or what about a simple baked potato and baked beans? I don’t get it.
I'd really like you to understand, Meghan. This post hurts feelings. MY SUFFERING IS UNIQUE.
"Do better."
If I like this, does that mean that I am mean and uncaring too?
I've never experienced depression, so that impairs me in responding to people who say they are experiencing it. I have definitely felt very sad, anxious, and despairing, but I've never found these to be particularly debilitating. I was always able to get my work done and complete necessary tasks. I've also been lucky in that I've always enjoyed the work that I was paid to do and knew that I did it competently.
I often feel trapped between wanting to be generally tolerant, and despairing of understanding so many people who seem completely ill-equipped for any kind of life at all. I wonder if they would simply have been left to die in the past. Perhaps they were better cared for by others when people lived in smaller communities and extended families, but I'm not sure. I doubt it.
Susanna Moodie's *Roughing It in the Bush,* a chronicle of the English author's life in the Ontario bush in the 1830s--rough farming, no running water, everything made by hand, no doctor, no police, no real government--tells of people who went mad in the bush. One guy drank himself into oblivion; another abandoned his wife and children, who were cared for by neighbors as best they could. I'm sure many people suffered horrifically. Moodie herself went through a terrible time with illnesses like ague. At one point, her husband had his leg broken when a tree fell on it while he was clearing their land. He dragged himself home and they set the leg themselves, and she cried because they weren't sure what would become of them with the man of the family unable to work. But they managed, barely, and she even wrote a book about her experiences at night while her children were sleeping.
I think there probably are conditions that worsen mental illness today: the very lack of any need to leave the house for weeks on end is surely itself debilitating and sick-making in its way, and endless screen time does weird things to our brains and emotions. At the same time, we have access to so much information that is enraging, enervating, and anxiety-producing, information that we can't really respond to in any proactive way. The Moodies didn't even know of the Rebellion of 1837 until it was almost at their doorstep. Moodie's husband signed up immediately to fight for the British government, and this was a good thing because it meant that they were getting a monthly stipend for the first time in years despite the risk to his life (he survived it). The loss of religious faith and broken families are also surely huge factors in our time; and many forces that deliberately demean and demoralize. Non-stop rage news can't help. The more I read of that, the more I dislike my fellow man and have to watch some animal videos to compensate, and to remind myself that there are still good people in the world and reasons for joy.
It’s wild. It seems like having it easy has made these people more useless than ever, in ever way possible. The irony is that if they challenged themselves to do all these things they claim they can’t do they would feel much better! It’s all very frustrating.
You referenced earlier, but the ease of everything because of technology, is another way that contemporary society makes itself less and less mentally well
Murphy & Fiamengo! That’s a dynamic duo!!!
I think a lot of this as an “illness of society” kind of thing. We create mental illness to some extent. The baseline used to be pretty happy, now it’s neurotic. It’s completely typical (but not normal) to have a number of psychiatric disorders on your chart. Social media seems to have created or encouraged a personality disordered culture
I stay away from most social media so can’t imagine how annoying it is to hear this all the time. I don’t think most people know the difference mild depression, anxiety, general neuroticism and true, severe mental illness.
The later is not pretty. It’s ugly, painful, and cruel. Not something you’d want to associate your sense of self with it’s kind of like when the devil is in the dosage (or something?!).
Mild depression is a completely different animal than severe depression, which can include psychosis, diminished executive functioning, inability to feel loved or to feel love for others, accidental injury or death, suicide etc
There are people who would give anything to have mild mental health symptoms
Right on, sister. Let's get over mulling around in our feelings and find ways to relate to other people and our worlds.
Meaningfully helping others is really good way of yourself feel better
You’re such an ornery wench. I love it! Never stop.
hahaha
It was great living in South Korea from 2003 to 2019.
A nation that went from a dictatorship to democracy, and from one of the poorest nations on planet earth to one of the richest. At one point in the 1960s North Korea had a higher GDP than South Korea.
Korean my age, older Gen Xers, went from poverty to having a public medical system better than Canada is now. Koreans also went from needing permission to travel outside of the country to going on vacations in Canada.
Living there made me stronger and returning to Canada in 2019 was reverse culture shock.
On a hopeful note: I do find many under 30s Canadians to be good as all my nephews and nieces are in those generations. And I absolutely love all the Elementary kids I teach.
Have some friends that need a large dose of this to communicate to their children. Thank you
I subscribed just to say thank you for writing this. It’s really what I needed to hear. I probably need to force myself to read it every morning. As Stephen Fry has said, self pity is possibly the worst vice.
One thing I don’t really understand about the doordash discourse is why people who order excessive amounts of delivered food don’t make more use of pre-made food? Have they not heard of a frozen lasagna and frozen broccoli? It’s still more expensive and less healthy than cooking from scratch but way cheaper than ordering and there are worse things nutritionally speaking.
Or what about a simple baked potato and baked beans? I don’t get it.
Thank you. My SIL is this person.
Hear hear! 😄