Living in a
World of Depression
“Depression has been called the world's number
one public health problem. In fact, depression is so widespread it is
considered the common cold of psychiatric disturbances. But there is a grim
difference between depression and a cold. Depression can kill you.“ David D. Burns
We all have a depressive mind because we
are all living in a world of depression. The only difference is that our
depression may all differ in intensity: slight, serious, or severe. The truth
of the matter is that each and every one of us is depressed, without any exception, because we all experience our depressive episodes
at some points during our lifespan, and it is very normal. However, many of us prefer to deny or ignore our emotional
dysfunction due to the stigma that is often associated with depression.
Depression is not a new human
disease or disorder; it is as ancient as man:
"so I have been allotted months of futility,
and nights of misery have been assigned to me.
and nights of misery have been assigned to me.
4 When I lie down I think, ‘How long before I get up?’
The night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn.
5 My body is clothed with worms and scabs,
my skin is broken and festering.
my skin is broken and festering.
6 “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
and they come to an end without hope.
7 Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath;
my eyes will never see happiness again.
8 The eye that now sees me will see me no longer;
and they come to an end without hope.
7 Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath;
my eyes will never see happiness again.
8 The eye that now sees me will see me no longer;
you will look for me, but I will be no more.
9 As a cloud vanishes and is gone,
so one who goes down to the grave does not return.
9 As a cloud vanishes and is gone,
so one who goes down to the grave does not return.
10 He will never come to his house again;
his place will know him no more.
his place will know him no more.
11 “Therefore I will not keep silent;
I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul." (Job 7: 3-11)
I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul." (Job 7: 3-11)
“Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails. Do not
hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. Let the
morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.”
(Psalm
143: 7-8)
In modern age, Sir Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of Great Britain,
underwent serious bouts of depression during his country's national crisis in
World War II. The fact is that depression is no respecter of persons—even for those
with very high I.Q., such as the Nobel Prize winning author Ernest Hemingway who committed suicide just
as his father did with the comment “I’ll probably go the same way.” Indeed,
many of us are vulnerable to this genetic mental disorder.
Sadly, depression is currently increasing at an alarming rate
because the world we are now living in is getting more challenging, more
complex, and more complicated each day passing—it has now become a world of
depression.
Do not avoid depression with medications; instead, go through depression in order to overcome
it. Follow the TAO, which is the Way through depression.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
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