Depression is a mind disorder, which
affects brain chemicals, which distort how the mind thinks. Therefore, it is
important to understand what causes the disorder in the first
place. Taking anti-depressants may control the symptoms, but
without addressing its cause.
Human thoughts are generated by the
human mind through its perceptions. Oftentimes we compare ourselves with
others, or simply with our own past, and thus subconsciously create our own
negative thoughts that depress us.
There was an ancient Chinese fable of a
stone cutter who worked so hard at cutting stones that he often felt stressed
and depressed.
One day, while standing behind a huge
stone where he was cutting his stones, he looked up at the sky, and saw the
beautiful sun. Then, he wished he were the sun that could give warmth and
sunshine to everyone on earth. A fairy came to him and granted him his wish, so
he became the sun.
For a while, he was happy and
contented. Then, one day, a big cloud came over, blocked out everything from
his view, and he could not see what was below. He became distressed and
unhappy, and wished he were the cloud, instead of the sun. Again, the fairy
came to his rescue, and granted him his wish. He became the cloud, and began
drifting and floating happily and peacefully in the sky.
After a while, a strong wind came and
scattered the cloud in different directions. Now, he wished he were the strong
wind that could blow away anything and everything that stood in his way. Again,
the fairy made his wish come true: he became the strong wind, blowing here and
there. For a while, he was happy and contented.Then, one day, he found out that he
could not blow away the big stone behind which he used to cut stones. Worse, he
was stuck there, going nowhere. Now, finally, he began to realize that was
where he belonged. He made his one last wish to become the stonecutter that he
used to be. The fairy granted him his last wish, and now he was contented to be
the stonecutter again.
The moral of the fable: any comparison
and contrast between self and others—or even between the current self and the
self in the past—is often a stumbling block to self-contentment, the lack of
which will direct one's thoughts inward and generate depression. Indeed, if you
are discontent with what you have or what you are, while matching an area of
your own deficiency with that of someone else’s obvious strength, you are in
fact preparing the groundwork for your own depression. It is just that simple!
Stephen
Lau
Copyright©by
Stephen Lau
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