“Every age yearns for a more beautiful world. The
deeper the desperation and the depression about the confusing present, the more
intense that yearning.” Johan Huizinga
Depression is a mental disorder that affects not only the mind
with its multiple moods, but also the overall wellness of the body as well as
the whole being of an individual. Depression is an inner struggle striving to
escape from the harsh realities of life.
The Origin
“Depression begins
with disappointment. When disappointment festers in our soul, it leads to
discouragement.” Joyce Meyer
Man is inherently desirous of happiness. We all want to become happy; without happiness, human
existence may have become meaningless. Therefore, we all want to avoid unhappiness, and this self-defense
mechanism may then develop into addictive habit patterns that have ultimately
become some of the characteristics of our individual personality, affecting how we think. In other words, to avoid
unhappiness, we may subconsciously begin to "lose contact with our
realities" and thus become the persons we are not supposed to be.
Depression is a mental struggle against unhappiness that an individual wishes
to avoid, and in the process becomes a different
person—a person with ever-changing moods and temperaments.
To illustrate, a baby or toddler—even well-fed, dry, and comfortable—may cry because he or she wants
happiness, which is not being separated from the parents; crying or screaming
is the only self-defense mechanism against being separated and feeling unhappy.
As that baby or toddler continues to grow, that normal child will ultimately learn the reality that to be separated
from the parents is just a normal and necessary part and parcel of life and
maturity.
However, the mental and emotional growth and maturity of
that same child may not be consistent with his or her physical growth and
mental maturity, and this inconsistency or disparity may subsequently lead to
many mental and emotional problems later in life, such as recklessly driving a
car, engaging promiscuously in sex, taking drugs or addicting to alcohol. If
the mental and emotional problems are not properly and fully addressed and
resolved, that same adolescent turning into a young adult may continue to
develop more problems, such as compulsive gambling or shopping sprees. As that
same individual continues to grow and mature, there may be many other problems
that crop up along his or her life journey, including problems in career,
marriage, family, health, money, and among many others. All these life problems
and challenges may continue to create more behavioral patterns, which are only
the manifestations of that individual's desperate struggle against the
unhappiness associated with emotional, mental, and physical problems; they are
just the self-defense addictive behaviors of that individual striving
desperately to overcome depression. In other words, that individual simply
wants to avoid un-happiness resulting
from the many life problems and challenges encountered.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
No comments:
Post a Comment