Dear R,
Let me say something very briefly. There are two types of people who suffer from severe depression. The first type are those who actually have serious neuaral problems. Only medical doctors can fix them.
But they are a very small percentage. The vast majority of the rest are those who have misrepresented their inner selves and multiplied their darkness.
I keep meeting such people—at least two of them in a week. There are many such people in this generation. Their real problem is not with them alone. The reason is this hightech-consumerist era.
The lofty ideals that dominated our society until the last century are no more today. Today’s politics is completely hateful and negative. It creates depression. It is also the place where depressed people naturally go.
Today, at a young age, we are brought up with the idea that ‘getting successful in life’ is the only aim and essence of life. Indeed, success in life is important. But it makes us self-centered. It trains us to think only about our pleasures and victories. We are filled with high dreams; naturally, few of them can be fulfilled. Those unfulfilled dreams lead to depression.
As a result of our self-centered view, we exhibit selfishness in every moment and in every relationship. We see our own pleasure and justification for it everywhere. We try to bend all relationships for our own benefit. The result is relationship problems and deep depression.
As far as I can see, the only cure for depression is idealism. Engage in social work, intellectual pursuit, or the spiritual path with big dreams. It is the only way. I have seen even people who have suffered huge losses as a result of their fate recover themselves through selfless work.
No one with a ‘receiving’ mindset in life can ever be happy. Because the desire to receive cannot be fulfilled. Their selves remain smoldering and are always unhappy. They will worry only about what others owe them and what they missed. Life is like an immovable rock to them.
Only ‘givers’ are happy. They give without counting anything. Eventually, they will find a field for themselves. Those who forget themselves at work can be free from the burning pain of self-pitiness. They have no time for depression. Their lives are flying by.
You can join our yoga-meditation classes. They help you see yourself. See what you want. You will find your domain. Acting on it with full force is the only way to recover. Givers are winners. Happiness is only for those who give.
I have one qualification to say this: I am a survivor of the same mindset you have now.
Jeyamohan.
