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Question (as someone whose deepest depression was a 'bad day' at work ;)): the article states that But also it goes with realising that a lot of human activity

Question (as someone whose deepest depression was a 'bad day' at work ;)): the article states that But also it goes with realising that a lot of human activity is really pretty pointless, and when you realise that and internalise it then you become cynical and also a bit sad - because you yourself are caught up in this machine and you have to play along if you want to get on. Teenagers are really good at spotting this kind of phony nonsense. Its also the seed of an illness; a melancholia that can deepen in later life into full blown depression. I think that purely rational reasoning will easily lead to this conclusion, but emotionally this does not feel true: we all want to avoid suffering and live in happiness. So, the eventual goal becomes making yourself and other people happy. I seems to me that such reasoning can only get to you if there already is an emotional imbalance (e.g. due to bipolar disorder or stress). So, isn't it a trigger for illness, rather than a seed?

steve-howard 15y ago
This article rings quite true with me. The pointlessness of school resulted in me barely attending class at all this quarter; thankfully I did pretty okay this quarter. The kind of thinking we're talking about is neither a symptom nor a cause of depression. Rather, both are wrapped up in the personality of the thinker. When I'm depressed, my thinking is skewed. I admit it. And here's an important point: if rational reasoning leads you to one conclusion and emotional reasoning suggests something else, then doesn't that mean that your meaning of life depends on how you feel in a given day? My emotions aren't predictable enough for me to accept that.
- danieldk 15y ago
  Sure, emotions are very temporal and frequently changing. But even if I am angry, bored, or excited, I know that I also want to and am capable of being happy. Evenmore, some other emotions are often strongly related to pleasant emotions. E.g. if child gets angry because he/she has to go to bed, it's usually because the child wants to play.
  - steve-howard 15y ago
    People with depression are not always able to experience happiness. And I cannot explain why, but at the worst, I don't really want to be happy either.
    - Anderkent 15y ago
      Do you actively not want to be happy, or just not really care about attaining happiness? This is personally interesting to me. I do not think I am depressed, but I find I do not care much about being happy. I admit the experience is pleasant, but it doesn't bother me that it is rare.
deleted 15y ago
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- danieldk 15y ago
  That's a nice variation of Nozick's experience machine [1] :). I wouldn't consider taking such a drug, because it leads attachment to that good mood. Attachment leads to unhappiness: that state may not be maintainable (shortage of drugs, rebirth if you believe in that, etc.) and we can always wish for more or better. I think that the highest form of happiness is non-attachment, being aware but not under control of pleasant and unpleasant experiences (akin to enlightenment in Buddhism). [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experience_machine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experience_machine

steve-howard 15y ago

This article rings quite true with me. The pointlessness of school resulted in me barely attending class at all this quarter; thankfully I did pretty okay this quarter. The kind of thinking we're talking about is neither a symptom nor a cause of depression. Rather, both are wrapped up in the personality of the thinker. When I'm depressed, my thinking is skewed. I admit it. And here's an important point: if rational reasoning leads you to one conclusion and emotional reasoning suggests something else, then doesn't that mean that your meaning of life depends on how you feel in a given day? My emotions aren't predictable enough for me to accept that.

danieldk 15y ago
Sure, emotions are very temporal and frequently changing. But even if I am angry, bored, or excited, I know that I also want to and am capable of being happy. Evenmore, some other emotions are often strongly related to pleasant emotions. E.g. if child gets angry because he/she has to go to bed, it's usually because the child wants to play.
- steve-howard 15y ago
  People with depression are not always able to experience happiness. And I cannot explain why, but at the worst, I don't really want to be happy either.
  - Anderkent 15y ago
    Do you actively not want to be happy, or just not really care about attaining happiness? This is personally interesting to me. I do not think I am depressed, but I find I do not care much about being happy. I admit the experience is pleasant, but it doesn't bother me that it is rare.

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

danieldk 15y ago
That's a nice variation of Nozick's experience machine [1] :). I wouldn't consider taking such a drug, because it leads attachment to that good mood. Attachment leads to unhappiness: that state may not be maintainable (shortage of drugs, rebirth if you believe in that, etc.) and we can always wish for more or better. I think that the highest form of happiness is non-attachment, being aware but not under control of pleasant and unpleasant experiences (akin to enlightenment in Buddhism). [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experience_machine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experience_machine