Many people have been diagnosed with depression. They are treated with drugs and convinced that they need “therapy”. They are given labels expressed in medical terms like bipolar, schizophrenia, premenstrual, psychotic, or postpartum depression, suicidal, anxious, seasonal affective disorder, and other diagnoses – all of which stem from underlying depression or dissatisfaction with life. As with most medical illnesses, doctors treat only the symptoms and rarely seek to determine the cause. Is it actually depression, or is it a reaction to the demands placed on them by an economic-driven society?
A large percentage of those suffering from one or more of these conditions may simply have been stifled from expressing their true purpose. They become deeply conflicted when they cannot do that which they truly love to do. Our religion, our parent’s belief systems, and social expectations place unnatural stress on a young person who is trying to fit in and at the same time, make her own self-discovery. Adolescents growing into adults are often pushed into roles that are not in accord with their true nature. They may have creative tendencies that are suppressed because they have been convinced that going to college and travelling that road to success will bring them happiness in the form of security. If that road does not allow their creative expression to emerge, they will grow more despondent and begin to exhibit one or more mental health disorders.
An artist must create art in order to be truly happy. That is what sets his spirit free. Whether he is a sculptor, a painter, a musician, an architect, a landscaper, a writer, or any of hundreds of creative endeavors, he must do what his heart cries out to do. A woman may spend years in misery if she is imprisoned in a life of purely domestic duties; relegating her heart’s longings to the backburner. Our modern society does not honor the individual capacity to find one’s true calling; but to instead pursue a career that will promise great wealth. When we place a young person in shoes that do not fit, they cannot walk properly. They stumble and fall and mistakenly believe that they are a failure, when it is actually society that has failed them. If we encourage children and allow them to gravitate to that thing that resonates with their soul, they will grow into wholesome, happy adults. Then, they will contribute to society, rather than become a drain on society. When allowed to follow her dreams and given the freedom to blossom into her own unique form, a woman can find fulfillment and happiness. There is an old adage that, “If Mama ain’t happy, nobody’s happy”. If Mama is happy, doing what she loves, she will pass that on to her children. We can minimise the number of people afflicted with depression, by allowing our children to become who they were born to be.
