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I know how you feel

Hey, I'm in the exact same position as you. Upper-middle class family that pays for anything I need, and pays for college. I have a lot of gifts, but i'm still unhappy all the time.

Hi. An important thing is that we must remember that even with posessions, and a supportive family this is not enough to tackle the deep underlying issues that are the cause of our depressions. Try not to blame yourself - this is the worst thing anyone can do who has depression. It is not your fault. I wish you luck.

I don't think you should feel guilty for not being happier......life is difficult.....for everybody.....it's supposed to be hard, whoever or wherever you are....it's one of those four noble truths in buddhism....if you expect life to be easy, you'll feel dissapointed....but if you accept that life is difficult then you can embrace these challenges and learn and grow from them.

and the fact that you've realised how lucky we are in the west is a really admirable thing.....many are totally ignorant.

But you've still got problems, like the rest of us.....you're allowed to have problems and they're expected to cause you unhappiness....it's fine....you've just gotta keep cracking on down your own path and staying positive.

x

I understand what you are saying. Other people just seem to be happy, whereas, people like us just struggle to find enjoyment in anything. I think that in western societies, such as America, there is a focus on individualism and being a happy person. Buy this car and you will be happy, lose weight and you will be happy etc. But I think it is all a myth to pacify the masses.

From the sounds of it, you have a noble awareness of how "lucky" you are that you do not suffer like people in third world countries. Perhaps you should focus your life on helping people who suffer and then you might feel good about yourself.

Write down your goals and every time you succeed tick them off. Rather than being happy, be content with what you have. It sounds like material possessions aren't your priority? You may be happier leading a more simple and humble existence.

man i totally feel the same way. I was speaking with a friend in brazil about depression the other day. He just had to sell his car to keep his family's finances solvent. And he was trying to cheer me up. I was so grateful for his help, but at the same time, thats just so ironic.

Well, you'd be surprised. Japan supposedly has one of the highest suicide rates and it's quite a wealthy country. Just a thought.

I feel the same exact way. Im a lucky bastard, I can't believe what I have and get away with, like living in my parents house basically rent free and never really having to worry about anything normal adults have to. Yet I constantly worry and am unhappy, life has always been this big excruciating ordeal for me. I hate to think what I'd do if I actually had real problems....I don't wanna think about it.
I've always felt I'd get over this if I had someone to be with, a girlfriend, a partner whatever you wanna call it, cause I'm pretty much useless alone. But that ain't happened yet...

jamez said:

Well, you'd be surprised. Japan supposedly has one of the highest suicide rates and it's quite a wealthy country. Just a thought.

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And Scandinavia, which also has high quality of life, has the highest suicide rates of all.

For some reason, we don't value life in the "true" sense until it's being taken away from us. This is true for most, not just SA sufferers. For example a life threatening illness or a volatile situation, say an act of nature or criminal situation occurs, Then we say "Oh my gosh! I don't want to be unhappy! I don't want to Die! I have sooo much to live for!"

It's sad because there is so much to be happy for & you KNOW this, yet it can be so hard to FEEL this. I think taking a toll of what you appreciate and are thankful for is a good step in the right direction. I don't mean just saying "I'm thankful for my family, my home, etc. etc.. ". I mean, an actual, conscientious toll of what you are thankful for. Write it down. Carry it around. Contemplate it. Meditate on it. Be thankful for it. Feel thankful for it. Think about it some more. Write it down again. Feel it. Carry it around. Talk about it. Allow yourself to actually Feel thankful. Even if it isn't 100%, let yourself Feel the feelings. Let yourself enjoy the feeling of being grateful, and thankful. Of feeling blessed and happy. Actually try to feel those feelings.

It takes a bit of work to begin to Feel better. Feelings are an indicator that our thinking is not in the right place. Try to work on what you're thinking... and see what new feelings you begin to have.

Hi agian Lazylinepainter! I have a couple of questions I'd like to ask you, kinda off topic, but curious nonetheless...

What nationality are you?
What Country would you find "Ideal" to live in? And,
What makes you say: "America is not the best country to live in by far (in your opinion)"?

.. Just want to know your opinion on these topics...

Every time on the news we hear about bad stuff happening in the world, like the China earthquake, i see people in wheelchairs, blind people, deaf people...Yet i still feel depressed, and i feel guilty for being depressed but it's not something i can control. I wonder if living in a society where everything is materialistic actually makes us more depressed? What would have happened if i would have been raised in a hunter gatherer type of existence with only the need to find food to survive?

:!:

jamez said:

Well, you'd be surprised. Japan supposedly has one of the highest suicide rates and it's quite a wealthy country. Just a thought.

Click to expand...

Yeah, but I don't know if that means they necessarily have higher rates of depression. Asian culture has traditionally had a much more tolerant view of suicide than Western ones...suicide is seen there as more of a way to remove the possibility of shame from failure. In historical warfare, soldiers would often kill themselves in the face of defeat rather than be slain by their enemies--samurai called it seppuku. Western culture has taken the view that it's shameful and cowardly, probably due to the Christian view that we should use our lives to "serve" god and that ending it means being ungrateful, but I know that it was looked down upon as far back as the ancient Greeks.

bleach said:

And Scandinavia, which also has high quality of life, has the highest suicide rates of all.

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Hmm, wonder why that would be. I'll have to look into it...

I totally agree with you lazyline western societies are funked up. The thing is, if America stops consuming then this will result in economic recession. America needs a strong economy to maintain its hegemony over the ascension of China and also so it can continue to bully other nations into agreeing to their policies.

It's all about power. I think the social phobia people should unite and stop this from happening. HEHE now that would be funny.

Hi again, Lazilinepainter. Thanks for the reply. I totally hear ya on the news part. Definitely it gets tiresome listening to some of these reporters and their take on what is happening in the world. For example, I cannot stand Bill O'Riely. He is so opinionated and every time he has a guest on, he interrupts them to impose his own opinion. Then he has a segment which he calls the ""No Spin Zone", however, it is completely HIS spin! It gets so darn annoying! We do seem to pay more attention to the "stars" and their corruption/foul play than we do our neighbors. I think that's because people know them and... sadly, people Buy "People Magazine"!. That's just the way it is. Not everyone in America Cares if Mr. Douglas, my next door neighbor, got arrested for the 4th time for drunk driving... they DO want to know if Lindsey Lohan (or Hulk Hogan's son) got arrested for the same reason... Because they know the name...i.e. know the person.

Where you born here in America? Because I am surprised by how you feel towards America, if you were born here. I thought perhaps you had family and relatives from another region which might play into your feelings on our country... I say this because I have a fierceness when it comes to "defending" my country. I can't say I always agree with our current politics or that I support the government's decision's 100% but... I AM Proud to be American!! And, I AM Proud to live in America! .. and have all the many, many, Many privileges this country has allowed me! I definitely want to travel and experience other cultures, however, I hold strong to the belief that America, for the most part, wants Democracy for all. I don't, in the end, see anything wrong with this "Idealistic" view/approach. And I think THAT is what America is all about.

krs2snow said:

Hi again, Lazilinepainter. Thanks for the reply. I totally hear ya on the news part. Definitely it gets tiresome listening to some of these reporters and their take on what is happening in the world. For example, I cannot stand Bill O'Riely. He is so opinionated and every time he has a guest on, he interrupts them to impose his own opinion. Then he has a segment which he calls the ""No Spin Zone", however, it is completely HIS spin! It gets so darn annoying! We do seem to pay more attention to the "stars" and their corruption/foul play than we do our neighbors. I think that's because people know them and... sadly, people Buy "People Magazine"!. That's just the way it is. Not everyone in America Cares if Mr. Douglas, my next door neighbor, got arrested for the 4th time for drunk driving... they DO want to know if Lindsey Lohan (or Hulk Hogan's son) got arrested for the same reason... Because they know the name...i.e. know the person.

Where you born here in America? Because I am surprised by how you feel towards America, if you were born here. I thought perhaps you had family and relatives from another region which might play into your feelings on our country... I say this because I have a fierceness when it comes to "defending" my country. I can't say I always agree with our current politics or that I support the government's decision's 100% but... I AM Proud to be American!! And, I AM Proud to live in America! .. and have all the many, many, Many privileges this country has allowed me! I definitely want to travel and experience other cultures, however, I hold strong to the belief that America, for the most part, wants Democracy for all. I don't, in the end, see anything wrong with this "Idealistic" view/approach. And I think THAT is what America is all about.

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AMERICA, Fuck yeah. The land of hope and glory. America only wants to spread democracy and freedom to such countries as Iraq though not Zimbabwe. The people of Iraq experienced hardship and death under the totalitarian regime of Saddam Hussein. America decided 'No! enough is enough!'. We are going to dip into our pockets and finance a war on Iraq because we are so good. We may kill about 50,000 innocent civilians but that is the price of peace! And OIL, Fuck yeah!

Zimbabweans are living under a totalitarian regime but America does not want to interfere. We, as a nation, believe that Zimbabwe has nothing to offer. If we interfere there, then they will only have peanuts and fruit to offer us and bio-diesel technology has not taken off yet.

America loves freedom. Look at Britney Spears, she is disadvantaged because (a) she is a women and (b) she is retarded. But only in America will her cellulite, peroxide blonde hair and love for sex be spread across our nation. We, as a nation, idolise Britney because she is the American Dream. From trailer trash to singing schoolgirl to Mature lesbian fetish to Millionaire to Drugs to babies to rehab. Britney signifies what is good about America. This is freedom and democracy.

Last but not least. Americans love America. We love our country like it was our baby. We would breast feed our country, we would wipe its bottom, we would nurture it. If you try to disparage our country, we would kill you for it in the name of peace and democracy.

Oh one more thing. Terrorists don't like America because it stands for peace, love, sex, stars, alcohol, and did I mention freedom. America only wants to make love with other countries. We want to give them a big cuddle and say 'it's Ok, there there'. Ahhhhh....peace, prosperity, love and sex to everyone!