Posted by Gracie2 on October 20, 2002, at 21:42:30
In reply to Re: What did people do before antidepressants? » WorryGirl, posted by Dinah on October 20, 2002, at 20:41:08
One of my favorite authors is Colin Wilson, who has made a career out of writing about true crime.
Unlike most true crime authors, he discusses theories for the rise of crime and degeneration of morals in society. I believe these theories also apply to the epidemic of depression in today's world.
He says, in essence, that we all simply have too much free time on our hands. "Now the advance in civilization has raised the standard of living to a level that would have been inconcievable even in the 1940s. And this higher degree of leisure and comfort and choice means that a large percentage of our society enjoys a degree of freedom that was once only enjoyed by the rich."
In the past, most people were too busy just trying to survive to worry about how bored and unhappy they were. When you're starving, the need to eat is an urgent physical desire that will pretty much demand most of your attention. When you're homeless, the need for shelter is imperative. In the past, a daily struggle to provide food and a home for one's self and family WAS the reason for existing...anything else was a bonus.
I'm not schooled in psychology, but I believe Wilson also hits upon a profound mental truth when he states that people do the things they do because ACTION BRINGS RELIEF. The next time you're feeling terribly anxious, just get up and DO something...it works. Action brings relief - another way of dealing with depression in the old days.
-Gracie
poster:Gracie2
thread:124428
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021019/msgs/124449.html