Unhappiness As Societal, Not Individual, Illness

Due to my own struggles against depression and anxiety, I’ve taken a great interest in psychological studies since the 80s. In my own case, I feel confident that generally my depressions are situational– and therefore, rational. Most of the time. There are times when I’ve wondered, as in 2006 — but there were several factors even then that lend some clues. Point being, I’ve had a more difficult life than most middle class Americans. Probably because most of my life I have not been middle class, but rather working class with all the additional struggles of that section of society. On top of that, there are issues stemming from poor parenting, health issues, paranormal & existential issues… It hard to skip to dixie when you add it all up sometimes!

Yet, beneath that, I’ve long suspected that much of what bother ME bothers a lot of people. The loss of community. The escalation of hostility. The rushing always-playing-catch-up frenetic pace of society. The looming and ever-growing problems for our future– loss of biodiversity, the destruction of ecosystems, the ravaging laying to waste of our world under the groaning mass of our numbers… We’re getting more crowded, dirtier, meaner, and more connected but less devoted. Even middle class and wealthy people are struggling all too often. If just having access to more stuff was the cure-all, then why are the people at the top having issues too?

We’re at the peak of our civilization, and yet ANTI-DEPRESSANTS and ANTI-ANXIETY medications are the most massively prescribed of all classes of drugs. Illegal drugs and alcohol are selling at a unprecedented clip. Obviously, many many people are having difficulty managing their lives without help. Many people feel miserable at some level. Most of us feel desperate at some level.

This is the best there is? This is what the rest of the developing world clamors for..?

And when they start to reach our level– those up-and-comer nations find they have the same issues we do. We spread our societal ills as we spread our way of life.

Seems I’m not the only one to notice this.  As CHS explains in his blog:
The Pursuit of Happiness and the Sociopathology of ProsperityLife, liberty and the pursuit of happiness have been distilled into a sociopathology of consumption and unrealistic expectations of “prosperity” that do not lead to happiness or well-being.

This is an important article to read, and I hope you check it out, because it spells out how the pursuit of STUFF at the expense of everything else is a big part of what has led us to this sorry state of things. Because buying stuff has such a built-in incentive for those who sell stuff, not encouraging over-consumption is not reasonable to expect of those who run this system.

But if its making us sad, sick, and is literally killing our planet and our future, we have to recognize it for what it is: a profound, society-wide illness that we need to address. As it is, I personally believe it is too late. The ever-worsening slow-motion crisis of Peak Everything and Climate Change will bring about the slowing of consumption by impoverishing individuals and nations. I have more to say on this Monday, but for now, I’m making the point that we’re not just giving up all our goodies as we are forced to adapt and transition — we’re also opening up to an opportunity to find a new way of living that is perhaps a healthier one for us psychologically as individuals. Why do we fear a change from a way of life that now makes us so scared, sad, and physically susceptible to chronic illnesses despite having state-of-the-art medical knowledge and techniques?

We can do better. And soon we’re going to have to, because we’re not going to have a choice about it.