A note on depression... (438 hits)
Category: NoneRating: -0.2 on 6 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by ~JP (View user info) at 2004-02-17 22:03:54 EST
Hey, I posted this on my blog, but thought y'all would like to read it:
Depression
For once, not about me.
In recent years there's just been an onslaught of depression. Those of you who go to Creek probably know what happened last Saturday, which is what got me thinking about this in the first place. I didn't really know him that well, past some exchanged pleasantries in middle school years. However, his tragic case exemplifies a problem we are becoming more aware of and have the obligation to confront.
The most public and most extreme example of this was the shooting spree at Columbine High School. I'll never forget it because it hit so close to home; I just couldn't believe that something so heinous and evil happened in a community so similar (and so close) to my own. Since that awful day, the ignorant and the learned alike have desperately searched for a reason or an answer: something that could explain why two kids from a normal school in a normal neighborhood would turn to such violent means to deal with their problems. Because Klebold and Harris took their own lives after the massacre, we will never know for sure what thought process led to Columbine, but a large part was undoubtedly based on depression.
In Bowling for Columbine (Michael Moore), two girls were asked to describe what Klebold and Harris were like as people; the response was one word: "weird." Is it true, as many experts believe, that something so horrifying was done in response being social outcasts? It makes logical sense. Two boys so depressed and angry at a world that had shunned them turn around and take 12 students and one teacher down with them. Columbine is an example of an extreme emotional response, and indicates a need for change in mentality.
This change cannot just happen in the hearts and minds of those who are depressed, either. Whenever something tragic happens, we have a tendency to ask ourselves, "What could I have done?" The answer is: a lot. Listen to your parents, your teachers, and your counselors and take their message to heart. Use the means available to you to change something for the better. But do not just change your outward appearance without changing the way you act and think. Just saying, "I'm going to be a more accepting person," but thinking the same thoughts and acting the same way doesn't address the issue. We need to confront the problem and work toward changing mindsets. Just because someone doesn't look or act a certain way does not mean that they do not have anything to offer you. The beauty of humanity lies in the fact that everyone has something to offer and everyone has something to gain.
It is exactly when we lose sight of this that extreme measures are taken. It's when we no longer feel valued and are left with emptiness and self-pity that we resort to murder and suicide. In teens especially, there's an extreme shortsightedness. By that I don't mean looking only to tomorrow or the next day; I mean looking at middle and high school as the entirety of your existence. We tend to get caught up so much in the rush from school to school and thing to thing that we neglect to see the big picture (or in some cases, any picture).
All I'm really trying to say is: remember those trite and occasionally annoying phrases you get in your e-mail all too often and try to make a difference. That's all you can do.
We spend our lives searching for some sort of truth, some sort of logic that orders the chaos that is life. These truths are with us constantly; it's the simple matter of recognizing and implementing them. It is when we lose sight of that truth that we look to alternate means, and inevitably cause disaster.
Now we can't change the tragic events of the past, but we can use our present knowledge to improve our future. In fact, it's not even a matter of ability. It's a matter of accepting the obligation we have to better ourselves, those around us, and our situations.
Tonight, my thoughts and prayers are with those who have recently lost.
Peace and love...
User Reviews
Submitted by SpikeGoddess (user info) at 2004-02-18 01:40:48 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
JP,
You speak about this with such a detachment...and yet your opening leads me to believe that you might be able to empathize with someone who's depressed b/c you've been there yourself. That's what struck me the most... and the way you talk about "him" at Creek. I don't know, it just rubbed me the wrong way. I feel like you're either holding back how you really feel about things or you're putting on some kind of intellectual analysis b/c you think it would be insightful or new or something...These are just observations. It's not *bad* writing.
Of course we should all be accepting of others and not ridicule and shut people out. I agree. GO ACCEPTANCE WOO!!! and all that. But that's not the whole picture.
Suicide doesn't happen *just* because people aren't accepting. There are many other factors that are involved in psychological illness, which I'm sure you know. Someone who will kill because of teasing is not reacting normally to the stresses of their environment. The teasing is only one contributing factor to a problem that has many causal roots. You oversimplify and detach from a problem that needs either in-depth analysis or deep empathy.
SpikeGoddess
Submitted by Insanethemind (user info) at 2004-02-18 01:28:29 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
on your blog eh?
I laughed throughout...
throughout the first line that is. Couldn't get past that part, as I see someone else said too.
Submitted by MrWillard (user info) at 2004-02-18 00:18:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
I agree with what you say, but I think there is a different side of the story.
There are many people that are considered "weird". These are social outcasts that are constantly bombarded with belittling comments from all sides. Yet, they don't go out and shoot themselves or worse, shoot others in a massive murder suicide thing.
These people are the ones that need to be studied, not the psychopaths.
Thank you for your patronage.
Submitted by Can_Always_Trust_A_Liar (user info) at 2004-02-17 23:14:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
i couldn't bring myself to read past the first line, but giving you the benefit of the doubt i won't -2 you.
Submitted by ExplodingGopher (user info) at 2004-02-17 22:19:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Real helpful yes, really, really helpful...
Submitted by Yes (user info) at 2004-02-17 22:11:21 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
nope.