Depression

Long back, I met a young person in Pune. Working as an executive, athlete and doing well by any yard stick one chooses to measure. But he was depressed.

He was emphatic and articulate, almost convinced me that there is nothing one can do about his depression. His arguments went somewhat like this: I was going by a bike, and saw another person of my age going by an expensive car. He must be a successful person, he might have done some thing right that is the reason he is having that life style. Where as I must have done everything wrong that is the reason I am going by bike. Therefore I am good for nothing.

I know that the mind is a strange mechanism; it can make a fool of Socrates. You can use logic to defeat it; but it can invent hyper logic to prove its point of view. Yet we can be sure that it always behaves with a purpose; invariably it operates with a definite purpose. And the purpose is protecting our survival and nothing more and nothing less. What is the best form of defense? It is avoidance. Avoid everything and everyone, there will be no danger, thus survival is guaranteed. Not a bad logic for the mind to use to protect us from painful realities and the dangerous world. If you avoid for a long period of time, there will be no danger but depression will set in gradually.

That young man asked me the question; what is wrong with him? I said that there is nothing is wrong with him, and just gave him the gyan on mind, a long explanation, when I realized my talk might bore him and increase his depression more, I stopped. Then I asked him what is it that which is giving him real pain, expensive car and rich young man are just metaphors and similes, they indicate some thing more concrete which you are afraid of facing. And what are the recent disappointments he has faced.

I had to leave for Mumbai that night, and we departed leaving the questions hanging around the atmosphere.