IT'S OKAY TO BE SAD
Even though it’s very common. I think a lot of people aren’t depressed.
I think a lot of people are actually sad.
Depression is an illness.
Sadness is an emotion.
In simple terms.
Depression = A Marathon
Sadness = Sprinting
Depression is a long process where you can’t just sprint through it. If you try to sprint through it you’re gonna run outta breath and it’s going to be more difficult to get through the marathon.
Sadness is a 100 or 200 meter. You can sprint through it and it takes less time to heal from than depression.
I’ll never forget this segment I watched on ESPN. It was about this white girl who was a long distance runner on a scholarship at Penn State. This young woman was literally good at everything she did. She could’ve gone to Penn State with an academic scholarship too. Everything was aligning for her to be successful. She had a great support system. She wasn’t broke. She jumped off the top of a parking garage at Penn State and killed herself. Shocked everyone. ESPN interviewed her family and friends and she felt all this pressure of her life and that she wasn’t good enough even though she really was. She was exceptional at things she pursued. She was unhappy and they couldn’t really figure out the source of her unhappiness. That’s depression. She was sick. Depression doesn’t have to have a specific moment. Depression rarely have things that trigger it. Her family couldn’t figure out what triggered her depression and that’s why it’s so dangerous.
A lot of society is sad. Sadness you can break away from. You can be distracted away from sadness. Depression you’re generally always in this abyss of darkness no matter what good or bad is going on around you. Sadness is a reaction to events and situations. Nothing can occur and depression can be present.
A lot of people are failing at what they’re striving for or something they thought was going to go their way doesn’t and they come to the conclusion that they’re depressed because of it. A girl or boy doesn’t like them the way they like them so they say they’re depressed because of it. I’m not saying it’s not impossible to be depressed due to those circumstances but in my opinion it also includes other factors for it to be the case.
I’m not here to say “Oh everyone is fake depressed” because if I say something like “fake depressed”I would be dismissing sadness too. Sadness is very important too and shouldn’t be taken lightly. I’m just not into the climate of “Oh this situation didn’t go my way so that makes me depressed.” If everything was going your way would you still be depressed? The answer to that for a lot of people would be “No.” That’s what depression is. Depression is …
“I have 100 million dollars and I’m a good person and I can do what I want. Why do I feel hopeless and worthless?”
“I have a beautiful wife that supports me and loves me. She’s my best friend. Why do I feel I don’t deserve her and I’m failing her even though I’m doing everything right by her?”
“I love my career but why does it get harder and harder to get out of bed each passing day?”
“Why do I feel trapped and like I have no options in life when there’s an abundance of options around me?”
I’ve seen depression up close and personal and it’s deep. Seeing someone suffering and you can’t do anything about it. You’ve tried everything and they’re still sick. Depression makes people push their loved ones away. It’s a selfish disease. It’s just darkness. You feel so helpless as a friend or family member. Depression is too serious to just give yourself a self diagnosis for it. It’s pretty sad that depression is almost being reduced to a trend.
Have you ever truly felt the weight of worthlessness? We’ve seen world class talents in society get praised for their gifts. They’re good people. They’re master of their crafts. I’m not talking they’ve only been in their field for 3-4 years. I’m talking 2 decades of work. They’re sensei’s. They have millions of dollars. Lovely families. They’re doing what they love and people love them for it and they still feel like they’re not shit. They wake up emptier as each day passes. They can’t figure out why or an event or person to blame so they constantly blame themselves. After that they start thinking about self harm and the next thing you know you see the breaking news story that they took their own life.
Some people gotta stop using depression as the scapegoat for their behavior. People know that it’s bulletproof because they know if someone responds to them and says “You’re not depressed” and hold them accountable for their behavior the tables will turn and that person questioning their depression will look like the bad guy or a bully. People will turn away from the issue at hand. It’s touchy and people never wanna be like “Aye you’re not depressed quit faking” because you never know what people are going through and depression is such a sensitive topic but the last 4-5 years people have been using depression like a get out of jail free card in Monopoly. A person acts like an asshole and then says “Aye man sorry I was depressed.” No you were just an asshole. Depression had nothing to do with it but I accept your apology. Everyone acts like an asshole sometimes. It’s okay. Just own the fact that you were an asshole. Don’t tell me it was depression. Some people who underachieve lean on depression as the reason they’re underachieving. The truth may just be that they just aren’t good enough at what they’re pursuing and that’s okay. Not everyone are top tier talents. You can still have fun and make it a career if you want. Everyone is not meant to be a boss. You may be a better number 8 person in a company than a number 1.
I’m very observant so that’s all this post is. It’s just me observing. I’m seeing people not get their way in situations in their life and they’re quick to play the depression card. It’s frustrating because we see people who are really clinically depressed and literally in fear for their life. Some people just have to admit they’re going through sadness. It’s okay to just be sad. I promise. Sadness is important too.
Peace
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