As someone in the US it’s so easy to see so many depressing issues from the ravages of capitalism, to war, imperialism, and genocide. How can one care about these issues and hope for change without allowing themselves to be affected mentally?

I’ve been considering this for the past week, connecting it with Buddhist compassion towards the world and a need for mindfulness. But it’s so easy to fall into emotionlessness.

I’ve also thought through the world has always had issues and though some are getting much worse some are getting better.

I have gone to counseling before but they just make it an individual problem when it’s the world.

Edit: doesn’t have to be US centric. Just I’m writing from that pov

2 points

Just go to a poor country like Peru. You will start to appreciate what you have.

permalink
report
reply
7 points

OP didn’t ask about appreciating what they have. And silencing criticism of bad by contrasting it against worse is never helpful.

That’s some “fiNiSh yOur pLaTe bEcaUsE kiDs aRe sTaRviNg in aFriCa!!1!” shit.

permalink
report
parent
reply
4 points
*

Don’t waste food is a decent general point tho(assuming that the food is decent).

But yeah, dealing criticism, that is meaningful, with ‘lack of appreciation’ doesn’t fix stuff.

permalink
report
parent
reply
2 points

100%, but eating food when you’re already full is still wasting it, it’s just doing so in a way that’s damaging to your health; and no part of that is helping starving children in Africa, so that whole line is a pretty good showcase of an asinine kneejerk non-solution to multiple problems. Same energy as “gO to pErU” in response to a complaint about an unrelated problem somewhere better off than Peru.

permalink
report
parent
reply
11 points
*

Communism.

permalink
report
reply
6 points

I literally don’t understand people having kids in this “climate”. That’s how cynical and hopeless I feel about humanity’s future.

I wouldn’t want to inflict that… The heat, the natural disasters, the risk of nuclear wars. The genocides considering multiple were or are active at any point (Palestine, Syria…). The fall of journalism…

Many things I discuss with my friends but nobody could ever dream to fix. So all this shit stays with you. And seeing how our politics are reacting to climate change, this is lost. Because everything else is pointless if you don’t have a place to live.

permalink
report
reply
-2 points
Removed by mod
permalink
report
parent
reply
3 points

Yeah! Can’t understand why they believe checks comment…oh… climate change? Umm, sure. You got them, glad you gave them that mental check and brought them back to reality…weren’t just being insulting or anything.

permalink
report
parent
reply
-4 points
Removed by mod
permalink
report
parent
reply
3 points

Just had one, my only social media is lemmy which really helps

permalink
report
parent
reply
1 point

How old are they now? :) mine is 10m

permalink
report
parent
reply
2 points

2 weeks, fresh out of the oven :)

permalink
report
parent
reply
28 points

That’s the neat part, you don’t.

permalink
report
reply
-16 points
*

Right? I’ve never believed that depression is a brain chemical issue. It’s an issue of being aware of the true nature of the world and species.

Edit: Take your pills the fancy drug dealer prescribed you for your “depression” and break your dicks. Numb yourself up to it all and live your best life, man. I don’t give a fuck. I drink, so it probably isn’t much better. Heh. Sorry I struck a nerve, but my perspective on this matter isn’t changing in my lifetime. This is the same industry that used to electrocute and shove ice picks into your brain. Now they do it with chemicals. Still just clueless throw shit at the wall and see what sticks nonsense that will never solve the real problem.

permalink
report
parent
reply
1 point
*

Seriously, you don’t know what you’re talking about. SSRIs saved my life. I was recently barely clinging on to my job as I was on the verge of a panic attack nearly 24/7. I’ve been off and on SSRIs before so I do know they’re very difficult to quit, but I was close to institutionalizing myself from the level of anxiety I was dealing with.

Yes they have downsides and yes they should be used as a last resort, but writing them off entirely is a stupid mentality.

Numb yourself up to it all and live your best life

Yes, I will

permalink
report
parent
reply
2 points

I personally am writing them off entirely for personal use, but I am happy they work for you. I’ve been saying the entire time in this thread that it’s a personal decision… I’ll admit I was playing it up for that one user who was super rude to me because it was fun to piss him off, but you are cool.

permalink
report
parent
reply
1 point

I’m curious. Have you always been a complete jackass?

permalink
report
parent
reply
0 points

To become this enlightened has taken some time, so fret not. There’s hope for you. Perhaps once you’ve lost a couple of friends to this destructive industry. Until then, I can see you’re quite comfortable in the circle jerk.

permalink
report
parent
reply
4 points

I wanted to say there is some truth in what you’re saying but the more I read, the more clueless you sound. Depression is real, and drugs that fuck your sex life up are probably worse. I have a lot of bad days but good days, good art, and a well placed joint help. Just because a lot of the current understanding of depression is flawed or wrong doesn’t make it a fake made up condition. You probably aren’t depressed if you can say that. Being the kid who was always super sensitive, would cry for hours, and getting really sad just thinking about something briefly are all things I experienced which prove to me that depression is real. No one else in my family was suffering like that. And I could say I was of higher intelligence and that’s why, if I wanted to jerk myself off like you’re doing, but the truth is it’s a lot more complicated than that.

permalink
report
parent
reply
14 points

It’s both.

permalink
report
parent
reply
-14 points
*

No other animal suffers from depression. If it were a brain chemical issue, where are all the depressed squirrels and buffalo? It’s a human problem. That brain chemical imbalance shit is a neat way for the pharmaceutical companies to push their expensive poison on us. Break your dick and ruin one of the few good things in life. Happy now? Pass.

Depressed? Congratulations. You’re more intelligent and aware than most.

permalink
report
parent
reply
7 points

I think they’re 2 different things. being acutely aware of how totally an utterly fucked we all are doesn’t stop me from doing things I like.

permalink
report
parent
reply
3 points
*

You know you’re going to die right ? How do you deal with that ? Philosophically, Stoicism has some of what I need for coping.

I’d also suggest that journalism is mostly interlectual trash that clutters your mind. Really important events will find their way to you.

An example, I’m not an American (i did live there back in the mid 1990s, before I relaised it wasn’t for me) and I will likely Vote Green until I die. I’d prefer a livable biospbere and little better treament of minorities. Others prefer the opposite but their entreaties to get me to think their way won’t work so why would I bother listening?

Journalism isnt really about reporting “news” but selling advertising.

permalink
report
reply

Asklemmy

!asklemmy@lemmy.ml

Create post

A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions

Search asklemmy 🔍

If your post meets the following criteria, it’s welcome here!

  1. Open-ended question
  2. Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
  3. Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
  4. Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
  5. An actual topic of discussion

Looking for support?

Looking for a community?

Icon by @Double_A@discuss.tchncs.de

Community stats

  • 8.6K

    Monthly active users

  • 5.9K

    Posts

  • 322K

    Comments