Commentary

The Greater Depression

I have a general distrust... all right an outright contempt... for the Western medical establishment. I'm no doctor, but as far as I can tell, clinical depression is a phenomenon in the United States and not one of those "whole world" things... Travel outside of the States and you'll notice it's mainly Americans adhering to and worshipping their personal neuroses.

However, I believe I know the reason everyone is so depressed in this country. It's because Americans were born in, arguably, the least healthy nation of a dying planet.

In other words: Maybe you're depressed because the Planet is dying!!

The only way to truly feel better is to dedicate your life to something. Christians would say "dedicate your life to christ", but that's just opportunism. I say dedicate your life to fixing the damage humans have done to Earth, Terra, Gaia whatever you want to call her. Everything else is self obsession... dwelling on your problems... spinning your personal pinwheel... rendering yourself creatively and emotionally inert... the worst of all distractions. Save the fucking planet. How else are you going to feel better?

I'm not saying that therapy and medication haven't helped some people. What I am saying is that therapy and medication are prescribed too readily to too many people who probably just need to go for a walk and get some fresh air and don't need to be diagnosed with the psychological flavor of the week from Disorders R' Us.

Be careful. Just because someone with a nifty degree on their wall stamps 'disorder' on your forehead, don't feel inclined to keep giving this person more of your time and money. Seek second, third and fourth opinions AND be sure to travel outside the western medical establishment for a few of those perspectives.

-Mattro

In Other News...

August 15, 1997

Lousiana- A proposed "marriage covenant" law makes it harder for married couples to get divorced in that state.

The American Civil Liberties Union says this law will make it harder for women to leave abusive husbands. Duh. Aren't any of the legislators in Louisiana bright enough to figure this out for themselves? Who's running that state?

Personally, I think all levels of government should make it harder for people to get married. It's too damned easy for moronic people to get hitched to one another... At least make the couple take a breathalizer test first, sheesh.

Summer, 1997

NASA must be somewhat Zen in nature. There's some kind of Yin Yang thing happening in modern space exploration.

Isn't it odd how we can now see extraordinary pictures from Mars taken from a rugged little erector set car with a camera strapped on its back? The little car is called Sojourner and it has outlived and outperformed every expectation on an (almost) perfect mission. The photos are magnificent and are more awe-inspiring than anything that's ever been on the cover of Omni.

Meanwhile, up on Mir, the "Keystone Kosmonauts," with the help of whichever American astronaut is up there at the time, can't keep things like their computer and life support running on the crumbling Russian space station. Things keep crashing and breaking. What are they doing up there? Holding keg parties with the aliens and cultists from the Hale-Bopp Comet? Did someone bring up a case of ouzo in their supply cargo?

Despite all the pollution, famine, war, and natural disasters, I think I'll stay down here on Earth where it's safe.