Thinking about Keith Emerson

[KenElevenShadows]

13 hours ago, ProfD said:

 

 

Interestingly, the lowest rates of depression and suicide are in countries with less emphasis on academic and workplace performance, economics/finances and physical condition. 

 

You probably have seen this already, but Gallup has been creating a list of the world's happiest countries from several measurable factors. This is an NBC news article about the most recent list:

 

Quote

 

Happiness is a relative concept, but an annual index that tracks it in countries around the world has found that the United States and some Western European countries are falling in overall well-being because younger people are feeling less and less happy. 

 

The U.S., in particular, dropped out of the top 20 for the first time, falling to 23rd place from 15th last year, driven by a large drop in the well-being of Americans under 30. The age disparity is stark: The U.S. ranks in the top 10 for those over 60, but for those under 30, it ranks 62nd, pulling down the overall score. 

 

The report tracks trends in well-being rather than causes, but one of the editors of the report told NBC News that a myriad of factors, including economic inequality between generations in the U.S., are likely to blame for the low levels of happiness in American youth. 

 

This makes the U.S., along with a handful of other countries, such as Canada, Germany and France, the global outliers — the report found that in many regions of the world, the young are still happier than the old.  

 

The findings, announced Wednesday to mark the United Nations’ International Day of Happiness, are part of the World Happiness Report, which has been tracking well-being ratings around the world for more than a decade. It’s based on data collected by the research company Gallup and analysis by well-being academics led by the University of Oxford in the U.K. 

 

For the first time this year, the report gave separate rankings by age group, which in many cases vary widely from the overall happiness rankings for different nations. The report found that Lithuania topped the list for people under 30, while Denmark is the world’s happiest country for those aged 60 and older.

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/us-no-longer-one-20-happiest-countries-re-young-probably-know-rcna144199

 

 

[jazzpiano88]

I think two of the main root causes are (1) negative responses to how we see ourselves - ego, (2) unsuccessfully attempting to understand the meaning of life.  
 

(1) also deals with our perceptions about how others perceive us.   Artists are almost always hyper self critical and then we project that view onto others and we get stuck in an ocean of negative thoughts, self failure and worthlessness being major ones.  

 

Regarding (2), intellectuals often try to overly deconstruct our physical being into objective truths and come up short.  I mean when it comes down to it we’re all human creatures spending our time exchanging green paper and filling out forms.  Those without enough paper and or the ability to file forms and maintain records end up homeless.  Artists do art and by and large don’t care about filling out forms.   Faced with that reality we get depressed asking What’s it all about?
 

Just some random thoughts to add.

[Anderton]

7 hours ago, jazzpiano88 said:

I think two of the main root causes are (1) negative responses to how we see ourselves - ego, (2) unsuccessfully attempting to understand the meaning of life.  

I think another one is how you're wired. Depression can run in families, which implies there's something genetic at work. I also think there's a difference between "getting depressed" and "being depressed." Depression will happen to everyone at some point. But for some people, it starts at a very early age and never goes away.

[KenElevenShadows]

7 hours ago, Anderton said:

I think another one is how you're wired. Depression can run in families, which implies there's something genetic at work. I also think there's a difference between "getting depressed" and "being depressed." Depression will happen to everyone at some point. But for some people, it starts at a very early age and never goes away.

That's pretty much what I was trying to get at with one of my last posts. I agree with this completely.

[jazzpiano88]

10 hours ago, Anderton said:

I think another one is how you're wired. Depression can run in families, which implies there's something genetic at work. I also think there's a difference between "getting depressed" and "being depressed." Depression will happen to everyone at some point. But for some people, it starts at a very early age and never goes away.

True but the familial thing is confounded by nature vs nurture. It’s probably a mixture of genes and environment as they found in so many other areas.  

[KuruPrionz]

20 hours ago, Anderton said:

I think another one is how you're wired. Depression can run in families, which implies there's something genetic at work. I also think there's a difference between "getting depressed" and "being depressed." Depression will happen to everyone at some point. But for some people, it starts at a very early age and never goes away.

Lots of variations and possibilities, I've managed to beat depression back with simple exercise. A part of me still objects to taking  long, vigorous walks 4 (or usually, more) times a week. I am getting more used to it and it definitely improves my disposition so I intend to keep at it as long as possible.