I came across this grim quote the other day:
Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, the panic and fear which is inherent in a human situation.
—Graham Greene
I do think doing something creative, be it cooking, sewing, knitting, woodworking, painting, writing (especially our blogs!), whatever, can enhance our lives. But I also think there is a lot more to life than just madness, melancholia, panic and fear.
Wow! Reading Greene makes me appreciate the good things in life even more. What about you?
February 15, 2015
While you are right in your own way about appreciating the good things that life has to offer for us without the gift that Greene had, he suffered from bipolar disorder and tried to commit suicide several times. His quote should be viewed with that background. I know three persons with bipolar disorder and it is not easy living the way they are forced to by the disease.
How do your friends feel about
Do they feel helpless or do they think medicine gives them a modicum of control over the disease?
Yes, depression is nasty stuff. Been there, done that. As I’ve mentioned before, that’s what gave me so much motivation early in life. Mine was partly genetic — my mother was depressed too — and partially situational. Bless books for giving me some things to try.
If you watch the grass grow (or the clock move) TIME increases & that’s a PLUS.
bikehikebabe,
If you’re feeling miserable, that’s not necessarily a plus.
Rummuser,
Have any of your friends tried Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? It takes work and it doesn’t work for everyone, but for some people it helps a lot: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Bipolar Disorder.
bikehikebabe,
When does time fly by and when does it go slowly for you? Which do you prefer? I don’t mind it flying by — I can still remember how it would sometimes drag when I was a kid. For me it’s more fun now.
They don’t relate to philosophy. There is nothing that I or anyone else can tell them that will help when they are in their extremes. They are bipolar! When for whatever reason they stop taking their medication, they suffer. And this happens because part of the disease is that they forget to take their medication.
That was my point, what works for you doesn’t necessarily work for someone else.
In any case, coming back to being creative, all of them are very creative! No, I don’t suggest them anything as they are already under professional care.
Ah, you forget you’re talking to a data gatherer, not an advice giver. I was just wondering what the treatment is in India, or at least with your friends. You might not know, of course.
some of our best historical quotes come when a persons world seems to look great but there is an undercurrent of what ???