You should be happy. If.....

[flobadob]

You are not flooded out of your home
You are not living in a shack
You are not starving
You are in a house having internet
etc.

[ummmm]

No, because different things make people happy. The internet actually makes some people very unhappy.

[flobadob]

Actually umm my point was you arw not living in Etheopia or Haiti,

[ummmm]

You can't compare unless you've experienced both.

[Answerprancer]

Nah. You should be happy if you've found love or compassion with someone else or yourself. (IMO)

[flobadob]

Ummm, let's let people experience both.

[ummmm]

How will you do that?

[wolf63]

What about all the people who suffer from clinical depression? They might have everything that they could ever need materially, but still be suffering an ongoing living hell (and insomnia).

[flobadob]

Let's not then.

[flobadob]

wolf. I'm being 100% serious here. Do you think it would work if a program was started whereby depressed people were given the opportunity to do volunteer work in areas where people need help and maybe realise that they're perceived problems do not stand up to actual issues?

[wolf63]

No. You obviously have been lucky enough to go through life without ever suffering from Clinical Depression or knowing someone who has suffered.

I suffer from depression (I have Bipolar Disorder) due mainly to a chemical imbalance in my brain. I am intelligent and know that there is no 'reason' for me to be depressed. I have a good sense of humour so I am not all doom and gloom. I volunteer in an Oxfam shop and know of the suffering of others (much of which is caused by our own species).

I have been unable to work for 8 years and prior to this I was a civil servant. All through this time I have suffered from periods of pure hell which have driven me to the stage where death would have been pleasant.

Your question/statement is actually quite hurtful and ill thought out.

[ummmm]

Depression isn't about material things.

The word 'depression' is used too often. People who are down in the dumps claim to be depressed.

[ummmm]

And I mean it's used too often which takes away the severity of the condition.

[flobadob]

Join the club.

[flobadob]

I'm on about people who go and top themselves and leave their families to pick up the pieces. Could they not be sent out to Africa to help people instead of killing themselves?

[ummmm]

No...it doesn't work like that. People kill themselves for different reasons. If the reason is depression, like Wolf said, it's an imbalance in the brain. Sending them off to help people less fortunate will not change that.

[ummmm]

And the two people I know who committed suicide....there was no warning. They appeared to be okay.

[wolf63]

Nah. I realise that most of them could do with a kick in the behind to get them going again. But taking someone to see the real suffering in the world would drive any sane and caring person nuts.

I think that many people consider suicide to be a selfish thing to do, but when a person gets to that stage their brain is filled with illogical thoughts.

Your idea is, on the surface, a logical one. But the human brain can be a brilliant machine - but it is very a highly complex machine too.

Man's inhumanity to man is to blame for all the evil on this planet. Us females are all sugar and spice. ;-)

Night - I am off to repossess my bed from a 5.31kg snarling feline.

[Answerprancer]

"let's let people experience both"
..isn't that what we strive for ?
If we find it for ourselves - good, if we can help other people find it for themselves - even better (IMO)

[woofgang]

OP you have no idea what you are talking about.

[naomi24]

I understand what you’re saying, Flob, but it really isn’t that simple. If only …..