Holiday Deepression

As much as I don't relate to, or participate in the High Season of Holy Materialism, there is one aspect of it I'd like to look at, and that is The Steadily Depressin', Lowdown Mind-Bendin', Here Come the Holiday Blues. Yes, we're speeding toward that time of year when a large percentage of the mainstream population will be made to feel less than adequate in the eyes of Jesus and the kids. Why is it that such a happy time for many is such a sad struggle for so many more? It's been a topic of concern every year since Forever, just ask any mental health professional. Or bartender.

The Wonderful World of Psychiatry told us for many years depression was the result of internalized anger. In these last three decades a great deal of research has been done on the subject and it appears the biggest driver of chronic depression is actually the feeling of futility. No matter what one does, the outcome is always the same; bad. Defeat, failure, and loss occurring in or resulting from uncontrollable situations create a sense of helplessness, which produces depression. This all sounds very clinical, very doctorly. But how does this relate to the Holiday Blues?

I think it would be beyond pretentious for me to claim I have an answer to that one. After all, how many truly smart, educated people have been trying for how many years to figure it out? Truth be known, there are probably as many reasons for depression as there are depressed people. We assume that if we know the why of it we can figure out the fix of it. Maybe not. Alcoholics are alcoholics because they drink alcohol. But taking away the bottle doesn't fix the why of the alcoholic. There's something else that needs fixing. What changes trigger the Holiday Blues? Well, not to sound too obvious, maybe it's the holidays. Not so much the idea of families and friends coming together, of German and English soldiers taking a break to play soccer (see: WWI), or of just slowing down to take a break from work. If this is the case, then it may be the true culprit of the Holiday Blues is materialism itself.

One of the sadder failings of materialism is this idea that if we can just have enough stuff, we'll be happy. But that doesn't really work, so if we can just get enough of the right stuff, we'll be happy. Well, maybe that's not it either, since they're always changing what the right stuff is, sort of negating the once-right stuff, making us feel even more inadequate; we can't even figure out what the real right stuff is. As soon as the sales curve peaks for the latest iThing, the next latest iThing is released and what we just bought a few weeks ago is now obsolete. And my gawd, we can't not have the latest iThing. This is true with literally every product manufactured in the Free World.*

[* I used to think the Free World was way back when one didn't have to buy food, land, or decent drinking water. My bad.]

I marvel at the combined attempt of the media and its financial handlers, corporate owners and advertisers, to make me feel personally responsible for the bottom line of some giant corporation. Like so many mad lemmings flying off a cliff, I'm supposed to wake up at 4 a.m. on this day called Black Friday, the real reason for Thanksgiving, gather up all my cash and credit cards and dash off to the nearest long line I can find so I can wait until 9 a.m. for the privilege of inflating some international conglomerate's annual profits and stock value. Cash?

Anyway, our collective motivation to participate in this annual ritual has been crafted all year long by ruthless corporate executives, advertising agencies, and the psychologists who work for both. They run nostalgic "human interest" ads, showing grandma passing her favorite recipe to the newest young bride in the family to make sure we know what true happiness looks like. And to make sure we understand how really important all this is my next favorite ad is the one with a ribbon wrapped around a new $40,000 car, like it was just another sweater. My god, I didn't know I was supposed to pick up a new car on the way home along with the groceries and dry cleaning. There is obviously something wrong in my life. And the over-the-top materialism of the holidays makes sure I know what it is.

What's the answer, then? You must decide for yourself. But mainstream people are manipulated to form strong attachments to things; if you've bought (literally) into the illusion that things will make you happy, it should be obvious that not having things will make you not happy. Feeling helpless because you cannot buy on demand the glitter, the fancy, the latest cutting edge, the biggest, all of which are really for the benefit of some faceless corporation, will work on your emotions subliminally. This is no accident. Maybe knowing part of the why will help you navigate the coming weeks.

My answer, for me, is a complete disconnect. But that's easy for me as I've disciplined myself to avoid giving control of my emotional life to others, and I'm not into Christian mythology. Not at all. Reindeer in Jerusalem? Evergreens in your living room, covered in fake snow? The commercial icons of the federally recognized religious holiday in the US known as Christmas, can be traced back to pre-Christian Pagan traditions of northern Europe. What an interesting muddle. A studied disconnect from the culture of aggressive materialism will set you free. Not to mention, it will do wonders for restoring the Earth.

Live simply so that others can simply live. That's more in the true spirit of the season, anyway.

Comments? Questions? Email Here

© HowtoAdvice.com