A Story of Depression

Inspiration, that spark of ingenuity, that light bulb of knowledge, that epiphany that sends us down a road of discovery and self-realization, offers us a glimpse of what we're really capable of, and opens the window of discovery. But it is melancholy, most wretched of emotions, that like a shadow looming above us, smothers the candle of hope and quenches this spark of ingenuity. But, inspiration is often taken for granted by those who don't depend on it for a living, scorned by some who are sceptical of its validity, and even utterly disregarded by the majority of our generation in our quest for cheap entertainment and ever increasing wealth. But it is melancholy, most wretched of emotions, that like a shadow looming above us, smothers the candle of hope and utterly quenches this spark of ingenuity. The plague of depression, crushing what is arguably the most fundamental aspect to our society, leaving us hollow and empty, with no desire for companionship, nor a care for the beauty around us.

Inspiration often manifests itself as a unique connection between a person and a spark of genius, the bond that draws the individual to the pinnacle of self-actualization and innovation. However, in our lives today, inspiration is omnipresent, a constant source of motivation for us to strive for self-improvement, supplying us new and ever-creative ideas, and even providing us with the very building blocks of our social interactions. It is this omnipresence that accounts for our desensitization to its magnificent effects, and leaves us barely conscious of the incredible phenomenon that draws our minds to a new, unexplored, uncharted realm of creation. Nevertheless, this sense of wonder at our own accomplishments must never be lost; regardless of how simple this sense may be, because our generation has the ability, now more than ever before, to live without seeking any inspiration at all. We now have the ability to live a life devoid of intellectual stimulation, for our psychological survival is assured in our modern world, a world where one need not seek inspiration or creativity, but can live a pleasurable and secure life, content with traveling the well beaten path and never straying into the woods of mystery and wonder. Unchecked, this will doom our future to a bland existence devoid of creativity; a robotic population incapable of grasping the beauty and wonder of inspiration and instead partakes in a stagnancy that unravels the very fabric of human civilization, society, and culture.

Conversely, melancholy appears to us as the looming shadow of failure, weakening our resolve, driving us towards a need for isolation, and severing the bond between an individual and his goals. This melancholy, this deep-rooted sadness is what drives us to seclusion, feeding on the memories of loneliness from our souls as we further isolate ourselves from society. It is this shadow above our heads, this weight on our hearts that is the true danger to the progress of society, a population without a spark of ingenuity, their inspiration crushed by the emotions contained within them, leaving them lonely, isolated, and utterly alone.

The Impact of Failure

Failure~A simple word in the English language, but one which somehow manages to drain you, both psychologically and emotionally, and makes all your work and preparation seem utterly worthless. Once the cold dark hands of failure reach in and grab your soul it leaves you exhausted and spent, and it is this sense of depression which has afflicted me today. It’s the sense of “why do we even bother trying when we fail so badly anyways” that seems to be running through my head readers, and it’s this sense of unanswered prayers that makes the failure so much worse. It’s curious though, if no preparation had been done, if no time had been spent working, thinking, and preparing, failure wouldn’t have seemed so devastating, what makes it really bad is the idea of all this time and effort going to waste, it’s really the sense of loss which makes failure so devastating to us. So why do we put so much and effort into preparing and trying if it only makes the failure that much worse? Maybe it's because in our hearts we hold the faint hope that we wont fail, that maybe, somehow, despite how grim things seem and how impossible our victory may be, we'll somehow win, by some stroke of luck we'll come out on top and all our effort wont have been wasted. So, lets continue living life under false hope, lets continue striving for that unreachable stroke of luck only to fall down harder each time, and lets continue to try and try only to experience failure at the end, after all what would life be without experiencing failure at each and every turn? A fair and just life is unreachable goal, we're destined to fail no matter how hard we try, and it is with these final parting words that ends this blogger's saga of depression and failure, good luck to you all in your adventures, maybe you'll manage to escape failure and taste sweet sweet glory, and that my bloggers, is my wish for you~~

The Theory of Consequentialism

Well hello there my readers, and welcome to yet another glimpse of my mind. My apologies for the recent lack in posts, however I’ve been quite busy with school, exams, projects, and the like. However at the moment, I’m sitting in my English class, bored out of my mind, and I’ve decided that rather than listening to my teacher talk on and on about Macbeth and the various allusions and sub textual references found in Shakespeare’s work, I shall use this opportunity to reincarnate my blog from under the mountain of forgotten IB homework. Now what I’d like to talk about today is a subject we should all be familiar with by now, the recent rioting and revolting occurring in the Arab nations. Nowadays, we only need to turn on the television or pick up a newspaper (for those of us who still possess the patience and mental capacity to actually read) to hear about the stories of violence and uncertainty concerning the governance of many Arab states, all in the name of better government. As we see, the people of these nations hold the perspective of Machiavellianism, in that they believe that in terms of governments, the ends (of achieving a better, fairer government) justify the means used to achieve it (in this case, the violence in the streets). I however would like to approach this scenario, not just in terms of Machiavellianism, which was originally derived to deal purely in terms of governments, but in terms of the Theory of Consequentialism as a whole. Now, I could support or refute the Theory of Consequentialism through using examples dealing with the revolts and uncertainty in the Arab nations, but we’ve all heard far too much about that already. Instead, lets forego discussing the war, let’s discuss the theory of consequentialism utilizing something we can all relate to, namely being the issue of relationships and whether the Theory of Consequentialism can be applied to relationships as well.

To discuss the Theory of Consequentialism, I’d like to bring up the poem In Memoriam A.H.H. by Alfred Tennyson, and for those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, perhaps you’ll recognize one of the most famous quotes in history, “Tis better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.” Now while this quote in the poem is referring to the loss of a friend, I’d like to extend it’s meaning to refer to the loss of something more than a friend, something akin to the loss of a lover. So you, my readers may be questioning how this quote relates in any way to the Theory of Consequentialism, and I’d be happy to clarify how the two are related in my mind. Speaking strictly of relationships, Tennyson agrees with the Theory of Consequentialism, in that he believes the ends (the relationship) are justified by the means (the time and effort put into attaining said relationship). Now, while this is a noble idea, I cannot say that I am in full agreement with Tennyson’s stance on such matters. Personally, I am of the belief that only some ends justify some means, that the potential for loss must be weighed against the time and effort required to attain a relationship, and should former outweigh the latter, the relationship should be foregone. We must factor in the quality of the relationship as well, in that while Tennyson believes that it is always better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all, I believe that the quality of the relationship must be factored into the scenario as well, for instance, I’d rather have never loved at all, than to have loved for…say, merely a week. So I cannot say that I agree with Tennyson, nor with the Theory of Consequentialism in that I believe the effort required to acquire and maintain a relationship must be weighed against the potential for loss and the quality of the relationship, or in broader terms, the means must be weighed against the ends to decide whether we are justified or not. Now I realize that may sound quite utilitarian of me, but don’t get me wrong, I do not believe in utilitarianism, I do not believe that killing 500 people to save 501 people is justified, that’s not what I’m saying at all, my viewpoint is just that only some means are justified in some ends, and I chose to use a lighthearted example to refute the Theory of Consequentialism. Of course we could start talking about wars and riots and how the means of using brutality to quell uprisings are not justified by the ends of achieving stability within a nation or region, but being in English class, and half-listening to the dark thoughts of Macbeth and his obviously dominant wife in their plots to kill the king, I thought I’d take a lighthearted approach to the question of “do the ends justify the means?” Now while I’ve shared my thoughts on the subject, I’m genuinely curious of your thoughts, do the ends always justify the means? Never justify the means? Only sometimes justify the means? Or do you hold the utilitarian view in that as long as the ends achieved outweigh the means used to achieve them, we’re justified in the means we use to achieve them. So my readers, feel free to share your thoughts, or if you wish to reprimand me for not really paying attention to my teacher, feel free to do that as well, but either way share your thoughts, provide me with a glimpse into the inner workings of the complex individuals I’m sure you all must be, and until next time, and hopefully a more concise post, I bid you adieu. 

Greetings for the first time

Hello, and welcome readers, to what I hope will be the first of many posts yet to come. After much influence from my friends, I have decided to jump on the blogging bandwagon, if for no other reason than to express the various thoughts which flitter around my mind. These days we often see peer pressure expressed as a negative force, a force compelling the minds of youth to follow dark paths, destined to corrupt the innocent and tempt the strong. I argue against this negative view of peer pressure, I sincerely believe that peer pressure can be utilized to empower the weak and embolden the timid. Rather than blaming the entity that is peer pressure, we must accuse those imposing such pressure on the youth of today for the negative view on the force of peer pressure. It is the social circles one mingles with which determines the path which one shall travel, while both groups exert pressure on the individual, this pressure can indeed work to improve the individual as a whole. While it is true that many individuals have been tempted into the life of drugs by peer pressure, the same is true for the opposite, with many students working harder, accepting greater challenges, and putting more effort into their daily affairs as a result of the influence of their friends. Overall my belief is that although the force of peer pressure has much negativity surrounding it these days, peer pressure, or as the expression goes, 'jumping on the bandwagon' can be employed as a force for good, changing our lives for the better, simply by manipulating the people imposing the pressure.

Hopefully you enjoyed my very first blog post, and it is my wish that it was both thought provoking, and allowed you to consider some of the positive aspects of peer pressure. With any luck, I've helped to convince you that 'jumping on the bandwagon' isn't always a bad idea, and can often lead to unexpected improvements and outcomes. Thus by writing this blog, and giving into peer pressure by effectively 'jumping on the bandwagon,' I do hope that I provide entertaining and thoughtful posts for you, my readers, to escape from the hectic state of reality, into a cozy little corner of your mind to examine and ponder the ideas which enter mine.