A thought just struck me. What if people who tend to have depression are actually the ones who are unable to dumb themselves out. Because they are both sensitive / aware enough and their values do not support going the way of least resistance (where they could numb themselves out). What if the rest of society has exactly same issues, they just numb themselves out, behind a set of denial and psychological mechanisms that do not allow them to see what really is. And they live their lives on those autopilots, telling the depressed person to "put themselves together" and join their mindless journey towards death. Maybe being depressed is an uncomfortable stage somewhere between dumbness and enlightenment, and the social pressure to avoid it keeps depressed people stuck in this intermediate state. So stuck that some of them start seeing suicide as the only way out. What if it was fine to feel depressed. To go to melancholic walks. To maybe paint, make music, put your energy where it leads you. I am sure there are/were cultures where depression would be seen as a sort of calling, special stage. Is there a link between idealism and depression? ..