What you have today

How does one combat depression? I am not talking of mental illness that requires clinical, professional help. I am talking of those feelings of of helpless frustration and sorrowful ennui and hopelesnness that plague all of us - sometimes for a day, sometimes for years like a low-grade fever. It is the result not of chemical imbalance or major psychological issues, but simply the result of life's blows on your soul.

The general happy solutions do help: time spent with close friends, an outing with new acquaintances, soemthing that forces unbidden laughter, a good cup of coffee, forest bathing, or working on a hobby.

What is important is you rediscover yourself - either from your younger days ( or should I say older days?), or from yesterday when you smiled more easily. A quote by Marcus Aurelius hit me the other day: "Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what's left and live it properly." It is not just an exhortation to live life fully in the present; it tells us that the boons and banes of the past are now disconnected from your life, and it is only what you do today (with today's joys and pains) that matters.

I never cared for the night sky till my daughter forced me to point out and explain stars to her. I always thought it was the domain of 'smart and lucky' astronomers. But the shine in her eyes that the first time, and the joy she derives from looking up at the stars even today, has made the night sky a priceless part of living. You could look up and lament that you are not 'up there', as I used to before, or be here and relish what is given. The stars are there for everyone. You just have to recalibrate how you look at it.

Fate is what comes to you, and living requires you accept and live with it. Not 'deal with it' or fight it or fix it. Just live it. If you keep looking at life through a prism of what it brings, of what we become, of what we have, and what we need, it is bound to disappoint. And then those feelings - of life giving you only punches - come up to suffocate you. Life gives you both roses and thorns; but you get what you look at most. Joy is not around the corner after you pay off something, or after you buy a house, or when you get that job. Joy is here, you need to switch it on within you. It certainly is not as easy as it sounds. But it is the only way to be happy: now, here, for, and with yourself.

Social media is for social connections

I am quite sick of people vilifying social media.

It is a platform for you to use as you deem fit. Maybe it shows you what you don't want to accept in yourself. Jealousy? Over-competitiveness? It is not Facebook's fault. It is yours. 

Love seeing baby elephants frolicking in a tub of water? You would feel the same way whether it was online or right in front of you.

The connection and accessibility social media provides is a blessing. Period. I find it amazing that I can share good moments (and tips) with people I care about. Good food, roses, new plans. And, also reach out for help with lizards in the house!

Obviously, everybody's life is so much more than what their timeline shows. What a person puts up on their social platform is a minuscule vignette of their journey that they want to share with friends. Being a friend on Facebook is as much a privilege as being one in real life.

I delight in the joy of seeing my neighbor from across the lake wave at me when we are both reveling in the miracle of a full rainbow, but the same joy fills my heart when I share photos of the same rainbow with friends I connect with only online. If there are those in my 'Friends' list who are not happy seeing me enjoy whatever it is I am sharing, or not commiserating with what I am complaining about, then those are names I need to delete not only from my list, but also from my life. 

The internet is a priceless tool for.... well, just about everything. I can tweet to get the attention of the courier service that's not responding to calls, or I can tweet to eviscerate someone unnecessarily. The internet and social media have made finding things much easier - the good and the bad.  Find the story behind a Bernini sculpture, or find pornography. 

You can connect with wonderful people, but you can also come across the criminal and the insane. I do feel though, that it is so much safer when it is just online. The real danger is not the internet, it is actual contact with someone with malicious intent. 

The internet has not made the world dangerous. it has just brought its dangers into the light and the imperative need to address them. Social media does not make people unhappy, it drives the need to define our own happiness. It does not alienate. It can be invaluable means to fight the loneliness modern lifestyle brings about. The onus is on us to recognize and utilize our unique place in it. 

Humanity and society can grow and progress in wonderful new ways if we can all use social media for what it was made for - being social.