I have likely been living with depression (type I bi-polar) for many years, possibly 2 or more decades. And more recently with melancholic depression. Also PTSD from military service, which my doctor thinks masked my depression for many, many years. I often thought about ending my pain, and I would reflect on these words:
"To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
I think it got me away from the edge of the abyss on more than one occasion. When I would look back on my life, I would realize, if only for a moment, that I was not as worthless as I felt. That I had succeeded, in some small way. Even today, as I write this, I struggle to remind myself that the darkness is encroaching and I need to check my tether to reality; not as the abyss wants me to see it, a failure in everything, but as somebody who has touched many lives in a positive way. Perhaps these words can help others, as they have helped me.
"To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
I think it got me away from the edge of the abyss on more than one occasion. When I would look back on my life, I would realize, if only for a moment, that I was not as worthless as I felt. That I had succeeded, in some small way. Even today, as I write this, I struggle to remind myself that the darkness is encroaching and I need to check my tether to reality; not as the abyss wants me to see it, a failure in everything, but as somebody who has touched many lives in a positive way. Perhaps these words can help others, as they have helped me.
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