Sorry. This is my last “noob” topic for the night. Anyway, I did pick up Meditations by Marcus Aeralius, which definitly delt with the two topics I listed. Is there any more? I feel like I’m going through a rough time in my life and would be interested in learning what histories great thinkers have to say about the topic. Thanks so much everyone.
Marcus Aeralius is pretty good. He’s classified as a Stoic philosopher. So is Epictetus who’s mentioned in Meditations 1.7. Check out the Discourses of Epictetus.
The top of the line in philosophy is “the Essay Concerning Human Understanding” by John Locke but I don’t recommend starting with it because it’s really a hard read. On the other hand there’s another one by Locke called “Of the Conduct of the Understanding” which is much shorter and easier to read.
Check out the thread at the top of the philosophy forum on basics of logic. Learn the basic fundamentals of logic. stuff like:
P1 All men are mortal
P2 Socrates was a man
therefore
C1 Socrates was mortal
Stuff like that. Premiss, Conclusion and how to avoid fallacies. Master the basics.
“Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion” by Reese is good. So is Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Also, some of the greatest thinkers in western civilization read the bible. Gospels and Psalms are good to start with.
Read a biography of someone interesting. Someone who inspires you, like President Bush, or Chairman Mao. I think it might make you feel better.
It’s so strange to be a part of a forum where everyone is intelligent. Thanks a lot.
Oh and right on with the bio’s. I read two Lance Armstrong biographies which were inspiring. However, how many “heroes” does society produce that appeal to an angry depressed 20 something young man?
I think you might find that “depression” tends to feed itself unless you actually go out there and address the issue that is the cause. Ｓｏ， ｗｈａｔ ｉｓ ｔｈｅ ｃａｕｓｅ？ I think alot of people end up being lonely and/or away from friends and society and this state tends to perpetuate itself， ａｎｄ ｇｅｔ ｗｏｒｓｅ， and the person develops all these pseudorationalities for why he’s more intelligent than others and that’s why he’s alienated or any other number of reasons. Ｉ ｒｅａｄ Ｃａｎｄｉｄｅ ａｔ ａ ｔｉｍｅ ｗｈｅｎ Ｉ ｗａｓ ｈａｖｉｎｇ ｔｒｏｕｂｌｅｓ ａｎｄ Ｉ ｔｈｉｎｋ ｉｔ ｍａｙ＇ｖｅ ｓｍｏｏｔｈｅｄ ｔｈｅ ｔｒａｎｓｉｔｉｏｎ ｉｎｔｏ ｎｏｔ ｔａｋｉｎｇ ｌｉｆｅ ａｓ ｉｔ ｃｏｍｅｓ， ｉｎｓｔｅａｄ ｏｆ ｌｏｏｋｉｎｇ ｆｏｒ ａ ｐｕｒｐｏｓｅ ｏｒ ａｎｙ ｐａｒｔｉｃｕｌａｒ ｒｅａｓｏｎ ａｔ ａｌｌ． Ｉ ｇｕｅｓｓ ｉｔ ｗａｓ ｗｒｉｔｔｅｎ ｉｎ ｒｅｓｐｏｎｓｅ ｔｏ ｔｈｅ ｏｐｔｉｍｉｓｍ ｏｆ Ｌｅｉｂｎｉｚ ｂｕｔ Ｉ ｔｈｉｎｋ ｉｔ ｃｏｕｌｄ ｂｅ ａｐｐｌｉｅｄ ｂｏｔｈ ｗａｙｓ． Ｇｏｏｄ ａｎｄ ｂａｄ ａｒｅ ｂｏｔｈ ｔｅｍｐｏｒａｒｙ ｓｔａｔｅｓ ｗａｓ ｗｈａｔ Ｉ ｔｏｏｋ ｆｒｏｍ ｔｈａｔ．
Ｉ ｔｈｉｎｋ ｌｉｓｔｅｎｉｎｇ ｔｏ Ｔｏｏｌ ａｌｏｔ ｃａｎ ｄｅｆｉｎｉｔｅｌｙ ｇｅｔ ｙｏｕ ｄｏｗｎ． Ａｎｄ ｗｅｌｌ， ｉｆ ａｌｌ ｅｌｓｅ ｆａｉｌｓ， ｔｈｅｒｅ＇ｓ ａｌｗａｙｓ ｒｅｌｉｇｉｏｎ ；）
I just started to realize the impact music has on me. It is a little thing but Im trying to surround myself with more upbeat music. Thanks for your help. Im taking so much away from everyone on these forums. Thankyou.
This probably won’t help…
I feel like I’m one of the few on these forums who thinks that in some cases, depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, not the other way around. Sorry, biologists and neuroscientists, for the cliche and probably inaccurate expression.
If it’s something that’s affected you your whole life, I’d recommend trying medication. But if it’s just one of the many ebbs and flows that most people experience throughout their lives, then I recommend some good ole’ fashioned Tony Robbins. 
This is true in some cases, not all. Many times it is our thoughts (and our chronic thoughts that tend to repeat) which cause the brain chemicals to become imbalanced (and sometimes it is the other way around as the above poster mentioned). Heidegger on Mood creating one’s world is an interesting philosophical position that deals with that, and Kierkeggard on Dread is yet another. Tony Robbins is useful certainly, many pragmatic things to pick up from him (you can simply download a lot of his programs online (albeit illegally).
Nietzsche will offer a good dose of romantic encouragement to overcome pessimism and depression if that’s up your alley (but his thought can be dangerous too, so be careful).
That’s all I got for now, unless you want to spend five-something years weeding through all the depressing philosophy (the exitentialists included) and somehow stumbling into postmodern thinkers where the idea of the inviduated ego comes under attack and opens the door from depressing states of indivduation to communal states of interdependence while still maintaining degrees of otherness and difference. But the above is probably a better short-cut.
Please God tell me that was a a joke?
I think the best self-help for controlling of emotions is the good ol evolutionary psychology, understanding that emotions and the times they arise are the products of adaptations by a blind process of natural selection can help you understand them better and for a lot of people that means better control.
For example, if you actually know sexual jealousy is an adaptation and that it arises from fragmentary information, and that you logically or rationally know its unjustified, its an easy matter to crush it or never feel it unless you allow yourself too, a lot of people can’t seem to do that.
The same is true for some cases of depression and other feelings. Understanding them can help you control them better, even if in the end you still can’t control them, it’ll give you a platform from which to try.
Maynard, read “a long walk to freedom”, it’ll make you feel guilty for being depressed. Nothing like screwing with your own emotions just for kicks.
I suppose the two groups which deal most prominently with depression would be the stoics and the existentialists (the stoics are an easy read, but also somewhat unsatisfying, the existentialists not so easy, but rather predictable). Look them both up on wikipedia and you should find some names. Buddhism might be another place to look, often displaying a similar approach to stoicism.
I remember that Jean Amery’s ‘On Suicide’ certainly got me thinking in that regard. I was suicidal at the time, and his approach, that suicide was actually logical (something I was kind of looking to justify at the time) actually struck me as poorly justified in many areas (he did kill himself though, which I highly respect him for), and so brought up all sorts of useful questions in my mind. I often find that with philosophy, it’s often through disagreeing with what I read that I’m most inspired. I’m sure others would agree. Oh, and ‘noob’ questions are welcome. We all have to begin somewhere. 