A man alone, he gets to living like a hog.

Those old movies, with a manly star like Humphrey Bogart or Cary Grant, made an impression on me.  The tough guy could be stranded on an island, living on the prairie or on the African Queen, and they always manage to shave.  Invariable, if the fella isn’t shaving, it’s because he is drunk all the time.

In The African Queen, Humphrey Bogart explains it.  “A man alone, he gets to living like a hog.”  Inevitably, a woman throws all the booze away and civilizes him.

Being a PUNKwaD, I try to stay ahead of it.  I won’t leave the house without a shower and a shave.  To encourage leaving the house, I shower and shave every morning.  Morning may be at 2 pm, but you get the idea.

This article in the NYT about why it’s so hard to shower when suffering from depression, was interesting.

NYT: Showering while depressed.

NYT: Showering while depressed.

I’m fine.  Even with my gallbladder chocked full of stones and sludge, I was optimistic about my prospects.  I can see how the chain of activities necessary to engage with the world would be daunting for someone suffering from depression.

“If you break it down, there’s actually so many steps that are involved with showering,” Dr. Bigaouette said. A single shower might include undressing, turning on the water, lathering, hair-washing, shaving, rinsing, drying off and choosing what to wear.

That’s how I would feel when faced with going to work out.  When I was at the gym, I didn’t mind it.  Yeah, the cardio sucks, but lifting isn’t tedious.  To get to the gym, I had to fully wake up, stop wasting time, take a shower, dress for the gym and get in my truck.  Once I pulled out of the driveway, I would have a good workout. 

By a good workout, I don’t mean it made me feel invigorated or productive or accomplished or empowered or brimming with endorphins.  It made me tired.  In the long run, it makes fun activities more enjoyable and I’m generally more capable, but that is big picture stuff.

People who thrive on a hard workout don’t understand that.  My stupid cardiologist should shut his smug little mouth.  Maybe many people are a little bit depressed, or have aspects of depression.  For a truly depressed person, everything must be an incredible slog.

I don’t know much about depression, and wonder if anyone does.  In some cases, it is certainly some kind of chemical imbalance in the brain or other physiologic issue.  In many cases, life circumstances cause depression, which can lead to the physiologic issue.

It doesn’t seem like Western medicine or corporate media understand human nature enough to avoid depression-causing life circumstances.  People need a purpose that brings some stress.  The pursuit of fun and leisure doesn’t seem to be enough.  Having unlimited horizons isn’t healthy.

Retired people who live alone are prone to depression.  Prior to retiring, it’s best to have some kind of plan.  Grandkids are a great purpose.  Helping somebody seems to be key.  Being needed by someone makes you do more than you’d want to do.  It’s motivational.  For me, Sparky has been very beneficial, even though he isn’t always an unalloyed joy.

Teenagers with a smart phone are getting depressed.  Perhaps their lives are too unlimited.  Too many people can communicate with them too often, and they can’t keep up. 

When Universal Basic Income is discussed, some commentators believe that without material needs, people will thrive.  A thousand flowers will bloom as we will write poetry, paint murals and follow a creative muse.  UBI is the worst thing that can be done to people.

If a person’s actions don’t effect their quality of life or future circumstances, most will do as little as possible.  Depression and anti-social attitudes will bloom.

In science fiction, post-scarcity societies have content and amiable inhabitants, all achieving their potential.  That doesn’t seem likely.  An interesting story-line would be how that utopia was established.

Human nature requires people to strive.  In WW II POW movies, the military detainees were always obligated to attempt to escape.  The TV show Hogan’s Heroes was a funny version of this, but the British TV show Colditz was more realistic.

In wilderness survival, the will to live is critical.  Having a reason to make it out alive is motivational.

Depression can descend on a person, but appropriate lifestyle management can help keep the black cloud away.