A stage set further.

Tuesdays are for discovering that we've all been duped on the prescription "happy" pills all this time.
That's funny.

Depression. The mental disease of choice for most of us in the great and mighty Western First (not Third) World.

I've worn that t-shirt as pyjammas. I have a spare t-shirt in my wardrobe too if you want to borrow it.
It says "Modern Life Is Rubbish" across the chest.

Now that we all know the little prescription happy pills are just sugar and rice paper (i absolutely loved rice paper as a kid), the bubble of illusion, that they did so much more than give us a little bit of an energy buzz, will slowly deflate.

But fear not, the marketing people are no doubt waiting in the wings, cheerleaders and bands poised, ready to present us with a New & Improved Organic ProBiotic anti-oxideppressant remedy of some kind. Something to distract us from the fundamental feelings that none of us are good enough, the feeling that we don't really deserve this and/or that thing we wanted so badly just last saturday...

I read a book recently called, poignantly, "The McDonaldization of Society" by George Ritzer. More of a series of transcribed lectures rather than a novel, it doesn't really get into the individual shrink wrapping of a person's head, its more of a thesis of sociology and the effects of global branding/marketing (kinda), but it left me with a couple of enduring images, one of which was an all emcompassing rubber cage in which this 'modern' world exists. It's comfortable in here yes, but its a cage nonetheless. The classless liberal occupants, taking medication and staring into a light box for being Seasonally Adjusted and unhappy whilst the Third World...well...they have nore important things to worry about than depression.

I'm not trying to be self righteous here. I'm as guilty of being depressed as any one of the 14million people who take anti-depressants in the UK. That's one in four people (roughly speaking), unhappy enough with things to go to a GP to get a prescription.
I'm so depressed, I can spot a counsellor's rhetoric at 30 paces for example... :)
(actually i'm good at the moment, new job has numbed me inside slightly, wierdly in the same way that the anti-depressants used to...)
I just think that compared to the huge majority, maybe we're lucky to have the luxury of Depression. We have the time to explore it, we have the space to wallow in it... It is a condition of modern life.

Hmm. I dunno. Maybe i'm just tired and shouldn't have had that last special cigarette. Here is a link to the article that got me thinking...(thanks VT)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7263494.stm

Right so i'm attaching a pic that is relevant I think...if it doesn't upload, it can be found over on www.Flickr.com/photos/epac_island, along with some other bits n bobs.

00:57
Crikey! Chambers just shook! The whole building just shook! Twice!

Thought it was a strong wind buffeting at first, but..having just stuck my head out of the window I can see there is no wind at all right now...and the whole building shook! Properly shook, things wobbled on shelves n everything. I hope the building's not about to collapse. That would just ruin my day.