How to avoid depression by accepting hardship and committing to service
At fifty years old, Leo Tolstoy struggled. Despite having money, health, children, a loving wife, and a collection of writings including War and Peace, he felt he might kill himself. The life he had known—one driven by perfection (beyond a moral one) and competition—had become dreary, evil, and absurd. What was the point of living?
Seeking answers, he observed people, he studied the sciences, philosophy, and religion. He categorized people into four categories:
1) the clueless;
2) the epicureans ;
3) the strong and energetic ones who would most likely commit suicide;
4) seekers of meaning, like himself.
In the end, he found his answer in the study of “the poor, simple, uneducated folk.” He wrote the following about them in A Confession and Other Religious Writings:
“In contrast with what I had seen in our circle, where the whole of life is passed in idleness, amusement, and dissatisfaction, I saw that the whole life of these people was passed in heavy labour, and that they were content with life. In contradistinction to the way in which people of our circle oppose fate and complain of it on account of deprivations and sufferings, these people accepted illness and sorrow without any perplexity or opposition, and with a quiet and firm conviction that all is good...”
Much like the Buddhist and 12-Step philosophies, he found the answer in accepting hardship as a part of life and that our purpose can be found on this planet to “help others with their toils.”
Here’s the crux of the thing:
“He too must work for his existence, just as the animals do, but with the difference that he will perish if he does it alone, for he must work for an existence, not just for himself, but for everyone.”