PyroBurns said:

Can someone be born with such a personality that living in a certain environment makes them depressed?

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A certain environment might bring one to form a personality that brings one to be depressed, but once you become aware of this, or question it, you automatically assume responsibility for your own state of being, and you have begun the path of awareness.

So congratulations, your emotional state of being is no longer a product of your environment, but your own mind, which is a phenomenon of your own choosing.

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Or should a person just be innately happy and be able to live among any group?

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Would you rather be innately happy, or depressed? The more you allow external circumstance to dictate your emotional state of being, the less free you are, and the less happy you'll be.

Some people might tell you that society is depressing, but it isn't. There is more today to be estatic and enthused about than there ever has been, in regards to society. How you feel about reality is how you choose to feel about reality.

PyroBurns said:

But WHY is it so depressing? Could it be just us seeing it that way?

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A lot of people see it that way, and most of the people that think it's all roses and jelly beans have lived incredibly sheltered lives and are totally out of touch with themselves.

Why is it depressing? That's a huge question with many answers. It's a monolithic monster that eats everything in it's path and transforms everything it touches into cogs in it's machinery? There's a simplistic start...

PyroBurns said:

Could it be just us seeing it that way?

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Yes. Emotional state of being is an inner process, governed by ourselves. We are unawarely conditioned, usually, to some extent or another, to place our emotional state of being dependent upon our expectations and demands of reality being fufilled (I think this has to do with older regions of our brain; we are not as instinctually-inclined to utilize our neo-cortex, or something Essentially, fight vs. flight complex, compared to conscious, critical thinking ). If reality corresponds with how we wish it to unfold, we reward ourselves emotionally; if it doesn't, we inflict suffering upon ourselves. It is detrimental to our ability to influence reality to unfold according to our preferences, of course, as it lessens our awareness and degrades our present experience of reality, that experience being how we know and understand reality. The more we know and understand reality, the more capable we are of acting in accordance with it, the more effectively we influence its course.

Don't hold your emotional state of being hostage as a means to force reality to correspond with your demands - reality does not negotiate with terrorists. Its a struggle agansit the ultimate rip-tide. Relax, breathe. We are far more capable of living a preferential, fufilling, meaningful life when we center in a loving, conscious state of awareness.

shakercee said:

Being in the East, i do find western society liberating in one aspect, your respect for the individual, that is, he or she is allowed to find his own way, free from what his ancestors did or the kind of life his/her parents would want them to lead.

Oye yes, your first amendment too.

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The opportunity is there for an individual to grow, most certainly.

NiamhNyx said:

Why is it depressing? That's a huge question with many answers. It's a monolithic monster that eats everything in it's path and transforms everything it touches into cogs in it's machinery? There's a simplistic start...

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I wonder if a red blood cell in my body feels the same way about the magnificent organism that is my body.

NiamhNyx said:

PyroBurns said:

But WHY is it so depressing? Could it be just us seeing it that way?

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A lot of people see it that way, and most of the people that thing it's all roses and jelly beans have lived incredibly sheltered lives and are totally out of touch with themselves.

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Well not necessarily.
I mean there's a lot of bull shit going on but then again, this has always has happened. Bull shit and misfortune have been around since forever and they will keep on happening no matter what because it's an aspect of life that we must accept and learn how to deal with.
If I for instance, have experienced both bliss and deep depression at their full, and decide that being depressed is not worth either the time or the energy consumed on those matters, and in the same time I acknowledge that what led me to this conclusion was experiencing depression as well, it means that I have reached the awareness where I can say that what we usually call negativity has a huge potential for personal development and improvement. For there I am convinced that if I were not to experience some very tough moments up to the verge of insanity, I would have dropped lots of my insecurities a lot slower.
This also gives me a new perspective on how to handle new difficult episodes and I know that it will always make me more aware and receptive to beauty.
So yes, in that sense I can say that maybe it is all it's all roses and jelly beans.

shakercee said:

It is within our power and reach to make our lives more beautiful and meaningful than the previous moment that has gone by..i keep reminding myself that in spite of the dreariness and meanness that we come across in our daily life, there is hope and that we can lift ourselves..it can be anything a beautiful sunrise, lilting music, laughter, a beutiful face..thanks for the simple pleasures.

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Humans mimic the behavior of other humans. I remember a situation where I was feeling quite aware, waiting in line at a supermarket, and I had an acute sense of how everyone else in the setting was perceiving reality, and choosing to respond (consciously)/react (unconsciously - much more prevalent ). Most were searching for cues from others as to how to act.

Be a catalyst of change, of evolution.

psyka said:

Reality is a completely impersonal process.

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False. Reality is our present experience. That's incredibly personal.

PyroBurns said:

Can someone be born with such a personality that living in a certain environment makes them depressed?

Or should a person just be innately happy and be able to live among any group?

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fireworks_god said:

I wonder if a red blood cell in my body feels the same way about the magnificent organism that is my body.

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I bet your red blood cell (if it were self aware) would be pretty unhappy if your body was consumed with cancer and it had to struggle real hard to do its job knowing that the whole organism was gonna die real soon. Maybe it would do it's damndest to carry oxygen to the right places in the hopes that it could help beat the disease, or maybe it would take solace in knowing that once the body was dead, it would decompose and become some other form of matter. Who knows. I'm sure your (self-aware) red blood cell would prefer to live in a thriving, healthy body than a sick one.

NiamhNyx said:

fireworks_god said:

I wonder if a red blood cell in my body feels the same way about the magnificent organism that is my body.

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I bet your red blood cell (if it were self aware) would be pretty unhappy if your body was consumed with cancer and it had to struggle real hard to do its job knowing that the whole organism was gonna die real soon. Maybe it would do it's damndest to carry oxygen to the right places in the hopes that it could help beat the disease, or maybe it would take solace in knowing that once the body was dead, it would decompose and become some other form of matter. Who knows. I'm sure your (self-aware) red blood cell would prefer to live in a thriving, healthy body than a sick one.

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thats deep man...i see the parallels between cancer and the society im stuck in all too well

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Reality does not negotiate with terrorists.

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  I love this!

IMO, our internal state creates depression or contentment or rage or elation, and those whose neurotic demands are not met are more likely to create rage or depression.  Is the key to somehow force reality to conform to our neurotic demands, or to cease the demanding?