Messages

That monolith wasn't there yesterday...

I like this a lot. Your photo had me convinced I was looking at a bird until I read your words. Beautiful.

Disembodied, malicious whispers surround us.

Today I learned about Saint Urho, and I'm better for it.

Excellent food for thought, here. Thank you!

I recently finished reading Barry Sanders' (the professor, not the football player) Sudden Glory: Laughter as Subversive History.

Link: https://books.google.com/books/about/Sudden_Glory.html?id=w9VZAAAAMAAJ&hl=en

I felt like the following excerpt belonged here, what with the chaos, the disruption of closed systems, and the farting.



It's an excellent book that contextualizes laughter from both historical and mythological standpoints, and it contains some great etymology to boot. Highly recommended if you're into that sort of thing.

Deepest condolences to you and yours. I don't know how to present my sympathies any more elegantly.

Beautiful and resonant. Thank you for sharing this one.

[Insert obligatory "fun guy" joke here.]

Godspeed! (and He didn't lift the toilet seat first)

We eagerly await your April Fool's return!

Golden Secret, now with squiggly thing: http://i.imgur.com/6re2FDD.jpg

This one really hit the spot for me.  Thank you for posting it.

I have a copy of The Golden Secret hanging in my office. It's that vital to me. Mine is a humble xerox from the book, however. It may be time to upgrade to a prettier version. Thanks, Q.G.!

Grievings and salivations!

Er...um..I mean...

Greetings and salutations!

(Or whichever you prefer)

I appreciate the update, and the fact that you seem to be honest with yourself, and with us, about this.

I also tend to experience waves of depression during the Summer months. I've always assumed this was a symptom of my childhood: I was an only child in a rural area (no nearby neighbors), so once school let out I because somewhat isolated, socially. It was very odd to realize this was still affecting me into adulthood, after finishing school.

Good food for thought. Thank you for reminding me of this element during my "off-season." Hopefully it will help me prepare for the months ahead, as well.

Been meaning to say how much I appreciate your work, Bobby Campbell! Thank you for sharing, and keep it up!

I'm at work, so this will be brief -- probably better that way anyhow.

I have wrestled with depression throughout my life. You have my sympathy and, to some legitimate extent, my empathy.

It appears, based on your post, that you are getting locked into certain thought patterns. Based on my own observations, I tend to think intelligent people get hit harder by depression because it does lend itself to these negative thought patterns. Intelligent people are used to being served by their ability to see and exploit patterns. When your depression is telling you that the net result of these patterns you're seeing is futility, death, and nihilism, your intelligence is likely to double-down and reinforce that notion. From a certain (depressed) perspective, your train of thought to those ends may even indeed have a degree of rational merit.

Discordianism actually helped me a lot in my own struggles with depression. Remember Starbuck's Pebbles; maybe your depression is encouraging you to see the patterns in your life as a pentagon. Perhaps from another perspective they would appear to be a star. Of course they are both and neither. The important part is that you remind yourself the interpretation of the patterns in your life are not fixed. You can reassess them. Even better, you can will to change them.

I second the recommendations to engage in some personal hygiene and to go outside. Depression tends to leave one feeling disconnected. If you don't feel like you can go out and engage with other people quite yet, at least go outside and try to reconnect with nature, even if it's just a few minutes of breathing some outside air.

I'm not a fighter, like Cain, but I'm stronger than I tend to give myself credit for, and I wouldn't be surprised if you are too. Keep reaching out and remind yourself that the beauty and joys of life are bigger than you and the patterns of thought which reinforce your depression.

Good luck, and remember there are weird disembodied voices in your corner, cheering you on.