Should a psychologically healthy person be happy, cheerful, carefree? If you are not cheerful is there something wrong with you? Let’s see what Mormon scripture has to say. <\/p>\n
America is the land of opportunity, where everything is possible, right? So if you aren’t satisfied with how your life is going, there’s only one person to blame. America is a country founded on the pursuit of happiness, and a lot of people in America, including Russell Goldman<\/a>, seem to think that being depressed is some kind of sin. If someone who thinks people are supposed to be perpetually cheerful made up a conception of ultimate personal existence, maybe it would look something like the traditional theist conception of God. God lives in a constant state of perfect bliss, because he can do anything and needs nothing. That’s just what it means to be an American, right? Or at least what we’re all shooting for. Well, Mormon scripture teaches that this conception of God is a false notion, and this aspiration for human life is also a false one. Nietzsche said it represents a fantasy of denial of life, and that sounds about right to me. Theist or no, anyone who thinks being unhappy, frustrated, or otherwise psychologically distressed from time to time is unhealthy has a bizarre notion of mental health.<\/p>\n Bombs are falling in Darfur again today. The stock market took another dive. The war in Afghanistan has gotten worse. Congress has gotten almost nothing done for over a year. One in one hundred American men is in jail. A few weeks ago a colleague of mine died of brain cancer. Another colleague and friend is in the midst of a divorce. Luckily, it’s not me for the moment. Keeping food on the table and gas in the car is hard work for almost all of us. Another year there would be different problems, but plenty of them. We should enjoy the good as well, but anyone who doesn’t spend quite a few days each year upset or stressed or gloomy has checked out.<\/p>\n I’ve heard studies going this way and that way, and speculations about how many people are diagnosed and how many self-medicate, but suppose it were true that Mormons are depressed more often than others, and this contributes to higher rates of depression in Utah. Is this a sign of something wrong, or something right? Well, that depends on how often a psychologically healthy person should<\/i> be depressed.<\/p>\n