The search for happiness

Depression is common in modern day living, and definite steps are being taken to acknowledge and battle the illness, says NOEL G DE SOUZA.

The Black Dog Institute, which is dedicated to battling depression, celebrated ‘Exercise Your Mood Week’ last month. Its latest ambassador, Olympic Gold Medallist swimmer Libby Trickett, comes from a family which has members who suffer depression, and she herself has returned from retirement to battle low moods. Depression is a common problem in Australia, as it is in several developed countries. During the recently-concluded election campaign both sides pledged large amounts of money for battling such mental illnesses. Depression is the opposite of happiness and serenity.

Some important individuals in Australia have suffered depression such as Geoffrey Gallop, Premier of Western Australia from 2001 to 2006 who resigned from his position to combat that illness. John Brogden resigned as the Liberal opposition leader in NSW after an episode of depression. Jeff Kennett, a former Premier of Victoria, was the founding Chairman of Beyond Blue (supported by the federal and state governments) from 2000 to 2008, a body set up to combat depression and anxiety at the national level.

Perhaps a simple definition of depression would be, a lack of happiness or an absence of inner peace and tranquillity which results in low moods. The Vajrayana Institute (Sydney), in association with the World Happiness Forum, organises annual “Happiness and its Causes” conferences where a wide array of speakers are presented. Notable recent speakers have been the Lateral Thinking guru Edward de Bono, former NSW Premier Bob Carr, and the Dalai Lama.

In Japan when corporate executives get stressed and depressed, they often admit themselves into Zen Buddhist monasteries for rehabilitation through meditation and other practices; likewise in Thailand, executives are known to pass a phase in Buddhist temples living as bikkus or monks. In the United States, rehabilitation centres for the rich and famous are becoming the norm as centres for recovery.

S. N. Goenka, an Indian industrialist, promotes the Vipassana meditation technique worldwide (including in Australia) which has a similar objective. Goenka is a prolific writer and speaker and he addressed the Peace Summit at the United Nations Headquarters in 2009.

Several Indian cultural associations which are either language or religion based provide venues for the interaction of the aged with their cultural peers.

The great anguish felt by Arjuna before the battle at Kurukshetra is a classic case of depression and despondency. Arjuna showed both physical and emotional symptoms when he had to prepare to fight against his close relatives. “The life within me seems to swim and faint; nothing do I foresee save woe and wail!” he cried. “What victory can bring delight, what rich spoils could profit; what rule recompense; what span of life itself seem sweet, bought with such blood?” he wailed.

The entire Bhagwad Gita is recited by Krishna to soothe Arjuna’s anguish through enlightenment and argument. Kindred Buddhist techniques also focus on enlightenment as a means to inner happiness. The aim of Hindu and Buddhist meditative techniques, like their Christian counterparts, is to develop a sense of bliss (ananda). Hindu and Buddhist ascetics often suffix their chosen names with ananda such as Sivananda.

The onset of old age can, in many cases, be expected to bring in distress, disappointment and pessimism. However, it is well worth noting what the National Institute of Mental Health (USA) says: “Depression is not a normal part of aging, and studies show that most seniors feel satisfied with their lives, despite increased physical ailments. … (though) less inclined to experience or acknowledge feelings of sadness or grief.”

Beyond Blue found in a recent study in Australia that 10-15% of older people living in the community experience symptoms of depression and approximately 10% experience anxiety, but that depression increases in aged care facilities where it is 34%.

Truly, isolation from one’s own community is a sad feeling for the aged. Several Indian cultural associations which are either language or religion based provide venues for the interaction of the aged with their cultural peers. Other organisations like SEVA International and the Hornsby Indian Seniors Association bring together diverse Indians who have common interests. SEVA International has been participating in forums for issues like health and well-being.

Many a sub-continental in Australia is now reaching retirement or has already retired. Some retirees could feel a sense of disappointment on several fronts. Life in Australia may not have turned out the way they thought that it would. Even more so, their children might seem like strangers to them because of their very different ideas and lifestyles.

Older Indians in Australia may need help in dispelling loneliness and a sense of disappointment. Some parents could be ethnocentric in that they adhere to the customs and norms of their cultural group (religion, caste, sect and language) and may need help in bridging the gap with their Australian offspring who could be individualistic, whilst also being cosmopolitan.