Stressed Kids and the Greed Connection.

I was just reading that a mental health charity has called for mandatory mental health lessons to be included in the school curriculum. They say there are now too many schoolchildren showing definable symptoms of depression and anxiety, and the problem needs to be addressed. It reminded me of something I reported on this blog a couple of years ago – a mother with teenage children telling me what a high proportion of pupils in her children’s school were on anti-stress medication.

When I was at school, we didn’t know there was any such thing as anti-stress medication. I don’t recall there being a single person known to me and of my generation who showed obvious signs of suffering from chronic depression or anxiety. Sure, we might have been a bit down because we’d got a double maths period that day and we didn’t like maths, but that isn’t quite the same thing.

Yes, I know every generation berates modern times and speaks fondly of ‘the good old days,’ and I know there’s much about that attitude which is illusory and fallacious. But this time you really do have to wonder.

So what’s behind this situation? How would I know? I’m sure it would be possible to write volumes of theory and counter theory on what is a complex issue. But I wonder whether it all comes down to a single root: greed. Modern culture seems largely to be controlled by the corporate mentality, and the corporations are largely controlled by the greed merchants – the Bransons, the Koch brothers, the Donald Trumps et al. They’re the ones who created – and were encouraged by a generation of short sighted politicians to create – a society based on worshiping the god of economic growth, and the worship of such a god requires keeping the population trapped in a permanent state of dissatisfaction. Only they like to call it ‘aspiration.’ Yeah, the narrow view wins the day.

Then again, if this life really is just a virtual reality game, maybe none of this matters a jot. The paths of glory really do lead but to the grave, even for the greed merchants.

Time to do some more painting.