Any piece of writing always transmits a part of ourselves. It's nearly impossible to read what someone has written and not have at least a clue about their worldview. I hope that your view of my posts aligns with my stance: Life is suffering, but it can be much more than that; it's worthwhile so long as we pay attention and know how to live it.

I say this because even though I write about grim topics, I admit that the game of life is no easier for me than it is for you. I too am prone to depression. And I don't have all the right answers every time. I also have days where I don't feel like being around anymore. Sometimes it's just hard to see the point.

If you identify with these feelings, make no mistake: you are not alone in this. I of all people must admit that life has been easy with me. I'm no prince Ali, but I'm doing fine. And in today's world that's an invaluable thing. If someone who's had it easy deals with depressive thoughts, then we should expect just about everyone to fight the same battle.

Why not gather as many tools as possible for when we have to confront those tough moments? Today I want to share with you a tool, a way of looking at depression. Who knows? It may make a difference for you. So I think it's worth checking out.

Note: Today's topic can be quite gruesome for some audiences. Reader discretion is advised.

I found the following video invaluable during some of my most depressive moments at my last job:

Once again, stories are the envelope for invaluable insight into our own lives. Let's go over Smiling Friend's Pilot Episode and see how optimism and hopelessness battle things out.

"Smiling Friends is an Australian-American adult animated television series created by Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack for Cartoon Network's night-time programming block Adult Swim, which revolves around the surreal misadventures of a small company and its four employees dedicated to spreading happiness."

In the pilot, the main protagonists (Pim & Charlie) of the show are called into the office by Mr. Boss. A mother has called about her son, who's been "a bit mopey" lately. So their job is to make the guy (called Desmond) smile. Simple, right? Brilliantly simple.

Pim is the embodiment of optimism and all things good. But also of naivety. Upon arriving at Desmond's house, Pim can't resist telling Charlie...

Pim: I love helping kids. I love kids Charlie. I LOVE KIIIDS!!!

Charlie: Uh, Pim... I-I would really not be screaming that at the top of your lungs (out in the open in a neighbourhood)

Charlie is not naive, but he isn't a happy individual either. He's neutral towards life in a disinterested way.

Once the mother who had called earlier takes Pim and Charlie to Desmond's room, they are in for a surprise:

Pim and Charlie weren't called to comfort a mopey little kid. They have to confront a fully grown man with very serious suicidal tendencies. He explains to the protagonists how everything in his life has gone to shit:

Desmond: My wife left me. My kids left me. My dog died from a broken heart last fall...

Of course, Desmond is an exaggerated embodiment of hopelessness. But remember... we are all almost 2 times more likely to commit suicide than to die at the hands of another human. Desmond is quite the relatable character, even in this cartoonishly exaggerated form.

This pilot episode isn't about making one particular, fictitious character smile. It's about the clashing of paramount everyday thoughts through convincing arguments. How to be happy when it's actually really hard sometimes? Pim tells Desmond...

Pim: I promise to you that by the end of this beautiful day, you'll have a big gorgeous smile on that handsome face of yours. Oh, won't you give us a chance?

Pim gives 3 arguments for being happy and smiling throughout the pilot.

1 Family

Pim essentially says: "You should smile because you have (at least some sort of) family. They make life worth living, right?". Pim tries his best by taking Desmond to a meal with his family. But it all comes crashing down when we see just how dysfunctional Pim's family really is. Everybody either doesn't care for the others' presence or is yelling at another member. A picture is worth a thousand words:

Desmond: Is this supposed to make me not wanna kill myself?

Family can't be a sturdy argument for happiness because it's not guaranteed that you'll have a good family to start your life. So Pim tries the next argument.

2 Friends

Pim takes Charlie and Desmond to a random party. "Making new friends will make you smile. You'll experience new ways of seeing life and you won't feel lonely any more".

Pim: Anyone can be your friend. Even that guy!

Pim tries to befriend a stranger:

Pim: Hello there! I'm Pim! Would you like to be our friend?

Stranger: Whoah! What the fuck dude?! You touched me!

Pim: Oh, no... I'm sorry :(

The stranger brings the attention of the entire party towards Pim and he gets ridiculed. What if you try to make new friends but you fail miserably? I think we have all been there at least once in our lives. It hurts a lot, right? We humans are natural social beings. Failure, rejection, and ridicule are what fish must feel like when you take them out of the water.

Friends can't be a solid foundation for happiness because they are even less reliable than family. We can't go on with life expecting to have many friends. And making new friends can be tricky at times. Family and friends are things that take time to build in our lives... but Desmond needs a reason to live RIGHT NOW.

3 Fun

For his final attempt, Pim takes Charlie and Desmond to an amusement park. Desmond does get on a lot of attractions: rollercoasters, ticket minigames like whack-a-mole, and so on. They all have a good time :)

When the day ends, Pim asks Desmond how he feels. Pim has laid his third and final argument. What is Desmond's response to all this? Desmond comes back at us with a well-put-together and reasonable counterargument.

Desmond: Are the best parts of life really just finding momentary distractions to keep you so busy so you don't think about the harsh realities of life for a second? I can ride rollercoasters, meet new friends, and spend time with my family all day long... it doesn't change the fact that the sun is just gonna to explode... and all this is for nothing...

This is Pim's response...

Nothing. Pim is stunned beyond recovery. He's lost. He can't come back from this. The thing is... logically, Desmond is quite right. The problem is you can't logic your way out of depression. I understand that Pim's and Desmond's interaction here is a common one in a therapeutic session for depression. Check out the following video where Dr. K talks about it in depth.

If you can't logic your way out of depression, then what do you do? Well... you can see the last section of the previous video. Or perhaps something was just missing. This is the brilliant conclusion to our story of today.

Something Was Missing

Pim and Charlie take Desmond back to their house for final goodbyes (and to file the necessary paperwork) before Desmond kills himself in front of everyone. Upon opening the door, they see one of his other friends, Alan, in lots of trouble. He was searching for his cheese from the beginning of the episode. But somehow there now are thousands of purple little vermin (called bliblies) in their house.

Upon seeing the group enter the house, the leader charges against them. In a moment of unexpected animalistic reaction, Desmond takes a step forward, points his gun at the leader (instead of his head), and shoots.

AND HE LIKES IT...

Desmond couldn't be convinced through logic that life was worth living. Instead, he just had to stay around enough time to stumble into the meaning of life for himself. Taking control of a problem (like bliblies) felt so good that he built a life around that. Now he does what he loves, is useful to the world, and is doing it all with a smile.

The whole point of this episode and the reason it is unbelievably brilliant is it presents us with this different perspective on the meaning of life. What if there was just something missing all this time? What if there is a great feeling you just haven't experienced yet? Ain't the following advice brilliant?

Suicide is the one thing that you can always leave for tomorrow

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