Dear Lynn,
I have a beautiful wife, three amazing kids, two incredible homes; I am able to travel and vacation all over the world. I feel I have fulfilled most all of my dreams and goals in life yet I often feel depressed and gloomy. Some days I find it hard to get out of bed in the morning and I feel unenthused about my future. What is the cause of this depression? What can I do about this?
Jack
Dear Jack,
I went to Disney World with my mother this past weekend. As we strolled around Cinderella’s mammoth mansion, we stumbled into a faraway place called Tomorrowland. Even though I had my heart set on hopping on a rocket ship and soaring through orbit on Space Mountain or grabbing my laser gun and blasting away the evil Emperor Zurg on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, the wait time was well over an hour and a half for each ride. Houston, we have a problem . . .
“Come on, let’s just go on this one,” said my mother.
The ride: “The Carousel of Progress.” The wait time: Zero minutes.
I should have taken that as foreshadowing.
We walked into the empty theater and got seated comfortably in our chairs. After a few minutes the lights dimmed and the seats began to move and revolve around the stage in front of us. The story is told via an audio-animatronic family as seen at the turn of the 20th Century, the 1920s, the 1940s, and present day. I know people find these life-like talking robots amazing, I just find them incredibly creepy. Anyway, the father narrates and interacts with the latest technology of that era – gas lamps, washing machine, gramophone, radio, sewing machine, dishwasher, television, etc. At the end of each era the family breaks out into song:
“There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow . . . and tomorrow is just a day away. Man follows his dream with mind and heart and when it becomes a reality it’s a dream come true for you and me. Oh there’s a great big beautiful tomorrow, tomorrow is just a dream away.”
Jack, you might be wondering where I am going with all of this. Just stay with me.
After a little look-see at Wikipedia, I discovered that this attraction was Walt Disney’s favorite and designed by Mr. Disney himself. It also holds the record for the longest running stage show in America. I’m sure I am going to have some unbreakable evil Mickey Mouse curse placed on me or like the cast of Lost be banished to Tom Sawyer’s island for the rest of my God-given life for even uttering these words, but here it goes.
Jack, I believe Walt Disney is the cause of your depression. That’s right, WALT DISNEY CAUSES DEPRESSION. OK, maybe I am being a little too hard on Walt here, it isn’t entirely his fault but he and his little Tomorrowland haven’t really helped matters.
Man has never lived right here and now in the present moment. Our programming has led us to believe that there is a paradise somewhere out there, far way in the future. We can be miserable right now and hold on to the hope that our dreams will all be fulfilled tomorrow. Depression is a contemporary phenomenon, especially here in the West because we “have” so much. You speak for so many out there who are struggling Jack, so many who have everything they have ever longed for. You have reached all of your goals and dreams and now you have lost hope. There is no future, no tomorrow. You asked what the cause of your depression is. The attainment of your goals and dreams is the cause of your depression. One amazing thing about poverty is that it keeps hope alive. It brings enthusiasm and excitement about the betterment of tomorrow.
Depression has reached epidemic proportions in our country because so many have reached a point where they have everything – the homes, the wives, the kids, the cars, the bank accounts – yet inside their being is hallow and dark. Our external wealth has shined a bright light on our inner poverty. And I believe that is where you are at right now, Jack. You are in search of your inner richness; a richness that comes from within and can never be taken away. The beautiful thing about this, Jack, is that the solution to your problem is very simple. Start living in the present moment. Find meaning where you are right now. Don’t push aside any more of your precious life running after cars, homes, dollars, etc. I am not saying renounce your wealth, I am saying put your focus on love, on celebration. Take a walk on the beach with your wife or go on a hike in the woods and see the beauty that surrounds you. Listen to the birds, smell the crisp morning air, soak up a sunset. Look at your children, when is the last time you really looked at them?
So Jack, this is how you will become a truly wealthy human being – by discovering that richness does not lie in the things around you, it lies within you.
Well I have to go now. I am starting a petition to urge Walt to change the name of his favorite attraction from “The Carousel of Progress” to “The Carousel of Depression.”
Has a ring to it don’t ya think?
Lynn