Showing posts with label depression. Show all posts
Showing posts with label depression. Show all posts

Monday, November 27, 2023

The Ancient Chaotic Void Still Exists, But The Gods Fill It

The other night, my wife and I were watching one of our favorite TV series together, and one of the main characters was talking about his unwavering devotion to his religion. He faced so many persuasive opportunities for his own personal gratification, which he desperately longed for, but it was always on the condition that he betray his spiritual convictions, and that he would not do. He basically said that without Higher Powers, nothing else mattered. While the character was not the same religion as us, I could not disagree with his general conclusion.

The ancient Greeks believed that the universe began as Chaos and a vast void, then after a long passing of time, Order came and the void was filled, and in that Order was life, in a nutshell. It's the creation of all that exists today according to the ancient Greeks.

That void was generally conquered by the Gods, but I think the battle between Gods and Chaos can sometimes find itself at a constant. Throughout Greek religion and myth, even though the Gods brought Order, there were still Heroes who had to kill or conquer many things that disrupted the common good of life.

I've said in the past, and meant it, that even if someone offered me a billion dollars on the condition that I renounce the Gods, I would not do it - nor would I even need time to think about it. Because I know that no matter how much material I have, without the Gods there would be a hole that could never again be filled in my life. If all you have is the mere physical, which eventually fades or goes just far enough to indulge the carnal, that won't be enough. Most of us need something eternal and undying. Over 60% of studies have shown that religious people are less depressed.

I think that somewhere inside of us, and in the universe itself, there remains the threat of that vast void, and it will consume us if the Gods aren't there. No amount of money or mansions can conquer it. I'm not saying that financial success can't bring a substantial level of happiness, or any said success in the mortal world, but without the Gods, you're always going to feel a blackness or a bottomless pit inside you somewhere. There is something we long for that the mundane simply cannot satisfy. 

In the Goodness of the Gods,
I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,
Chris Aldridge.

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Depression Relief Proves Divinity


Religious people tend to be less depressed than non-religious. This is not an opinion, but the fact of 61% to 67% of studies on the subject. It's been something long thought to be true. While there are always exceptions to every rule, the over all reality is that people who are religious and spiritual tend to have better mental health, which you would think shatters the idea that religion is a "mental illness," as some non-religious people ridiculously claim. The bigger picture is that this is hard evidence that Divinity exists. Why? For the simple fact that depression is a real condition, a chemical imbalance, and thus, it's not something that you can "believe" away. In order for the affliction to be conquered or controlled, order and balance must be restored. So what do religious people have in this case that non-religious do not? The presence of Gods and ascension inside and around them.

All that is Divine can do good for the human condition. Take the Sun for instance, which was and still is a God to certain people and groups. The Sun's light and rays have proven healing powers (Apollon being God of the sun and healing). The light can as well push depression out of the mind and even heal infants of jaundice. The Sun saves the babies from permanent brain damage and death caused by this affliction. Again, jaundice is not something you can "believe" away. The Gods are literally staring us right in the face if we would simply open our eyes and look. Higher Powers are obvious.

Being someone who has battled severe depression and severe anxiety disorder in his own life since I was a teenager, I can attest to the power of the Gods in confronting the conditions. The medicine provided by the Gods and my doctors also helped a great deal (as they were meant to), but without the Gods themselves I feel I would have simply been soiling the problem. The Gods are the ones who lift our minds to a higher plane. Our lives become unbothered, at least in my experience, by the typical obstacles of mundane life. When I walk into my temple, all my troubles leave my mind. When I sit in the hot rays of the Sun, it's as if nothing else matters, an overwhelming sense of good, love and security takes over.

Perhaps this observation has been with us even as far back as ancient Greece, when Homer wrote, "Those who depart from the Gods, I find to be in wanting."

In the Goodness of the Gods,
Chris Aldridge.