The one thing that really jumped out from your comment is that whether a person changes or not, we’ve done our part by accepting them for all their quirks, etc.

Years ago there was this guy I struck up a friendship with at a local coffee shop in NYC. I had been hanging out there after I quit Wall Street – going there to have coffee and journaling. He had this particular hynia-like laugh that often attracted unwanted attention.

At first I was embarrassed but then I realized, “hey, that’s how he is. Just get over it.” Soon I couldn’t careless what others thought about the funny laugh. I had already experienced what it was like not to be accepted because of my hearing impairment. It was a big wake-up call.

And guess what? It also gave me a feeling of inner power not to care what others thought of his distinctive laugh.

What a very interesting dialogue you have going here! Your input was very well thought out and I’m glad to see that you felt comfortable enough to share your thoughts about depression because it struck a chord with you.

That’s what this community is for. We are open here and everyone is welcome with their differing viewpoints, thoughts, ideas, suggestions and beliefs. No one is judged here and that’s why I’m delighted something in my interview with Chris triggered this tremendous outpouring here.

Thank you Barbara – I’m grateful to have a great set of readers who feel compelled and interested enough to spend time writing down their thoughts. You truly helped me understand the difference between depression and sadness – something we’ve all felt at one time or another.

Jennifers last blog post..Will Someone Please Just Listen to Me!

I often think what some decribe as depression is a moodiness. A desire to withdraw as they deal with dark feelings, not wanting to subject another to a sudden bad mood or sullen-ness, whether it was effected by an inside or outside element. Again, I’m not saying this isn’t a form of depression but I think most people experience this type of thing at one time or another. And can get themselves out of it. It is a problem when one can’t. Only the indidvidual involved can make the initial ‘depression’ call. It would then be prudent to seek out an expert for confirmation and help if it is warranted.

Sorry if this went way off topic of Chris’ interview. Which was on par with your expertise in this area. The conversation in the comments drew my attention in a big way.

One of the things that struck a chord with me here is about depression. I think I can speak to that due to my own experience. I think a few ways to identify sadness vs. depression are this:

When one is depressed, there can be days, moments or incidents within the depression that feel differently than an ongoing heaviness which are characterized as feelings of sadness. So I can be sad and depressed at the same time and they are not the same. In fact, it is common.

When a truly sad thing happens, such as a death of someone close, there often is little or no distiguishing between the general overall feeling and the grief, as there is no strength for additional feeling. In depression there is a numbness as one has expended so much energy, there is little left. Or you can look at it more literally. Whatever energy there may be is pushed down, depressed. Accessing it being a most difficult task.

Depression affects how everything in one’s life happens or more accurately, doesn’t. Sadness may slow you down for a time as you expend the energy needed to feel a deep sadness. Depression very often puts the brakes on things which gives one that heavy, no hope kind of feeling.

Yes, I think some sadness can run very deep and lead to a depressed state.

But there is a distinct difference.

So I think Corinne has a good point about the common-ness of people using the word depression. I also think unless one has truly been depressed, a state which can often be equated with stopping or overall lack of desire, they do not have the contrast of sadness and grief with depression. Of course there are many levels of depression and many varieties, as is demonstrated in say, postpartum depression and how it manifests.

It is also wise to know the difference, because one can manifest as an illness and can have many serious consequences not only for oneself but others and the other is a natural part of living as Patricia stated.

And I liked how you put it: “two social media planets have aligned.” That’s way cool!

The intention of my interviews is to help others get to know the person being interviewed. I love asking the kind of questions I ask because, like you said, it brings out information that you might not otherwise know from reading their blogs, etc. It’s one way I am attempting to stand out and make a difference in the blogging world.

Welcome to Adversity University!!! I love new readers, visitors, especially those who take the time to let me know you enjoyed the material.

I look forward to future participation from you in this community.

Of course I don’t mind if you put in your two cents worth (where ever did that phrase come from??? Your input is definitely worth more than 2 cents, LOL).

YES, thank you for feeling free to jump in and answer another commentator’s question. That’s what this community is for!

Thanks Patricia – you are certainly a role model for others to emulate here at Adversity University. This community is made for not only interaction between the blogger (that would be me) and the readers/visitors but also among themselves!

You go girl!

Maybe people just don’t know how to characterize what they’re feeling. They might think “depressed” is a more accurate word to describe how they’re feeling when “sad” is a better fit.

Maybe they think “sad” is too wimpy of a word versus “depressed” which sounds heavier.

I don’t know. You bring up interesting food for thought.

How do we distinguish between sad and depressed? Good question!

Well, like Chris said, the tendency that he has about viewing people who are “deliberately stupid” is a dark tendency on his part. What he’s trying to say is that deliberately stupid or not, he is making efforts to not judge others. That’s my goal too.

I try to be of the consciousness where I accept people for who they are and let them be what they choose to be. If they choose to be deliberately stupid, well, then that’s their choice. They’re not exactly paying my bills, right? Do they live with me? NO. Are they my best buddies? NO.

There was a guy I used to know. He had this incredibly weird hynia-like laugh that used to embarrass me b/c everyone would stare at us. One day I said, “Hey, that’s how he is – let it go.” From that moment forward, I didn’t care what others thought. Wow, what a liberating sense of freedom!

So if I’m around someone who is deliberately stupid, well, I have a choice about how to behave. I can choose to participate, walk away or stand there in silence.

Interesting discussion, isn’t it? Bottom line? Chris recognizes this side of him and that’s the first step – self awareness.