Question:
Why do so many people get depressed around Christmas time?
Answer: Joy
and sorrow are never far from one another. They seem to meet
particularly at Christmas. The Christmas season creates high
expectations for love, affection, celebration, and
conviviality. For those who observe Christmas, December 25 also places
greater demands on budgets, and the increased stress that accompanies
the hospitality offered to family and friends. During a serious
economic down-turn, our bank account may not be the only thing that
experiences depression.
The depression experienced by many at Christmas time points to the
widespread incidence of failed relationships and the disintegration of
the family. Many in our society feel lonely, friendless and alienated.
This estrangement flies in the face of the commercial media
slogan—true in other respects—that “we are all connected.”
Psychologists report that even those who are in stable relationships
also suffer from loneliness. As the noted Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung
(1875-1961) pointed out, feeling lonely has much to do with feeling
misunderstood and unaccepted. Misunderstanding, I conclude, is
widespread.
We live in a civilization that is obsessed with and “enervated by a
rampant and brutal materialism ”—succinctly described by Shoghi Effendi
(1897-1957), the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith (1921-1957), and the
interpreter of its teachings. In the secular abandonment of God, faith,
religion, moral and spiritual values, something has to act as
substitute to fill the emptiness, a void that cannot really be filled
except by the “genuine article.” The life of faith gives us a joy that
is not followed by sorrow. But when material objects stand in as the
only real things in the universe, they are bound to deceive us, like
all idols, in a rather large way. The binge of consumerism at Christmas
is bound to be followed by a big hang-over.
We should not forget that for those who have experienced a loss or a
death in the family, Christmas will be a sadder time than usual.
Shut-ins and the elderly will surely appreciate a visit during the
festive season. Well, so much for the negatives. In spite of
it all, much beauty still surrounds us during the holidays. May
all receive an abundant share this Christmas season!-
Jack
McLean
