WHY DOES THE WORLD HATE SAD PEOPLE?

Feeling sad and blue is one perpetual emotion that all of us keep facing in our lives. There are many reasons why people don't like feeling this way. Apart from it being an unpleasant feeling, society has a big unspoken discrimination against sad people. It's true. When you are sad, people like you less and hang out with you less. It's understandable why they do it but it just adds on to the hurt even more, doesn't it? I'm going to be very upfront with you, this post is a rant. Along with a few arguably ineffectual life lessons I've learnt from my experiences, I'm just going to rave on about how the world is so unfair to sad people. 

  If you know me, reallyy know me, you know I have phases. And being sad is a major phase of mine. During said phases, if there is one incriminating evidence that I've found, it's that society favors happy people. And guess what, it's not fair. Almost 280 million people suffer from depression and that's excluding normal everyday sadness. The figure is alarming. And to think each one of them faces some kind of prejudice just because they are sad. Tell me yourself, how many times have people excluded you from outings and trips just because you were down? How many times have you missed out on great opportunities just because you were not enthusiastic enough? And how many people have you lost in your life because they just couldn't wait for you to get your shit together? (sorry for the language). And all because of what, one ubiquitous emotion that literally everyone in the world feels? 

 Of course, the charm of happy people is understandable. They spread sunshine and smiles and bake cookies and stuff but guess what sad people are just as important. Some of the greatest works of art, from Dante's Inferno to van Gough's Starry night are all works of sad people. Now I'm not here to argue about how big an asset sad people are to the artistic world, but I am here to stress just how unfair the world can be to sad people. The one thing we learn early on is the fact that life is hard. Especially with the unreal expectations the world has set for one to achieve happiness. And it becomes almost impossible for people to be happy and keep smiling all the time.

So, I guess what I am trying to say is, it's okay. It's okay to look at trees and feel their loneliness. It's okay to look at the moon and sense its scars. It's okay to cry. It's okay to scream. And it's okay to laugh. Don't let labels stop you from feeling what you are. They are YOUR feelings, own them.  You don't need to feel ashamed or feel like you're not good enough just because you are sad. It's unfair that people just tend to add on to your sadness with their bigotry (yes, bigotry).  Just know that feeling things is good, even if it sucks sometimes. And I can only say to you what I say to myself whenever I am sad; hold on, this too shall pass. 

P.S. If you or your loved ones are experiencing depressive symptoms, please seek help. I know it's difficult with all the stigma around it, but depression is a disorder that greatly affects both the quality and quantity of life.

 For more resources, visit https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression. 

P.P.S. DO NOT SELF-DIAGNOSE! This is the ONE mantra my psychology professors live by when they teach us about mental disorders. Medical students disorder is when a medical student diagnoses themselves with diseases they read about. This is much more prominent when it comes to mental disorders. Please consult with a Clinical Psychologist for an official diagnosis if you find yourself experiencing depressive symptoms.