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Interesting, both as test case for some of the issues raised last night about the relation between happiness and conflict as desiderata in mental health considerations and as a prelude to next week's conversation. There is an interesting letter from the philosopher David Hume to a doctor about whether depression is best dealt with by trying to "drive ... through it," as opposed to taking it as an opportunity "to strike root in a deeper ground inside onself." For what its worth, my own experiences are more consistent with the latter approach. My own version of a wise man once told me that, appearances notwithstanding, depression is actually a time of great (unconscious) creativity. Yes, that's not exactly the approach currently in cultural favor. Another reason to think seriously about changing culture, and about how to do it?