How the Modern World Makes Us Mentally Ill

It's easy to blame ourselves for not feeling 100% in our minds, but some of the causes of mental unwellness have to do with large systemic problems in our societies, among these, an emphasis on individualism, a manic faith in Romantic love and a cult of meritocracy.

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[SmokeDog]

Life has gotten so much better for me since I stopped watching the news and left social media. I feel healthier, happier and have a great relationship now. In some ways the old ways are still best

[pamelatorres]

No wonder so many of us feel depressed, anxious and suicidal. We never feel like we're good enough.

[Spauso]

And The intensive speed of life now, it’s like everything is on a ticking clock, if you are not fast enough you will be left behind

[kriketprayme]

I'm slowly realizing that I'm happy to be average. I don't want fame, money or power (in fact, I'm quite afraid of fame for some reason since childhood LOL). One thing I truly crave for and want is the right kind of people — to talk, to laugh, to enjoy, to love.

[unlimitedperseverance]

To be mad in a deranged world is not Madness, its sanity.

[lazarusblackwell]

Nature is the Cure for all our problems


The happiest time of my life was when i was spending it in Nature

[Evija]

Basically the problem is too high expectations.

[armanahmadzai]

As person of a third world country I can confirm this. Living in a first world now.
The western world and the other modernized countries are actually very depressing.

[lenjaminbang]

There's so much wrong in this world, but can we all just take a minute to appreciate this comment section. Seriously, I've never seen such respecting, constructive and "intelligent" discussions on YouTube!

[indigoali]

The modern world mentally disturbs you with how much everything costs

[hannahnymous]

I can relate to this after years of battling with depression. Yes, success is good but my mental health is more important for me. I'd rather be ordinary in the eyes of the world to continue wanting to be alive.

[ramonvalencia]

I remember when the "Lord of the Rings" movies first came out twenty years ago, nearly everyone I talked to commented that they would love to live in the Shire, and it's not hard to see why. Life in the Shire is so quiet, peaceful, and close to nature. As Bilbo Baggins observed, "It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life."

[allaroundme]

The modern world moves very quickly. It can be exhausting. I'm so grateful for these videos acknowledging this

[Emma-fqpv]

We should demolish the educational system we have now which is based on a person’s memory and obsession with getting a good grade, regardless if they understand what they’re being taught or not.

What we have now is not ‘education’. Education should not be fear driven, most students aren’t excited or enthused about learning and often only work hard out of fear of upsetting their parents or not getting a job.

Education should show people how exciting and rewarding it can be to learn and understand the world we live in, as well as understanding ourselves as individuals. I believe that with less fear and anxiety being instilled in young people, and with the replacement of awareness and understanding, the world will become a much less hostile place.

[Paarthurnaxdova]

I’m quitting my job and gonna drop out of the rat race. It’s killing me..

[millenialmusings]

"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society" - Jiddu Krishnamurti

[Ghost_of_Wauwatosa]

"Perfection is a myth. Be glad that you exist." -Professor Elemental

[matthewcoombs]

Meritocracy is one of the biggest lies of modern life. When you drill down to a lot of successful people, they either had supportive, well connected or rich parents (Donald Trump, Richard Branson, George Clooney), a lot of luck and where in the right place at the right time. (Bill Gates and Steve Jobs). Most of the tech billionaires were born on the West Coast of America and were born in the 50s and 60s and were in their twenties during the 70s and 80s when the tech curve first hit. This boom was centred in California. So if you were born in the 1990s in El Salvador the chances of you being a tech billionaire is very low

[robeyhairston]

This is weird...my girlfriend and I were having a conversation about her not ever having money for extravagant things. I was telling her that society has programmed us into thinking that we absolutely NEED excess to be happy. That if you can't get something NOW NOW NOW, you're a failure. I told her how our thinking is screwed up in that we complain about not being able to do that thing or go to that place because we had to pay a bill. The modern society needs to quit with the division.

[Chris-lzfs]

This is exactly what I've realised myself over the course of my life. It stopped it all years ago and instead starting pursuing happiness instead. So, from being at University and being deeply unhappy with it all, having a spiritual awakening through a nervous breakdown I went on to pursue work in gardening or horticulture. And I'm far happier!