Combating hopelessness

[Eivets Rednow]

I’ve had a bit of a dip in my combatting of hopelessness. I certainly don’t feel hopeless, but I have lost the exhilarating high that I had a couple of months ago. This is probably healthy, as it’s not really sustainable to have such a strong force of energy propelling you forward into action in a constant way. You’ve got to land sometime. Otherwise you get lost in space.

It’s nice to have experienced the high. I’d say I’m at some kind of medium level now. Certainly not a low. I’ve got a plan, and I’m trying to logically work towards it. I do worry that I keep being tempted to just fuck everything up. But that was probably a temporary emotional shock as I adjusted to a necessary crash. Normally, I’m able to at least attempt to play the game well. Hopefully I can get back to that soon while also being happy.

 

[hitmouse]

New Grace Blakeley thing:

What Can We Do?

A newsletter about how to fight individualism and build collective power

wcwd.substack.com

This is also on my to-read list:

Burnout

In the struggle for a better world, setbacks are inevitable. Defeat can feel overwhelming at times, but it has to be endured. How then do the people on the front line keep going? To answer that question, Hannah Proctor draws on historical resources to find out how revolutionaries and activists...

www.versobooks.com

 

[CH1]

Maye I shouldn't be on here. Some years back I followed this thread because I assumed it was sort of mental health/depression oriented - myself being diagnosed as Bipolar/Borderline PD and all that. Personally I have taken the (lithium) tablets for 20 odd years and before that had periods on other so-called mood stabilising preparations - carbamazepine and sodim valproate in conjunction with various anti depressants which did not work very well.

I can see that many people on here would say "That's not my problem" - or even "That's not your problem - you shoud be combatting Neo Liberalism"

Be that as it may, one of my hobbies is collecting books and texts about topics of interest.
I had never heard of Byung-Chul Han before today. The Goethe Society have the Burnout Society free online:

https://ia804705.us.archive.org/13/items/byung-chul-han-the-burnout-society-2015-stanford-briefs-libgen.lc/Byung-Chul%20Han%20-%20The%20Burnout%20Society%20%282015%2C%20Stanford%20Briefs%29%20-%20libgen.lc.pdf

I found this quote interesting (page 11)
The complaint of the depressive individual, “Nothing is possible,” can only occur in a society that thinks, “Nothing is impossible.”
No-longer-being-able-to-be-able leads to destructive self-reproach and auto-aggression.

I must watch the video when "The Cunning Little Vixen" has finished on Radio 3.

 

[BigMoaner]

Maye I shouldn't be on here. Some years back I followed this thread because I assumed it was sort of mental health/depression oriented - myself being diagnosed as Bipolar/Borderline PD and all that. Personally I have taken the (lithium) tablets for 20 odd years and before that had periods on other so-called mood stabilising preparations - carbamazepine and sodim valproate in conjunction with various anti depressants which did not work very well.

I can see that many people on here would say "That's not my problem" - or even "That's not your problem - you shoud be combatting Neo Liberalism"

Be that as it may, one of my hobbies is collecting books and texts about topics of interest.
I had never heard of Byung-Chul Han before today. The Goethe Society have the Burnout Society free online:

https://ia804705.us.archive.org/13/items/byung-chul-han-the-burnout-society-2015-stanford-briefs-libgen.lc/Byung-Chul%20Han%20-%20The%20Burnout%20Society%20%282015%2C%20Stanford%20Briefs%29%20-%20libgen.lc.pdf

I found this quote interesting (page 11)
The complaint of the depressive individual, “Nothing is possible,” can only occur in a society that thinks, “Nothing is impossible.”
No-longer-being-able-to-be-able leads to destructive self-reproach and auto-aggression.

I must watch the video when "The Cunning Little Vixen" has finished on Radio 3.

I'll just say lastly on BCH, he's the real deal. This is not a "logical" philosopher who will give you lots of facts and logical argument. "Theory casts patterns on the nature of things". His books are purposefully hyperbolic.He wants to take the modern neoliberal "achievement subject", take his entirely modern, entirely constructed painful psychic modern internal narrative and evaporate it into new realms beyond the logic of modern capitalism. He is not saying anything original, but he is using people like Heidegger for this, and Buddhism - not the "feel calm/good" popular western buddhism you see in waterstones, but some of the weirdest metaphysics possible. He's written a dozen or so 100 page books and he covers so much of modern life and so much of suffering. In a long line of post modern theorists/philosophers who approach philosopher as an art really, a form of poetry, but also on occasional liberatory. I am very rarely fan boy about anyone, but i am him. He's changing my psyche every time i read him. Another wya i would describe him is he is a philosopher of Atomisation, per excellance. He's writing about the very real structures of atomisation, largely caused by capitalism and especially tech capitalism.

The Internet’s New Favorite Philosopher

Byung-Chul Han, in treatises such as “The Burnout Society” and his latest, “The Crisis of Narration,” diagnoses the frenetic aimlessness of the digital age.

www.newyorker.com

 

[CH1]

I'll just say lastly on BCH, he's the real deal. This is not a "logical" philosopher who will give you lots of facts and logical argument. "Theory casts patterns on the nature of things". His books are purposefully hyperbolic.He wants to take the modern neoliberal "achievement subject", take his entirely modern, entirely constructed painful psychic modern internal narrative and evaporate it into new realms beyond the logic of modern capitalism. He is not saying anything original, but he is using people like Heidegger for this, and Buddhism - not the "feel calm/good" popular western buddhism you see in waterstones, but some of the weirdest metaphysics possible. He's written a dozen or so 100 page books and he covers so much of modern life and so much of suffering. In a long line of post modern theorists/philosophers who approach philosopher as an art really, a form of poetry, but also on occasional liberatory. I am very rarely fan boy about anyone, but i am him. He's changing my psyche every time i read him. Another wya i would describe him is he is a philosopher of Atomisation, per excellance. He's writing about the very real structures of atomisation, largely caused by capitalism and especially tech capitalism.

The Internet’s New Favorite Philosopher

Byung-Chul Han, in treatises such as “The Burnout Society” and his latest, “The Crisis of Narration,” diagnoses the frenetic aimlessness of the digital age.

www.newyorker.com

Your New Yorker article is an interesting summary.
I notice the person who has "The World according to Byung-chul Han" video on their YouTube channel also has one about Mark Fisher (k-punk) Joshua Krook
Mark Fisher was heavily endorsed at the beginning of this thread, but I felt the fact Mark Fisher committed suicide might suggest he had arrived at despair rather than enlightenment.
His Wikipedia biography says he had sought help from services - but was only offered phone conversations.
BTW I have no idea if Joshua Crook, YouTuber, is fairly describing either Byung-chul Han or Mark Fisher and their philosophies in his videos.

On a different and surprising note, a case history was sent to me via LinkedIn just now, and I am reproducing the original South London and Maudsley website page.
It concerns a young mother sectioned under the Mental Health Act because of puerperal or post-partum psychosis (a psychotic state immediately after giving birth).
One of her symptoms was believing (incorrectly but vehemently) that her baby was dead.
This woman was - with the initially reluctant agreement of her mother - given a course of ECT (electro-convulsive therapy)
There is a video on the webpage where both the now-recovered patient and her mother discuss this episode.
I was a bit surprised to see ECT being promoted - it has a very bad public image.
I used to work in a psychiatric unit in Manchester in 1973 as a nursing assistant and saw ECT at first hand - but out of maybe 20 people I saw treated two made amazing quick recoveries, the others no discernable improvement.
SLAM's case study presents a woman obviously helped.

Treatment spotlight: Tahira’s journey with Electroconvulsive Therapy | Our blog - South London and Maudsley

Our treatment spotlight series begins with Tahira’s journey, highlighting how electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) supported her recovery.

slam.nhs.uk

 

[friendofdorothy]

On a different and surprising note, a case history was sent to me via LinkedIn just now, and I am reproducing the original South London and Maudsley website page.
It concerns a young mother sectioned under the Mental Health Act because of puerperal or post-partum psychosis (a psychotic state immediately after giving birth).
One of her symptoms was believing (incorrectly but vehemently) that her baby was dead.
This woman was - with the initially reluctant agreement of her mother - given a course of ECT (electro-convulsive therapy)
There is a video on the webpage where both the now-recovered patient and her mother discuss this episode.
I was a bit surprised to see ECT being promoted - it has a very bad public image.
I used to work in a psychiatric unit in Manchester in 1973 as a nursing assistant and saw ECT at first hand - but out of maybe 20 people I saw treated two made amazing quick recoveries, the others no discernable improvement.
SLAM's case study presents a woman obviously helped.

Treatment spotlight: Tahira’s journey with Electroconvulsive Therapy | Our blog - South London and Maudsley

Our treatment spotlight series begins with Tahira’s journey, highlighting how electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) supported her recovery.

slam.nhs.uk

I had no idea ECT was still used. I knew someone who had received it in the early 80s for psychosis and lost many of his early memories. It didn't cure him.

 

[CH1]

I had no idea ECT was still used. I knew someone who had received it in the early 80s for psychosis and lost many of his early memories. It didn't cure him.

Apart from my experience in 1973 above, it just so happens that I was lodging for a few weeks when I first moved to London in 1977 with a Mrs Albiston of Raynes Park. She had had ECT for depression - and said it had worked for her - though as you commented she said her memories were affected. The more painful ones she said.

I knew that they were still doing ECT - there was a clearly labelled ECT suite next to John Dixon Ward in Guys when I visited a friend there ten years ago.
Putting it on the SLAM web site seems to indicate they think its a viable trearment in some cases - and indeed the woman in their film seemed to have benefitted.
ECT is mentioned on the NHS website as an option in extremis Postpartum psychosis

 

[friendofdorothy]

Your New Yorker article is an interesting summary.
I notice the person who has "The World according to Byung-chul Han" video on their YouTube channel also has one about Mark Fisher (k-punk) Joshua Krook
Mark Fisher was heavily endorsed at the beginning of this thread, but I felt the fact Mark Fisher committed suicide might suggest he had arrived at despair rather than enlightenment.
His Wikipedia biography says he had sought help from services - but was only offered phone conversations.
BTW I have no idea if Joshua Crook, YouTuber, is fairly describing either Byung-chul Han or Mark Fisher and their philosophies in his videos.

I've no time or energy to read / watch all the Byung-C H stuff - what is your take on him?
Not sure unknown YouTubers have any special insights but don't think I want to fall down that rabbit hole.

Has anyone read much of mark fisher, I've only read excerpts, brixtonscot I think you might have?

 

[friendofdorothy]

At times I can feel hopeful. At the moment my mood is quite good and when I'm with groups of people I can feel quite hopeful. I enjoy community things, both attending and helping. I'm totally avoiding national and international politics.

This is despite thinking the planet is doomed. I can only cope with that by doing what I can in my own home and locally. Reduce reuse recycle. Litter picking. Buying locally, picking litter. I know it's rearranging deckchairs on sinking world, but it keeps me going. It's all I can do.
I can easily be tipped over the edge and feel really hopeless. Like someone pointing out that the solar cell system I would love to buy uses rare earths in short supply.

Making everyday decisions about food and household products is an intellectual mine field. I'm finding it difficult to navigate. I might start a separate thread about that