Lincoln's Melancholy

Of the books on adversity that I've been reading for the past 2 months, I think Lincoln's Melancholy has had the most profound effect on my thinking.  The author gives readers a lot to ruminate over, especially when he critiques our own time period and the way in which we undervalue seriousness.  Lincoln's experiences with depression, the author theorizes, are what made him great.  He had deep empathy with those whose suffering he witnessed, and an early encounter with shackled slaves being returned south had a lasting impact on him.  Thus when he rejected suicide as a solution to his misery, he vowed to make a difference in the world.  In his mission to end slavery, he found a reason to live. Our culture, especially our politics, denigrates the pessimist.  But sometimes, and especially in our times, perhaps what some call pessimism is actually realism.

Personally, I find happy people difficult to interact with.  While I admire them and the way they can find joy in their everyday lives, I can easily feel small and inadequate in their presence. Though I'm not a depressive--I'm not subject to bouts of melancholia like Lincoln--I identify myself more with that way of looking at the world. As far as I'm concerned, it is more likely to rain than for the sun to shine (perhaps even optimists will agree that such a view is realistic if you live in Pittsburgh); the half-empty class of juice is likely to spill and then make the floor sticky;  the book that the catalog says is in the library is probably not on the shelf.  If something bad can happen, it probably will.  Sooner or later.

Anyway, I really found a lot to like about this book.  When I have a chance, I will add some quotations...