Depression is on the tip of the tongue for most of society today and is blamed for a multitude of wrongs, but can it also be a motivating agent of good? Gazing through and past the popular stigma of depression for an instant may allow you the time to think of examples, if you misplace your rose colored glasses for a bit. This idea has been pondered and examined by others in our time, but for me offered a first time tell tale look into depression by what it has done to change history.  Some of the greatest offerings to humanity have been given to us by people that were classified as depressed such as  these famous writers: Edgar Allen Poe, William Faulkner, Leo Tolstoy, Ernest Hemingway, and Charles Dickens. Some of the funniest people on earth have also suffered from depression: Joan Rivers, Roseanne Barr, and even Jim Carrey.  You may also recognize these big named musicians: Sting, Billy Joel, and Elton John. They had depression too. You may be thinking that these people suffering from depression is just par for the course and isn't uncommon, but look at their contributions.

How about the history changing depression I spoke of earlier? The poets, comedians, and musicians had their hands in changing a lot of our history by offering the motivation and non-judgemental support while at the same time letting us know we are not alone. I have lived my life almost daily by some kind of lifetrack floating around in my head that gives way at times to inspiration derived from others. This can't happen without changing a decision or two, don't you think?

A good example from the history books is Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln struggled with clinical depression all his life which some would consider a problem, but his problem inspired him to save a nation. The images I've seen of President Lincoln, take the Lincoln Monument for one, appear stoic but never triumphant or pleased. This man changed history forever by leading his country through the American Civil War and ending slavery. If you take a closer look at Abraham Lincoln's history you will see an endless string of disappointments and tradegies that befell him in childhood as well as adulthood. Lincoln suffered the deaths of several children namely his son Willie in February 1862 which started Lincoln on the path of looking to the divine for reason, but notably was left with depression. For Lincoln it was the moral and divine that lead him in his pursuit to end slavery. His losses developed a respect for life and freedom that motivated his crusade for change. How that for motivation?