How Lincoln's depression helped him
Learning from Lincoln
Shenk gives compelling historical evidence for Lincoln's life long struggle with depression but also shows that the depression gave Lincoln three key qualities.
Firstly it gave him clarity. For example, Lincoln saw slavery for what it was, something "founded in the selfishness of man's nature (and), opposition to it, ___his love for justice." Shenk correlates Lincoln's clarity with modern psychiatric literature that recognizes "depressive realism, the sadder but wiser effect." Pain gives clarity.
Next, Lincoln's depression gave him creativity. His literary prowess is well documented, the Gettysburg address being but one example of his work. Shenk concludes that Lincoln's "overwhelming melancholy fed into a supple creative power, which allowed him not merely to see the truth of his circumstances but to express it in a stirring, meaningful way." Shenk notes that the correlation between mental illness and creativity is fairly well documented.
Finally, Shenk sees that Lincoln's suffering kept him humble. The many griefs of his life fed this sense of humility. Lincoln was always clear that God was the captain of life and that he was at most a sailor allowed to work on the deck of God's ship.
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Shenk concludes that "Lincoln didn't do great work because he solved the problem of his melancholy; the problem of his melancholy was all the more fuel for the fire of his great work." One can only wonder as to what would have happened if Lincoln had access to Prozac.
Shenk gives compelling historical evidence for Lincoln's life long struggle with depression but also shows that the depression gave Lincoln three key qualities.
Firstly it gave him clarity. For example, Lincoln saw slavery for what it was, something "founded in the selfishness of man's nature (and), opposition to it, ___his love for justice." Shenk correlates Lincoln's clarity with modern psychiatric literature that recognizes "depressive realism, the sadder but wiser effect." Pain gives clarity.
Next, Lincoln's depression gave him creativity. His literary prowess is well documented, the Gettysburg address being but one example of his work. Shenk concludes that Lincoln's "overwhelming melancholy fed into a supple creative power, which allowed him not merely to see the truth of his circumstances but to express it in a stirring, meaningful way." Shenk notes that the correlation between mental illness and creativity is fairly well documented.
Finally, Shenk sees that Lincoln's suffering kept him humble. The many griefs of his life fed this sense of humility. Lincoln was always clear that God was the captain of life and that he was at most a sailor allowed to work on the deck of God's ship.
...
Shenk concludes that "Lincoln didn't do great work because he solved the problem of his melancholy; the problem of his melancholy was all the more fuel for the fire of his great work." One can only wonder as to what would have happened if Lincoln had access to Prozac.
posted by Canopy | 5:23 PM
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