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The *very* big issue right now is social isolation, with even people who would have in past generations been able to find social support networks instead being shut out and cut out. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_isolation Once upon a time society was built upon direct face-to-face social interaction, with people being actively encouraged to work with others. Most of the traditional social structures and activities we used to have are breaking down if they still exist, and it's all too easy these days to get distracted or find excuses to not reach out to people. Shunning and ostracism now go by "cancelling" and other such terms that people use to *justify* why even minor offenses or the crime of being "different" should be enough to force a person out of not just society but the world as a whole. Throw in the plethora of modern conveniences that we have now, and it's all too easy to have a situation where a person is discarded by society, forgotten about, or simply no longer "needs" to make an effort as far as they're concerned.

Back to depression and GC-I gave Elder Hollands “Broken Vessel” GC talk to friends outside the church. They loved it. Anyone struggling with mental illness should memorize that talk.

And if you go the “third world” you’ll see that things are astronomically better than they were 25 years ago. Which the links I provided clearly state. Here’s some other good examples. This isn’t 1985 anymore. You rejecting what I say is fine, but that doesn’t mean that the links I provided are wrong or inaccurate.

I definitely know where you're coming from. If I were to insult someone whom I've never met or never shown any good will to, I can't blame it on him if he takes it poorly. What most people don't get is that if you're going to make fun of someone in jest they first need to know that you actually love them. Only when the loving and playful relationship has been established do the playful insults have credibility of actually being "in good fun." So, the real question is: How do I get people to love me? Help people fulfil their needs (not their wants).

I'm trying to explain the fact that yes, there's a problem. We can't start to talk about fixes for a problem nobody wants to admit even exists.

I have no issue with that. You are known by the company you keep, and to no surprise, you develop traits that are the same as theirs. If you hang around with athletes who work out daily, you’ll probably get in better shape. If you hang around with people who use drugs, you’ll start using drugs. Agree-but it’s complicated. Many people want to be angry/sad/moody because they are lazy and it gives them an excuse to be rude, abrasive. It’s the same with snotty teenagers who think being sad all day and reading Sylvia Plath makes them “deep”. I totally agree. As a naive younger man, I genuinely thought people could change when presented with reasonable arguments and evidence. I was wrong and stupid. We can change our behavior though. Ask the guy who stops drinking and remains sober for 35 years.

Last week's Pearl of Wisdom from Social Media told me that you end up being an amalgamation of the 5 most important people in your life. The eternal debate between nature vs. nurture enters the chat. I'm not hopeful the argument will ever be resolved. I personally figure that agency is part of the story, but not the entire story. Meaning, most folks have a certain amount of influence in who they are, their moods, their outlook on life. It's possible, to a certain extent, to chose to be happy or miserable. But that's hardly the full story. Run the book of Job experiment on 1000 different people, and you'll end up with a few like Job, and everyone else who gives up at some point in the story. Biochemical impacts on mental state, significant childhood or adult trauma, an upbringing filled with caring and love and access to things of the spirit - all can have an impact on our ability to chose our mindset. I'm pretty sure there are also folks just born certain ways, who remain that certain way as they grow and mature and get old. And it's impossible to dent the mindset of such folks, no matter how much you want, or they want. It's fun stuff to think about. So for General Conference, I expect to hear talks targeted to the entire human race and everyone in it, trying to reach folks from all the different mindsets.

Rumor: 1 hour church. I don't buy it. @Ironhold is right. There is a lot of ugliness in the world. Lots of coldness and unhappiness. That doesn't mean there are not happy warm people, but to deny the reality of the darkness in the world is naive.

In many ways, this world has gotten a lot more complicated, a lot colder, and a lot less personal over the past few decades. A lot of folks are falling through the ever-increasing number of cracks, and in far too many instances the people who should be trying to pull them back out are instead trying to bury them further. It's a lot harder for people to know who they can trust, where they can go for solace, and how to heal the myriad of wounds they're receiving.