An op-ed in The Advertiser begins with a quote from Carl Jung: “The foundation of mental illness is our unwillingness to experience legitimate suffering.” Vic Hummert then asks, in a world of diminishing resources, is our mental health going to become increasingly dependent on our ability to adapt to living with less?
“Over a decade of encountering Hong Kong squatters who lived without conveniences we take for granted, I was struck by the spiritual resilience of deprived, impoverished people in comparison with the exasperation of privileged people (like me),” writes Hummert. “Jung’s observation on mental illness alludes to where we might be heading in a small, exhausted world of diminishing resources as advertisers urge all to have the most comfortable lifestyle… How will children remain mentally stable without the latest smartphone or smart watch; how will adults stay sane without luxurious homes in the suburbs?”
Basic human rights and their relation to mental health (The Advertiser, September 19, 2014)
