The Sequel ‘Joy of Depression’ Is Already in the Works
Wander into most any bookstore these days and you will see Caliphon Jessup Lawrence scowling out from the cover of his book, a finger pointing accusingly at you. The book title says it all: “Dare to Be Depressed”.
There is little doubt that the title and the inflammatory content between the book’s covers has touched a raw nerve with the public. If readers continue to pony up $34.95 per copy at the current rate, sometime next week Lawrence’s book will pass the one million mark of copies sold. Rare is the bestseller list that doesn’t now have “Dare” at or near the top.
What’s going on?
“What’s going on is that people are finally rebelling against the so-called norms of our feel-good society and throwing off the shackles of over-medication. They’re daring to be themselves,” Lawrence said over a lunch of watercress salad and pickled beets at Manhattan’s trendy Synapse Club Prolapse.
Lawrence speared a piece of beet with his fork and gesticulated with it at his companion. “The Prozac generation has stopped listening. They’re discovering the joy of wallowing in despair. Welcome to the twenty-first century and the empowerment that awaits you if you will but give in and dare to feel bad.”
The core of Lawrence’s message is that it is perfectly normal to feel tired, sad, irritable, lazy, unmotivated, and apathetic. It’s alright to fall into a severely depressed state, to take to your bed, eat nothing but popcorn and Hostess Twinkies and — except for going to the bathroom — not come out for weeks.
“People have been feeling depressed since the dawn of time,” Lawrence said. “It’s normal to feel bad. Then some clever pharmaceutical executive said, ‘Let’s convince depressed people that they should feel happy instead and make a billion dollars.’ And so they did and now millions of people are missing out on the joy of depression.”
Lawrence takes no prisoners as he makes his case.
“Think of Van Gogh or Sylvia Plath,” he said. “They were geniuses in their artistic endeavors and they also happened to be depressed. If Dr. Feelgood had pumped them full of Zoloft, their artistic talents would have withered on the vine.”
And what about Van Gogh’s and Plath’s suicides?
“One should not, cannot, tinker with the arc of destiny,” he said. “What was meant to be was meant to be. Pumped full of Prozac, would they have produced their art? No. Would they live on as creative icons who helped define their times? No.”
Lawrence paused to ponder the dessert menu. “Creme brulee,” he said. “Evidence is growing that creme brulee enhances neurotransmitters in the brain, particularly serotonin.”
He ordered creme brulee.
Hello? The author of “Dare to Be Depressed” is choosing dessert based on the possibility it enhances neurotransmitters that counter depression in his brain?
“Eating creme brulee to enhance serotonin in my brain is part of my arc of destiny,” he said.
The luncheon check arrived. As Lawrence’s companion dug out a credit card, the bestselling author pulled a prescription drug vial from his bag and extracted a pill. He downed it with water.
“What’s that?” the startled luncheon host asked.
“Just a little pharmacological wonder pill to boost my serotonin and get me through a television interview this afternoon,” he said. “I”m at my creative best when I’m drug free and wallowing in my normal depressed state. But for a television interview, I’ve got to be up, up, up. Nobody wants to watch an interview with a gloomy author. It’s part of my arc of destiny.”