Anhedonia

Just google the word if its not one you know.

Anhedonia is one of the primary effects of depression. I don't know if ones family and friends notice it before one does.

Imagine a world without pleasure. Don't spend too much time with this however, its depressing.

Imagine a world without passion either.

Its a life lived in gray scale with only 2 steps: one can deal with the world. One cannot.

So imagine a world where other people can have diametrically opposed views of you and both can be correct at any moment.

HOWEVER, at another moment the very same people can have the opposite "person" in front of them so what do they do? How are they supposed to react?

Character comes into play. "They," others, can study up on "our" problems, depression in this instance. They can integrate the illness of their friend or family member into their lives or they can retreat to the safety of rejection.

Character comes into play.

The afflicted one is in the middle.

If you have an afflicted one in your family, or you are the friend of an afflicted one, be honest with yourself and them.

Tell them you will stick around. That is character.

OR, again, just be honest, tell them you are a coward, are not up to the task at hand and you need to reject them.

Think of all the time you will save if you do either of these.

Those with character have taken on a lifetime commitment that will be rewarded somehow, in the end.

Those with no character can try to forget what they have done. Maybe they can do better with another person, another situation.

Or for the terminally silly, like catholics, they can just go to confession and be absolved.

Who needs character when some man in silly clothes can eliminate, by proxy, all your failings?