Read about depression as a mental disorder, and there will be little worth reading on the subject. Feeling lifeless, empty, or apathetic is not exactly it. Feeling angry, aggressive, or restless is not it, either. Feeling helpless, hopeless, or worthless is a bit closer to the core of this mysterious condition, but something is still missing. Having a premonition of impending doom is neither here nor there, but it is getting still closer to what this mind-boggling “disorder” is all about. At any rate, the more you read, the less you understand depression.

More and more people around the developed world succumb to depression, though. An ever-larger proportion of humans suffer from it. The numbers are staggering, indeed. According to some predictions, it will be the most serious disorder of our day and age. It affects all bodily functions, too. Taking suicide aside, it can kill in many different ways. And yet, it is commonly ascribed to this or that “cause” having to do with individual human beings. Or individual human bodies. The species is left out of the picture. To the best of my knowledge, it is never even mentioned. Depression has nothing whatsoever to do with it, or so we are led to believe.

In my mind, depression has to do with collective human intelligence. As individuals, humans are not very bright. As a species, humans fare somewhat better. Collectively, they “understand” much more than they do as mere individuals, no matter how clever. And depression is a premonition of impending doom, indeed. People can feel it even when they cannot understand it. Not properly, at least. What with dramatic climate change and the glaciation period behind the corner, which may well last a hundred-thousand years, an ever-larger number of humans can feel that things are not going in their favor. Therefore, depression is a good thing. It is a warning not to procreate, for instance. Also, it is a warning not to engage in long-term projects involving major sacrifices. But why is this still a mystery is the only remaining mystery about depression.