I am terribly, horribly depressed. Help!

Starshine Roshell weighs in on this and other quandaries

Starshine Roshell
(Image credit: Jackie Sallow Photography)

Dear Starshine,

I am losing hope. This world is heading in a downward spiral and there seems to be no way out. I watch the news and I see politicians who lie as easily as they breathe. Glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, causing our ocean levels to rise with devastating consequences. Soon our planet won't have enough food to sustain the growing population. Toxins are merrily being pumped into our drinking water. Our prisons are being bought up by private companies who lobby for tougher laws to keep these prisons swelled to maximize their profits. Money has become more important than people — a sort of god to be worshiped. Television is nothing but a bunch of ridiculous "reality" shows that have nothing to do with reality. When I was a young woman, our response to society's problems was Woodstock and bra burning and protests. Now music has become one big booty-shaking contest; there's no meaning anymore. I think of these things and become very depressed. What point is there in pursuing my dreams and encouraging my children to pursue theirs if everything is going down the toilet? I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel anymore. Just waking up and going about my daily tasks is becoming a pointless endeavor. Where can I find joy in a world I am powerless to change? What hope is there for future happiness in the midst of all this misery?

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Starshine Roshell

Starshine Roshell is a veteran journalist and award-winning columnist whose work has appeared in The Hollywood Reporter, New York Post and Westways magazine. She is the author of Keep Your Skirt On, Wife on the Edge and Broad Assumptions.