The atheistic/apatheistic implications of Objectivism help with depression. (long)
I would put this in humanities, but it has more to do with the religious (or lack thereof) side of the philosophy. But I'll probably go off track, so feel free to move it.
I used to post on totse a lot. Up until about 7 or 8 months ago I guess. Since then I've been in and out of various psychiatric care facilities for help with depression, psychosis, and agoraphobia. While in the hospital I read almost every work Ayn Rand has ever published. The significance of this is in some of the causes of my depression. I used to feel disconnected from people and saw no real way to find common ground with anybody else. The doctors said it would be important for me to practice finding something to become a part of, such as a club or a church, however, it's harder than it sounds to join in when clinical depression plagues you with indifference toward most anything.
I suppose I should point out that I have a sort of of respect for religions and the various ways they teach. I just think they're interesting. On the other hand, I've never been very religious myself. If I had to call myself anything I'd say I was a deist. Some might argue that you couldn't follow Objectivism and Deism together, but I personally find the two to blend quite nicely.
Anyway, After reading Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, I decided to study Rand's non-fiction works. I even learned that they hold Objectivist conferences, which sounds like a nice thing to attend after completing my treatment. I was fascinated by the idea of each of us making our own path to happiness. In a way, Objectivism became my church. But on to the main point.
I guess one of the reasons I'm not staunchly anti-religious is because in a way I envied the sense of togetherness that comes from people with completely different lives joining together for a sole purpose. By finding Objectivism I was able to replace that emptiness with a school of thought shared by millions of people of different backgrounds, races, and personalities. Instead of a church, I had a philosophy. And thats how Ayn Rand saved me.
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