SOPHIE ISBISTER
The Other Press (Douglas College)

NEW WESTMINISTER (CUP) — If there’s anything that we can all agree on, it’s that life is hard. Jobs don’t pay enough, rent is too high and groceries get more expensive every year.

The experiences of Canadians reflect this. A recent Ipsos-Reid poll discovered that one in five Canadian workers develop depression at some point. In a similar vein, a Sept. 10 Maclean’s article titled “Campus crisis: the broken generation” profiles depression and suicide at U.S. and Canadian campuses.

Both the Maclean’s article and the CBC’s coverage of the Ipsos-Reid poll focus on ways campuses and workplaces can support people living with mental illnesses like depression and anxiety. Sure, employers can offer comprehensive mental health benefits such as access to counselling and extended benefits, but that does not really solve the root issue of our culture’s malaise epidemic.

What’s so bad about being depressed, anyway? I can see a lot of other things to be upset about.

Take, for example, the pressure to be happy itself.

A quick perusal of the Craigslist jobs section tells me that employers are looking for a “positive attitude and enthusiastic outlook,” a “fun-loving” employee who can “work well under pressure while keeping a smile.” This is all fine and good in the service and hospitality industry (if you hate people, it’s probably in your best interest to steer clear of these jobs anyway), but you’re expecting me to have a “get-up-and-go attitude” in my job scraping barnacles off the underside of some grimy old boat?

“Happiness,” that nebulous, hard-to-grasp concept, seems to be the number one requirement to find employment these days. But our problems would be solved if we focused our energies on attaining happiness through avenues that aren’t tied to our livelihood.

Think about what you would do if you did not have to work 40 hours a week. I like to think if I had an extra day off I would read more, or spend more time with friends and family. Maybe I would even devote more time to my personal writing.

If I worked a six-hour day instead of an eight-hour day, I might use that extra two hours to prepare a wholesome lunch for the next day or divide my time between domestic duties and social engagements. I know I’d sleep more, feel less rushed and apply a clearer head to the work I do.

When your identity is wrapped up in your employment and that employment is underpaid and loaded with awful take-all-your-bullshit-and-thank-you-for-it expectations, it’s no wonder Canadians — workers and students alike — are depressed.

Perhaps instead of pushing people to work 50-hour weeks, instead of overtime being the norm, instead of subtly penalizing women in the workplace for taking maternity leave, society should place a premium on people finding happiness and fulfillment where they can.

Why have we created all this wealth in the Western world if not to reap the benefits of prosperity?

What could be a better benefit of prosperity than the freedom to develop an identity separate from your work, to have the time to foster a strong community?

Maybe I’m an idealist, but I hope the next generation of Canadians can open their minds to the idea that the 40-hour work week is damaging our health, both mental and physical.

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Illustration: Joel McCarthy/The Other Press