The Weight of the World

The harshness of the world is there;

It bends our minds towards despair.

Yet since we cannot make things well,

Should we on all this cruelty dwell?

To ponder distant hardship's yoke,

Was not the way of ancient folk.

They knew naught of what lay beyond

Hearth and home and village pond.

To think too much on evil's banes,

Our brain's resources slowly drains.

To contemplate the tyrants' ways,

The groundwork for deep sadness lays.

In simple ways to take our shelter,

Protects us from the Devil's smelter;

Or else we might succumb to rage,

In fury we might quickly age.

So grant us peaceful meditation,

In Christian style or else in Asian;

Let joy infuse our total being,

A quiet refuge from sorrow seeing.

A friend recently told me of a new scientific theory that depression is caused by excessive rumination:
http://damiengwalter.com/2012/06/01/look-after-your-brain-they-dont-issue-new-ones/
 The brain becomes depleted of crucial chemicals and ceases to function well. There may be something in this. Older theories link depression to anger, especially at oneself. It has also been linked to unexpressed grief.
There is certainly reason to think that we think ourselves into depression, at least to some extent. If we think about positive things, we should be happy. Of course it is not simple. There is a genetic element, and pollution and dental mercury also play a role. Meditation certainly helps.