Yes, and it's intentional. Rich people don't need happy people. They need drones to do their biddings. Happiness? Dreams? Building a better future for your kids? That does nothing for your masters and is therefore unwanted and systemically suppressed.

As long as we live as serfs for the 1% happiness is something you have to fight for not something you can achieve by doing what you are supposed to do.

Society currently works against us.

Average life of a chronically alienated wageslave

This is exactly what Marx talked about

Fuck, felt that in my soul. Had a job once that completely hollowed me out. Took a few days off to go see a live show and spent most of the time I was there holed up in the hotel room watching garbage tv, drinking airline bottles of Wild Turkey and Jolt Cola (this was the year they brought it back for like 6 months).

I got to be me again. I missed me. I missed me so much.

When I first entered the American work force, I used to feel pretty depressed. I still do, but I used to, too.

Oh hey! This is exactly what a DBT values assessment is for! I have my patients do them all the time. ~~Y'all want worksheets?~~ Here's the page from the bootleg "what to do if you can't afford therapy" resource I made a while back.

🎶The child has grown, the dream is gone

I have become comfortably numb🎶

This is how I feel on normal days.

Taking small vacations and doing small trips is what helps me feel alive again.

But it's harder now. I've been taking antidepressants and while they've helped tone down my sadness and anxiety, it did the same with my happiness.

Like I'm aware I should be happy or sad, but there's no reaction.

Cotard's Syndrome?

Maybe have better hobbies? I like videogames as much as the next guy and do play them, but they are literally "pay for dopamine" as an industry. If your main past time is playing through a carefully engineered dopamine machine, it's no surprise you feel no long term achievement