The world has lost many of its most brilliant musicians and artists in general to death over this phenomenon. From Kurt Cobain to Chester Bennington, they were all good at what they did, and inspired millions of people all around the world. They were unique and special, but they drowned themselves in the cacophony of their own thoughts, addicted to remaining sullen and sick over something that only they knew was true. In fact, they convinced themselves that it was true. One cannot guess the miseries and ordeals in personal life that they went through, for real, but if you know the real strength of human spirit, you will know that nothing is too strong for you to give up.
One of the most influential painters in the history of human evolution, Vincent Willem van Gogh has remained an inspiration for painters aspiring to do big all around the world. But even he lost his own battle. It is believed that he had Bipolar disorder, and if you know the devil, the disease is strong enough to capsize the last bit of hope you have of living peacefully. Your mind alternates between extreme emotions, a medical condition, where chances of a comeback are very bleak. If you try to understand van Gogh’s paintings, you would feel like they were inspired from the backdrop of a creative but broken soul. And what do we learn from that? Is creativity and sadness akin to each other?

To find inner peace remains the biggest challenge of all. And where are we failing? Why did we lose the best of musicians and artists to various branches of depression?

“Why am I here? What am I doing? Why did it happen to me? Why me? Why don’t they understand?” Unwanted, but seemingly important questions as such form the foundation of most of the suffering that a human spirit goes through. With broken expectations, a shattered heart and tear-filled eyes, maybe one can come up with the best of music. It is good to let go of your emotions on a piece of paper, or let it go with the flow onto the strings on your guitar. But what happens after that? Why are you not happy, when your music or writing inspires others? Why did you fight hard to get published, or exhibit your talent in the first place, if you can’t take pride in what you have earned? And if you dissect the questions at the start of this paragraph, you will understand that they don’t have fixed or permanent answers. They haunt you, only because you bother to think about it in the first place. A person is what he thinks he/she is. Think that, and most of those questions will be dwarfed by reality. Think of yourself as someone who inspired millions and you are a star; not for others, but most importantly for yourself. Think of your life as meaningless, then that’s what it is. If you think of yourself with a broken relationship and no real friends, then that’s you! You are what you think you are! So why leave, when you can build a better world for yourself, just by changing the way you think.

It is easy to contend that change is not easy. And it is not easy at all, if you don’t want to stop fighting. But think of this – when you are sad and depressed, very often all it takes is just a song to spring your mood up to an all-time high! When you see a baby laugh, when you listen to motivational speeches, it turns the table on your mood. ‘Mood swings’, in a positive way though, we can call it! Music, literature, and, life in common has enough to power, captivate and charge your soul any time, even at the worst of situations. So when you know that you can change the gears just like that, why do you give up?

When you run your imagination about yourself, you have to know that you are scripting your own life!
Smoking is addictive, but how many times have you enjoyed your cigarette till the last puff! And why are smokers not able to quit if it is not so enjoyable after all? You wish to identify yourself as a person with that habit! If you relate the power of these habits on your daily life schedules, it will help you understand the problem that the artists go through. Depression and sadness not only became a creative tool, but it also became a habit that they couldn’t resist. They delved on it because they found beauty in it. And it did serve them well, but the demon in it swallowed them all. Sadness-turned-depression hunted them down. And they didn’t think so much as to avoid or understand its intervention, because they loved it in a way. To avoid all this, it is important to understand the power of happiness, and the art of flipping the coin upside down whenever it is needed.

Just like how songs can change your mood in the blink of an eye, there are enough resources to uplift your mood all around you. But for that, you have to be open to ‘change’, which is the only constant! Faith is the answer, and your mind holds the key to all your problems. It is in you! Nothing is permanent in this world, and the way we grow old every passing day is the best example! So why do you think that the problems are unsolvable? Change is everywhere!

You do intensive work-outs, and your muscles develop! But you have to start working-out and eating or glutting is not going to help! To develop a muscular and fibrous body, one has to work out with a lot of discipline for several months. And similar to that, taming your mind won’t be an easy task. It takes a lot of time.Success is not an easy word, and it is not just limited to fame or glory. Success is when you decide to break the chains and set yourself free. Success is when you are happy! When you try to axe a habit of yours, it is not going to be easy. Pain, sadness and irritation – they are all part and parcel of the process. But it will eventually happen, and the habit will die off one day! People have battled even death and come out alive. When they staged a comeback, it was a message to the whole world that the mind has healing powers. And if you know yourself, and know how to tame your mind, then that is the realisation that happiness is indeed a choice!

Sadness can inspire art and serve your creativity well. But if you don’t have them in check, if you forget to smile, then know that the real success of remaining happy and feeling lucky to be just alive, will always be elusive to you. The choice is yours and it is very important because we can’t have more ‘Chesters’ leaving us!