He's Not Throwing Away His Shot

On January 11, 1957, what would be the greatest economist was born. Who would eventually stir controversy through the United States. Who would create somewhat of a paradox system. Who would  eventually make the United States what it is today. Alexander Hamilton would change everything. 

At the age of 12 young Alexander worked as a clerk at a general store. Excelling in school (especially essay writing) and dreaming of college. At the age of 17 he went to Kings College and grasped a firm understanding of politics and economics, within the British and American realms. By 19 he was in the military and on March 14, 1776 he would create his own military company. He served 4 and a half years as a military secretary. Moving up to President Washingtons advisor and was put in charge of military design. 

In 1788 Alexander Hamilton was voted in as Secretary of State. Villainous Business said," Hamilton had to devise rudimentary systems for book keeping, checking and auditing." For the next few months Hamilton went through endless stress. His second day in office he demanded that all customs collectors send him the exact number of duties accumulated in each state. He received back extremely low numbers and decided to do something about it. Hamilton decided the first way to solve this problem to eliminate the use of coins and print paper currency instead. 

Over a few weeks Hamilton and many discussions with George Beckwith, a British diplomat. Hamilton was very pro-British and everyone knew it. Eventually wanting a commercial treaty. Though dreaming of an alliance, the movement wasn't really moving. Hamilton vetoed the movement but noted the States formed well the British. He still strongly believed the U.S. should trade with the British. He would eventually become the most influential figure due to his foreign policy. 

Hamilton believed in debt. In fact he liked it. In his "Report on Public Credit" he put in a detailed plan about his political and economic freedom. He also said government debt was the "price of liberty". Through low taxes and borrowing money the national debt rose to $79 million. (If only they could see the debt now). Hamilton honored the debt because it drew a line between public and private morality. Borrowing money we could afford boosted the economy. "America was a young rich country in opportunity." And he noted that if the federal government owed the money back to bond holders then the shift would go to the central government, insuring the governments stability. So he decided  that foreign debt was to be paid and full. While domestic debt was to be a greater dilemma. He put taxes on wines, tea, and coffee.  Thus creating "sin taxes". Luxury items, often times being foreign. Hamilton boldly stated that a well funded debt would be a "national blessing". "It was a stunning affirmation of confidence in the new government. Interest rates were tumbling and faith in America credit was being restored" said Villianous Business. 

Following Hamiltons 51 page economic plan reading, people went crazy. Everyone had their own opinion, including James Madison. Madison and Hamilton had a debate on February 20. "Hamilton had marshaled his forces effectively, whereas Madison had proven clumsy and inflexible." The House  of Representive voted against Madison with a 36-13 vote. Hamilton said "I go on the principal that a public debt is a public curse." Cursed he was. Hamilton died on July 11, 1804 in a duel. 

Alexander Hamilton is more than just a musical. He was an economic intellectual with many of his systems still in the works today. 

Adam Smith: Human Flourishing

The AEI posted an article on Adam Smith and his big ideas for human flourishing. The article explained how you can't have human flourishing without economic, political, and moral flourishing as well. They base the article off of Smiths book "The Wealth of Nations". Smith made up is own definition of flourishing. AEI describes his definition as, "a general plenty diffuses itself through all the different ranks in society". With that in mind that definition will be used plenty throughout this economics blog. 

Economic Flourishing is probably what Smith was most edecated in. (Though he is knowledgeable in these other categories as well, obviously). I want you to picture for a second a very rich city. Full of classic tastes and a whole new luxury. What did you think of? Fancy cars? Awesome machines? Adam Smith would've saw laziness. And that was back in his day I could only imagine how he would feel now. "No society can surely be flourishing and happy, if part of the society are poor and miserable". Don't get me wrong Smith doesn't want to keep society as a low, of course he wants it to grow. However, don't think your self interest can define society. Only the majority can do that. Remember that? The majority? As discussed many times in the beginning of the semester the majority had to be broken up into separate interest groups or nothing good would get done. "The Market" (the majority) makes economic growth possible because it alleviates the poorest conditions and helps flourishing society. 

Political Flourishing was discussed slightly in the article. Smith didn't really have the everyday thinking that other political leaders did. Thus making him impeccable for his position. He was compared to Aristotle a lot due to the similar thinking. They believe that the best society will come from the best society that can be realized in practice. Think about it. That makes sense. 

Moral Flourishing was probably my favorite to read about. It discusses how love and affection effects economics. Think for a second of the best day of your life. Maybe your marriage? Maybe your children being born? Maybe completing your first marathon? Whatever it may be look at everyone in the background. What's going on? I bet you everyone's happy in your scene. Why? Because according to Smith no one can truely be happy if no one else around them is. The AEI made a very bold claim and before reading this I would've gotten so mad, but now that I have read and understand, here it is. "Our existence is based on the existence of society." 

So you may be wondering how all this ties into economics. Well think about it, if we have a strong political leader then politics will flourish, politics goes hand in hand with economics therefore economics will flourish, when economics flourish people become happy thus making everyone else happy. Economics is more than just money, it's understanding. And Smith knocked it out of the park. 

Teenage Depression: It's Not Just A Stage

Picture this. You're a teenager; you wake up to your parents continuing their argument from the night before, both still hungover. You dread getting out of bed to face the day. You go wakeup your siblings, they take forever so you're late for school. As soon as you walk in the school office, you get dress coded for the holes in your jeans. You enter first period and must take the test for which you forgot to study. The long wait is over and the bell rings for lunch. You wait for your friends only to find out they're all shunning you, they don't believe that you have depression. You long to go home but you're avoiding your home life. You are stuck. You didn't choose your situation, but it seems to consume you.   

And now picture this. You wake up feeling gloomy. You get out of bed and saunter down to the kitchen. Your mom made you breakfast and drives you to school. As soon as you walk in the doors you’re greeted with hugs and love. You go to first period, then second, and so on. Lunch hits you and your friends talk about nothing, and everyone is in complete bliss. Except you. In a room full of people how can you feel so alone? No one believes you have depression, you live the “picture perfect life”. Little do they know that the chemical imbalance isn’t a choice, in fact, it’s hereditary.   

There are millions of teenagers facing situational and chemical depression, possibly even both. According to the FCS surveys I took, Faith students are not excluded. Teens worldwide to teens in our school are suffering from depression and not getting the proper treatment. Teenage depression is not "just a stage". Teenage depression is a serious problem and should be treated as such. 

Depression is the most common mental disorder among teens. Roughly 350 million people suffer with 70 million of those are teens (World). One in 20 American's suffer from depression (Lopukhin). A study done by Jean Twenge, a San Diego State professor, concluded that teens now are 5 times more likely to suffer from mental health than teens that lived during the Great Depression (Borchard). With 20%, about 1 in 5, of teens developing depression before they reach adulthood (Depression). Teens with depressed parents are at a risk of developing the disorder. Twenty to 50% of teen sufferers have a depressed parent.  Sadly enough, fewer than 30% of teens get proper treatment (World). In my school surveys, asking 116 students, if they personally have dealt with depression or witnessed a friend go through it, 63.8% of those students said they had.  

 The most popular sources of treatment are antidepressants and counselling. One in 10 take an antidepressant (World). Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRI) the most common type of antidepressants, balance your brain chemicals by giving you more neurotransmitters. Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOI) and (SSNI) are also common medications (Montgomery). With all these antidepressants you would think there's a type out there for everyone, not exactly. Only 13% of people claim they actually work (World). Donna, a local counsellor said, "Today's society is too pill happy, this is not a situation with a quick fix." Doctors and counsellors even advise the parents to keep a close watch on their teens in case of worsening symptoms. However, everybody is different. What treatment may work for someone may not work for others. Several teens, including students in this school, take antidepressants. I interviewed a student and her parent, both wishing to remain anonymous. This student suffers from a chemical imbalance (low levels of serotonin) that is passed on from the parent. Both student and parent stressed how much they need the medication. The parent said when her child doesn't take her medication she’s angry, sad, gloomy, doesn't eat, and sleeps a lot. But when her child takes her medication, she is happier and full of life. This student, on the other hand, does not see a difference in her behavior and is often baffled on how her parents know (Hannold). 

Counselling is another form of treatment that is used best for situational depression. Psychotherapy is the most common, it helps people discuss their problems and giving them skills to help with future problems. There is also Cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy. With 65% of people going to therapy at least once in their life, 70% of those see a major decrease in stress and anxiety (Memiah). With nearly 1 in 5 teens going to counselling, 80% of those teens get the right treatment (Borchard). Counselling gives someone an insight on what they can't see. Group therapy is also very helpful in that you hear other people's stories similar to yours, and it helps you realize you're not alone. So was the case of an anonymous man. He grew up in a drug and alcohol filled house. His parents were never really there and he himself started hanging with the wrong crowd, he ditched school, got drunk and partied. When he was just 13, he got caught drunk in public and was escorted home by the police. He didn't get counselling until his mid-20s for a broken relationship, which he says failed due to his past. He described counselling as, "being able to talk about problems and being shown a different way of looking at the problems. Helped me not be so angry all the time."  

Going without treatment can be extremely dangerous. Other disorders may branch off of depression creating a dark hole of which you can't climb out. Eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and suicide may all become factors of untreated depression. Approximately 2/3 of untreated teens develop these.  It also increases the chances of risky behaviors and teen pregnancies (Teen). 

Eating disorders are often associated with depression, low self esteem, and anxiety (Espejo). The individuals feel the need to change their body in order to be considered beautiful or handsome. Counsellors consider these to be the scariest, considering they can be lethal (Montgomery). Anorexia and Bulimia are the most common types. In some cases people may start with bulimia then leads into anorexia. Anorexia is the third most common illness in adolescents. However, not all eating disorders have to do with losing weight. Binge-eating disorder is on the opposite end of the spectrum. People with this disorder often find themselves eating for comfort. This disorder is also extremely dangerous because it can lead to obesity, and diabetes in extreme cases. Body dysphoria is the scariest of them all. This is an extreme case of anorexia where the sufferers will look in the mirror and actually see themselves bigger, often times the more weight they lose the more weight they can see what looks in the mirror. This could lead to malnutrition. I interviewed another student that suffered from bulimia and anorexia. She was mocked by her family at a young age and that’s when it started. She told me how her parents made her keep a journal of everything she had eaten. She started with bulimia when she saw an episode of 90210 that dealt with this issue. The more weight she lost weight the more she got mocked. She got called "racoon eyes" and when she turned to the side her parents would pretend they couldn't see her. She felt stuck. She told me how she would constantly think to herself, "I will not get fat." While in the process she would ask herself, "Why am I doing this?" Then look in the mirror and say "that’s why". She couldn't win. 

Anxiety is a disorder that goes hand in hand with depression. Nearly half of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with some anxiety disorder. Though highly treatable, only 1/3 of sufferers get the proper treatment (Depression). Anxiety sufferers often feel nervous even though they know their thoughts are irrational. They believe they've failed, which ties into depression. Anxiety disorders are also the easiest disorder to misdiagnose, due to people not really knowing how they feel (Seigler). "Cast all your anxieties upon him, because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7 

 Every 100 minutes a teen successfully takes his or her life (Borchard). With 90% of all completed suicide attempts due to a mental health issue, teens with depression are 12 times more likely to attempt suicide (Teen). This rate has nearly tripled since the 1960s. Making it the second leading cause of death in adolescents (Depression). Seventeen percent of all high schoolers have considered suicide, 9% have tried, 3% have succeeded. Teens contemplating suicide see this as the only way out, they can't imagine life anymore. 

 I interviewed another anonymous woman, her brother had 10 suicide attempts in 6 years. His last time was successful. He went off of his medication for a while and that’s when he got bad. He left behind 2 children and a wife. After his death people were calling him selfish, "how could he do that to his family?" those people simply don't understand (Hannold). Counsellors believe parents need more awareness when it comes to suicide rates. If they do not follow the warning signs this may be their child. Ben Seigler, a family and teen counsellor, told me, "while some parents may be skeptical about the legitimacy of their child's claim of being depressed, those parents who are grieving the loss of a child due to a completed suicide would gladly provide insight if they had the opportunity" (Seigler). 

Throughout this presentation you may be thinking, "How does this apply to you?". Believe it or not, I've grown up with depression. It started before my teenage years, but worsened the older I got. Here is my story. My mom and father divorced when I was a little over a year old. When I was old enough I would go to my father's house on weekends and come back to my moms on weekday's. My father remarried quite quickly to a woman who had three children from previous relationships, 2 boys and 1 girl. When I was about 3-5 years old my new stepsiblings sexually abused me. As soon as my mom found out she took my father to court. Sadly, my father didn't believe me, taking my stepsiblings side. The court ruled my mom full custody and my father supervised visitation rights. He didn't really hold up his part. I would see my father maybe 4 times a year if I were lucky. After the court stuff my mom and I moved in with a guy named Bill. He loved me almost as much as I loved him. Whenever my aunts would pick on, me he would defend me. Life was pretty good until I was about 10. Bill, who at this point I considered my dad, got into a racing accident. While he was in the hospital, he was diagnosed with Hepatitis C, a liver disease that can be fatal. In order to treat it he had to go through chemotherapy and radiation. While on his treatments, he was a completely different person. He was angry all time, he would constantly scream and yell at my mom and me. A few times it turned psychical. When I thought about giving up, I had to remind myself that it was not really him rather his treatments causing it. He was scheduled for a liver transplant on September 18, 2012. On September 16, 2012, Bill was out on a motorcycle ride and never came home. The police came to my door and told my mom and me he never would come home; he passed away at the scene of the accident. In that moment I lost not only my father figure but my best friend. Through the next couple months, I walked through complete darkness. I didn't eat, I slept too much, my grades starting slipping, I had no control over myself. The depression had control of me.  I lost my will to live. To add to this my aunts and other family began basically bullying me after Bill passed away. They called me fat and gross. "Why don't you take a few laps around the track?"my grandma told me. I dropped 3 jean sizes in a matter of months. I even self harmed as a way of releasing my sadness. I kept a bottle of pills by my bed in case a day came where I couldn't take it anymore. I lost all motivation. It was a fight just to stay alive. I like to think of depression as the ocean. You get swept out to sea you're drowning and feel like you can't do anything. The more you swim the closer you get to shore, but the waves will set you back a little bit. But you continue to swim as hard as you can.  I know first hand how depression feels and how it can affect a person. To hear it's nothing but a stage can be a huge stab in the back. You must do what you can to help yourself or someone you know floating in the ocean of depression. 

The Orthodox, the Catholic, the Mainline Methodist, and the Evangelical Nazarene churches mostly agree that you must help someone with depression. As God's people it is our job to help those in need. The Orthodox Church sees depression as a medical issue rather than a spiritual struggle and they must help the person cope in their time of need (Lopukhin).  The Catholic Church "has a mission of protecting human life and human dignity". The Methodist Church says, "The church has an obligation to see that all persons have access to needed postural and medical care and therapy in those circumstances." The Nazarene Church also believes that it is a serious problem and sufferers should look towards Christ. Though some churches have their exceptions. Some denominations believe that depression is a lack of spirit, or maybe even the possession of a demon. These beliefs go to back to the Greek and Roman eras. However in Deuteronomy 32:10 it says, "In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye."  Also in Isaiah 41:10 "so do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" 

I understand we can't fully eradicate depression, but we sure can help. Getting teens the help they need is certainly a good step. Teenage years are already full of obstacles; we don't need more. By getting teens the help they need suicide rates will drop, self harm rates will drop, less teens will be going to hospitals due to malnutrition or diabetes. If you see a peer, sibling, random child crying or telling you they need help; help them. Talk to them. Love them. The  more you shut them out the worse it gets. As parents, pastors, even fellow students in Christ, we must love, never forsake, anyone especially the ones that need our help. Welcome everyone with open arms, you will surprised with the pain people can hide. Depression is not just a stage, it's a force to be reckoned with.