We grow proud when the passions cease to be active in us, and this whether they are inactive because their causes have been eradicated or because the demons have deliberately withdrawn in order to deceive us. (Maximos the Confessor)

I am bi-polar. The symptoms and consequences have been active since my early teens. There were especially difficult and extended episodes of depression in my twenties.

For most of the last thirty years with counseling, diet, exercise, self-awareness and self-discipline, my experience of depression has been comparatively benign.

The cause has not, however, been eradicated. The symptoms still flare. But given my experience, I can usually perceive an on-set sufficiently early to mitigate the impact.

This ailment has bred attention, cultivated moderation, and encouraged empathy. I give God thanks for it as a great gift, an angelic protector, a tool for mindful living.

I am fully aware the cause is beyond my power to eradicate and the demons are always trying to deceive us.