Lincoln And The Great Depression Analysis

I recently read an article on The Atlantic, “Lincoln and his Great Depression,” and was struck by how the author ended his article: "Lincoln didn't do great work because he solved the problem of his melancholy; the problem of his melancholy was all the more fuel for the fire of his great work.” I am not the type of person who quotes others in essays, but I am also not the type of person who has a sickness openly discussed in public. As someone with multiple mental illness diagnoses (or neuroatypical) I cannot look into history books and see successful people who are like me. This is not because they don’t exist, but because we don’t talk about their illness. I am not unique in my struggles – many people in college suffer from heighten anxiety
and depression. Never before has a quote explained my goals so well for life and allowed me to accept my challenges as something shameful and to be hidden. Public service takes up the majority of my time and when I feel as if I do not have a future, working on and designing my mentorship program gives me a chance to assist others and ensure they can have a future they want. It is not easy having my diagnoses, but I truly believe that it has allowed me to become more engaged in my community and more committed to service that partners with people and does not prescribe solutions. The program I designed and run encourages young women usually of underrepresented races or ethnicities to visualize their futures and in a way, helps me visualize my own. I aim to prove that people like me can use their struggles to give them and others a wider perspective.