As Descartes argued, the mind and body are the basis of our existence, and many different cultures view different illnesses positively or negatively. Some cultures, such as the Hmong, believe that epilepsy is a good spiritual thing, but others, such as Western culture, believe that it is medically harmful because it could cause death. Many diseases can be viewed both negatively and positively, some more than others. However, one such disease that is mostly viewed negatively is depression. It is viewed negatively in a symptomatic sense – the symptoms are useless – and in a diagnostic sense – those diagnosed with depression are not really depressed and the disease itself does not exist; it's simply an excuse to be lazy. There are many different approaches to depression and most of them believe that this disease is bad; However, depression is actually an evolutionary tactic employed unconsciously by humans that can have very positive effects. Depression is much more common than most people think. Because it is essentially an invisible illness and resides largely in the mind, it is difficult to properly diagnose, and most people suffer from depression for months, years, or even decades. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines depression as “a mood disorder characterized primarily by sadness, inactivity, difficulty thinking and concentrating, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts.” commit suicide". Most medical definitions can explain what happens and why it happens, but after carefully examining this one, we only notice that it explains what happens, but not why. Usually, the symptoms of an illness are... half of paper... hard work and perseverance. The list of successful depressed people goes on and on, and there are probably many more extraordinary achievers who have never been diagnosed with symptoms of depression. And as Friedrich Nietzsche, a successful German philosopher suffering from depression, once said, “to live is to suffer, to survive is to find meaning in suffering.” Works Cited Burton, Neel. “The Anatomy of Melancholy: Can Depression Be Good for You?” Lesson. TEDx. Narodni Dom, Maribor. November 12, 2013. Youtube. March 2, 2012. Web. November 12, 2013. Darwin, Charles. From the origin of species. New York: P. F. Collier and Son Corporation, 1937. 71-86; 497-506."Depression." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2013. Web. November 10, 2013.Hammen, Constance L. Depression. Hove, East Sussex, [England: Psychology, 1997. Print.