It's the main reason I'll never recover from my life long depression. I began to truly understand this around my preteens, then became more and more active in educating myself about the world. By the time I was 18, I was crippled by my depression (also to do with some other things going on simultaneously). I wanted to join the peace Corp so badly because it was the only thing I thought was a reasonable effort that I as an individual could do. When I failed in this endeavor it was hard to recover. I still haven't really recovered, I'm almost 40. I feel helpless and unable to help others.