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Quote by Sebastian Junger

“Ironically, though our society of affluence brings safety and stability, it doesn't bring psychological health. As wealth goes up, suicide and depression rates tend to go up. I read one study that compared women in North America with women in Nigeria, and the group with the highest rates of depression was urban North American women, which is the wealthiest. Now, there are obviously huge stresses that come with poverty, but the poorer the society, the more collaborative people have to be.”

Author

Sebastian Junger

Sebastian Junger (born January 17, 1962) is an American journalist, author, and documentary filmmaker known for his war reporting and adventure writing. He gained widespread fame with his 1997 book "The Perfect Storm," which chronicles the sinking of the fishing vessel Andrea Gail during a deadly 1991 storm. Junger also co-directed the Oscar-nominated documentary "Restrepo" (2010) about the war in Afghanistan. His work often explores human survival and psychological resilience under extreme conditions. more

“One interesting thing I found was that if you take an affluent modern society and collapse it during a crisis, like a war or a natural disaster, people begin relating in a more ancient, organic way. They're functioning in small interdependent groups and putting others first. And another irony is that even in terrible times, cooperating makes people feel good.”

People War Natural Interesting Modern Terrible Crisis Ancient Disaster Feel Good Irony Modern Society Natural Disaster

Author:Sebastian Junger

“If hardship brought out the worst in people, the human race wouldn't have survived. Right after 9/11, for instance, the murder rate actually went down in New York City. In World War II during the Blitz, the civilians of London were bombed almost every night for six months, but psychiatric admissions declined.”

People World War Night Worst Murder Rate War Of The Worlds Hardship World War Ii World War I Psychiatric

Author:Sebastian Junger

“Often people who live through the trauma are nostalgic when it's over. When I went back to Bosnia 20 years after the brutal civil war, even people who had been badly wounded told me they missed those times. They were missing their more courageous selves.”

People War Missing Trauma Civil War Courageous Brutal Nostalgic

Author:Sebastian Junger

“The most profound question is, "What would I risk dying for?" The natural answer is "for my family." But for most of history, we didn't live in families. We lived in small communities that gave us our sense of safety and place in the world, so the natural answer would be "for my people." The blessing and the tragedy of modern life is that we don't need our community to survive anymore. When we lose that idea, we lose a sense of who we are.”

People World Community Natural Risk Modern Dying Blessing My Family Tragedy Safety Profound

Author:Sebastian Junger