It is the thesis of the great psychoanalyst Victor Frankl that man can endure any hardship as long as he can find meaning in the experience. Incidentally, as a survivor of Nazi Concentration Camps he was in a position to know. Thankfully, most of us are not tested in such extreme conditions. However, the principle is the same. Human beings cannot live without meaning. Depression is the natural outcome of living a life that is bereft of purpose.