Language, environment, society versus the mind, depression and anxiety

I recently learnt about Het Groene Boekje (The Green Book) which was produced in the Netherlands during the early 1950s. The book is a glossary of the Dutch language that defines the official spelling of Dutch words. It was created by the Dutch government for institutions to use, including schools. It has had some revisions over the years. For example, pannekoeken (pancakes) is no longer the right way to write or say the word. It’s now pannenkoeken (panscakes) because there is no one universal pan that makes the pancakes, so the word has changed to reflect that concept. It seems nonsensical to me.

This made me think, who else has a set of official rules for language? France has the Académie française, or the French Academy, which was formulated in the late 17th century and refers to the French council for matters pertaining to the French language. Then I thought about language affecting culture; is this one way to centralise a country and a nation? Is this how we internalise control and therefore place restrictions on expressing ourselves? How is this expected to work when language itself is not static? We cannot simply be reduced to one way of communicating.

I grasp the reasoning behind governments wanting clear communication between institutions. UNESCO and ICOMOS are institutions that deal specifically with cultural heritage and are an example of ‘authorities’ of the heritage discourse, establishing what is deemed heritage, the values of heritage, and associated cultural identities. The authorised heritage discourse is the way in which heritage is established, or rather, institutionalised. Centralised control over how we communicate doesn’t leave much room for nuance though, does it?

The Green Book is a set of rules, and the Dutch are a pragmatic people. However, too many rules can also restrict expression. Not having the freedom to be ‘wrong’, even though at one point in time you were right, seems maddening. There is a common Dutch saying: doe maar gewoon, dan doe je al gek genoeg. This translates to: just act normal, that’s already crazy enough. Even the Dutch national character can be reduced to a restriction. 

This notion, in turn, made me reflect on how we communicate with one another and with ourselves. An organism cannot exist without its environment. This quote is taken from a book I’ve been reading called Lost Connections by Johann Hari. It’s about what causes depression and anxiety, with some suggestions on how to ‘solve’ them. Hari suggests that depression and anxiety are largely caused by key problems with how we live.  

There is a plausible chance that you have experienced anxiety and depression at some point in your life. You almost certainly know someone who has. One of the connections Hari links to our brains is our external environments, which can shape us and have a profound effect on our mental well-being. According to Hari, loneliness is a risk factor for depression. Our work situations can also lead to anxiety and depression, especially if the work is menial or there is less room for autonomy. Hari prescribes being in touch with nature as one remedy to radically reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.

According to CBS (Dutch Bureau of Statistics) and Volksgezondheidenzorg (Public Healthcare) in 2016, the percentage of Dutch people over the age of 19 with a moderate to high risk for an anxiety disorder or depression varied between 34% and 50%, with the national average being 44%. The lowest percentage of people at risk for an anxiety disorder or depression was in the Drenthe region. This is a province in the northeast region of the Netherlands where you can find the Drentsche Aa National Park. Unsurprisingly, this is a revered and protected landscape that is being actively conserved by local communities.

If we take into account the internalised rules of the Dutch language alongside the external control that the Dutch exert on their own landscape (most of which is human-made), we can see that there is a price to be paid for pragmatism. If people in confining work situations have little hope for the future, then what happens to people in a restrictive society, where regulation permeates all aspects of daily life? I haven’t even factored in the grey, rainy weather or the impending doom of rising sea levels in a country that exists mostly below sea level, which could further exacerbate feelings of hopelessness. 

There are no short-term solutions to anxiety and depression. However, brain plasticity might be able to save us all. We can grow and prune our synapses. Our brains have the ability to change their wiring over time. I hesitate to say it, but people can change. If the brain can change, then so can we, right?

If we need our pain to know what is wrong with us, then we can take comfort in knowing that it’s not all in our heads. Or in any green book.