Depression and Spiritual Growth

I am an astronomer, a professor, and a Quaker. In 1986 I passed through a year of major depression, the worst experience of my life; yet, starting in 1987 I have reaped incalculable benefits from it. My world view has changed radically for the better. My life now opens out on peaceful paths and breathtaking vistas I never knew existed. I share this essay for the encouragement of others who have known depression in any degree.