Where Do You Think of as Being the Most Depressing Place in the World?

Africa, where people kill each other for fun, and annihilate entire populations for pride aside; I always assumed the most depressing place in the world would be a funeral parlour or something of that ilk.  Never being allowed to smile and always dealing with death, and those affected by death, would seem an ideal place to harbor and nurture suicidal tendencies.

I was proved wrong today however, as I went to my local government job centre.  The premise is that you get money in exchange for looking at becoming employed; as if it is a decision you (you in this case being me) can rectify of your own volition.

For example, I mentioned I enjoy writing to my 'personal development supervisor,' at which point he came up with this ever so helpful suggestion; 'oh, have you thought about journalism?'  My heart sunk.  It is not his fault of course, as with most jobs he isn't paid to think, and once his desk is vacated I'm sure he moonlights as a mastermind champion.

The point is that upon walking into this well maintained, brightly coloured and well lit office, full to bursting with unemploy(ed)(able) you realise there are several million others, just like yourself, who fulfill no purpose in life.  They have no reason to exist.  Them being unemployed is a fundamentally depressing concept; because most won't find employment, and those that do will inevitably be back within those very same walls in half a year.  Terminal illness is often considered the epitomy of sadness.  Tearjerking films often have some kind of terminally ill patient, struggling to exist; but they have a reason to exist.  These jobseekers have no meaning; what are we doing?  Why are we doing these things?  Ultimately, what is the point?  Our collective purpose may be to find a job, but that won't happen, and even if it does, it will only be short term, which puts us one step forwards, and one step backwards.

These questions essentially sum up the reason as to why the Job Centre is the black hole of purpose, and ultimately the shining beacon of depression.