I don't know if this will break the forum guidelines, if so feel free to remove it.
The funny thing is that up to a few years ago, I used to be exactly the same as Phil. Only difference was that I was a college student, but I was him to a T: no ambition, doing the bare minimum, no social life, constantly thinking about how to make a lot of money while at the very same time having to be financially supported by others, all in all being a complete and absolute waste of space. And just as Phil, I wasn't depressed yet miserable as all hell. Had no interests in anything, I didn't find joy in even the biggest things and every little thing that went wrong pissed me off and made me fly off the handle. And I won't lie: I also used people for my own selfish needs and threw them away when they weren't necessary anymore/
What's funny to me - and why I am here making fun of Phil - is that for people like that, it is literally a switch that you need to flip to make your life better. And by "people like that", I mean people that don't have ACTUAL depression, because that is a complete different beast that is impossible to fix without help. But for us, it is literally just telling yourself one day: "I'm tired of living like a piece of shit" and you just start very small. First you just start smiling at people. Then you start laughing along with them instead of constantly thinking you're somehow "above them". Then you just start seeing the good sides of things instead of constantly looking for something to nitpick and rage about. Then you crack the stupidest jokes, even if they're not funny, who gives a fuck?
And let me tell you: this shit snowballs FAST. You start with one simple thing and before you know it, you start enjoying the smallest things and are just happy as a person and most importantly: happy with yourself. And it might sound very cliche, but you start loving people and care about them. The old me wouldn't have hesitated for a split second to live Phil's life: doing the bare minimum while raking up that dough. Now? No chance in hell. I'd rather throw myself off a cliff.
I lived a few years this way and that was more than enough for a single lifetime to me. Phil has lived like this for almost a decade. I am honestly amazed he's still going to be honest. For almost a decade, he could have made his life instantly better by simply putting the smallest effort into literally anything, yet he's content with this shitty status quo. Doing nothing while having others take care of him. Be irresponsible and refusing to accept any consequences of his own actions. As I said, for a few years I was one of those people. And honestly?
Fuck those people.