Are You Ok Mentally?

Date: 25 Nov 2009 14:34:09 -0000 From: "K Lingappa" == ARE YOU OK MENTALLY? == Namaskar, In this present era, people have so many problems. In the past, the difficulties confronting humanity were primarily physical in nature, but now the problems are mostly psychic. Often innocent people are dealing with matters or circumstances that are beyond their control - due to the complexity of modern living - and this invites so many worries and anxieties in the mental stratum. It takes a heavy toll on the psyche of the common person. This article deals with this emerging and urgent issue.

BABA'S ASSESSMENT

In His discourse, "The Path of Salvation", Baba outlines this modern epidemic of increased psychic problems. Baba, "If there is no proper adjustment between physical, psychic and spiritual movements, the psychic side of humans will get unbalanced and so many new and newer psychic diseases will be created. And this is the present position of the world. There has been much physical progress, less spiritual progress, and the psychic structure of humans have lost their equilibrium - rather their equipoise. And that's why the modern society is suffering from so many psychic ailments." (25 September 1979 DMC, Caracas) In very straightforward language, Baba states that we are living in an era where people are burdened by so many psychic diseases due to a distinct imbalance in their human personality. Materialism has dragged people into an unhealthy frame of mind wherein spiritual growth is forgotten and overlooked. In that case the mind falls prey to all kinds of ailments. And verily this is what we see when we walk down the street, enter our schools, look around the workplace, and venture into people's homes. Psychic problems abound: Depression, melancholia, anxiety, frustration, stress and mental tension.

IRONY OF MODERNITY

Here's the irony of it all: The capitalist methodology has been racing forward in an attempt to make life easier and the world more livable, yet the outcome has led to greater psychic stress and mental diseases than ever before, reports the BBC and other worldwide news agencies. All the technologies and inventions erased certain physical problems only to open up a vast net of psychic issues never before imagined. That is the trouble staring today's humanity in the face. Anyone can stand on any street corner in any "modern city" and see that the populace suffers from mental tension. Our Ananda Marga has the solution to this most critical problem which materialists could not foresee.

THE RISE OF MENTAL PROBLEMS

In our modern era of materialism, psychic problems result from so many everyday experiences and social pitfalls: 1) The economy falls apart, normal citizens lose most of their financial holdings, maybe even their house, and because in capitalism a person is judged by their economic wealth - that is their human profile - then this causes so much psychic doubt, pain, agony and instability. People did not do anything wrong per se, it was just a meta issue far beyond their control. To make matters worse, people do not just feel like they have lost money, they feel as if their entire existence & human personality has been dealt a severe blow from which they will never recover. In some cases, financiers have resorted to suicide during this economic downturn. Such was the magnitude of their psychic pain. 2) Unemployment also creates various psychic ailments, especially feelings of inferiority and depression. Because a person's job and income are so central to "who they are", when one loses their job they also lose their mental balance, they suffer from hopelessness and despair. This is a common and unfortunate phenomenon these days. So the above represent psychic problems result from societal movements that are often beyond their control. Then there are everyday issues that might happen to any individual anytime. 1) If a person's car breaks down, then this too can create huge mental tension. In certain modern communities, a car is a person's only link with their professional livelihood. Thus when today's technology is so complex that most people have no idea how to fix their own car, this can lead to much stress and anxiety. 2) Likewise if a person accidentally flushes their cell phone down the toilet or drops it down the steps and it breaks, then their whole network of social and professional links is finished - gone. They do not have that info elsewhere nor could they possible memorize all that information. In that case, a person will feel so much psychic difficultly. Their entire mental framework will be turned upside-down. In all these cases and in countless others like them, a person's psychic stability is overrun by the materialistic and technological ways of modernity. Due to materialism a person's value is not based on their human quality but on their material gain, and if that wealth is lost then everything is lost and the mind spirals downward, out of control. Due to the capitalistic approach of making this world more manageable only through material inventions, and when those technological gadgets like cell phones, twitter, and digital everything can create so much mental tension, then so many innocent people suffer suffer psychically. Indeed, in countless ways, the modern social trends are burdening and blitzing the human mind, resulting in so many psychic diseases, syndromes and troubles. All are suffering: Young, old, male, female - everyone who has been gripped by materialism and capitalism in this modern era.

THE GENDER TOPIC

As bad as materialism and capitalism drain one and all of their psychic ease, it is even worse for females. In the materialistic schema, females are objects of enjoyment. That - physical beauty - is their main stature. In that case, the natural and inevitable process of aging is not honoured but rather abhorred. No female want to grow old and lose her beauty. All want to look 20 something forever. But that is an impossibility. In that case, the natural laws of life themselves lead to huge angst and tension. A female feels they will be discarded if they show their age. This is a huge mental burden to carry.

LIFE IS BEYOND ONE'S CONTROL

With so much technology and the increase speed of life, so many small problems snowball into something so large and so ominous that very quickly life is out of control. In the past if someone was angry they might throw a rock into the ground, but nowadays when someone is angry they may blow up a school or gun down everyone in their airport. So quickly life spins out of control and those suffering have no solution other than to feel helpless or victimised. In the past if a child was lost, the whole community would search for the child in their local. Now however, a lost child can get quickly transferred halfway around the world and be gone forever, dragged into child pornography or prostitution. The basic theme is that due to the overall magnitude of life these days, no one has an easy answer at their finger tips. Technology has allowed a person to do more - that is true - but that same technology has also given birth to increased feelings of alienation, helplessness, frustration, and so many other psychic complexes and mental diseases. All because people feel life is beyond their control and their minds are goaded toward the physical sphere in search of answers.

THE ROOT CAUSE

From so many angles and perspectives, we can see that modernity weighs heavy on the human psyche. We can delineate the root cause in two ways. A) Selfishness: Due to extreme individuality and selfishness, people care only for themselves and refrain from helping others. This type of greed and fear for one's own survival leads their mind to become so self-centered. A person earns for themselves, feeds themselves, and watches only for their own welfare. In that case, everyone else is looked upon as "other" and overlooked. Someone else's problem are not your concern. B) Materialism: When matter is king and the human mind is overlooked, then that is a direct hit on one's mental stability. Because no amount of material wealth can satisfy the human mind; plus if one loses their wealth then they feel they have lost everything. Physical beauty, money, and material possessions cannot themselves maintain the human personality. Yet that is essentially what capitalism preaches.

THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION

According to Baba and Ananda Marga, the ultimate solution is one: Spirituality. If one adopts a spiritual outlook in life and feels that Parama Purus is doing everything and that He is watching for our welfare, then that offers huge relief. Plus we should feel that we are doing everything for Him, not for our petty self-interest. Then there is no loss involved. If something does not work out then it is just His divine liila and side by side we always feel that He is doing everything for our welfare. Then all feelings of psychic tension melt. That is what Baba has declared in so many DMC discourses. Spirituality alone is the answer. No one should think they should abandon modern life and go to the jungle. That does not work - rather that will invite a whole new slew of problems. Instead with the pursuit of science and technology, one should engage in maximum sadhana. With that spiritual zeal then one's psyche will remain balanced and science will be used for the welfare of others not for selfish maneuvers which inevitably lead to psychic tension.

BABA'S BLESSING

By Baba's grace as we do more sadhana then we naturally gain a greater spiritual outlook in life. Then we feel life is for Him and by His grace we escape the net of psychic diseases associated with today's modern living. This following Prabhat Samgiita is a very good way to keep in proper flow:

This life is for Him, This mind is for Him, This soul is for Him; His universe we will serve in coordinating team; Light belongs to Him, night belongs to Him, Might belongs to Him; Undaunted in smiling face His grace we will sing. - P.S. 5009

Namaskar, Karun

Note 1: ABOUT OUR HUMAN PROGRESS

Baba says, "The only true progress for human beings is spiritual progress. The wise will, therefore, concern themselves only with the spiritual sphere. The only concern with the physical and intellectual spheres will be adjusting the base on which spiritual progress will thrive. While concerning themselves with the adjustment in the physical and intellectual spheres, the wise should also continue to consume cruder waves in subtler ones according to the process described above. The absence of such consumption or transmutation in the physical and intellectual spheres is bound to lead to retardation. The wise, remembering that the goal of life is the subtlest goal, will make efforts to reach supreme blessedness. This is the only way to progress." (AFPS-6)

Note 2: MODERNITY AND PSYCHIC DISEASE - FURTHER READING

http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2009/04/not-just-stressed-out.html http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2008/10/onset-of-disease-human-health.html http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2009/06/modernity-spirituality.html

*************************************** Uniqueness of Ta'raka Brahma

Baba says, "A Maha'kaola is one who makes others kaola by his infallible spiritual guidance. But Ta'raka Brahma is a different Entity, a unique Entity for He is the spiritual preceptor, social preceptor, Kaola, and Maha'kaola, all in one. He is also something more: He acts as a compass in every stratum of society." (NKS, '97 Edn, p.50)

***************************************