SELF, STRESS AND SYSTEM: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

When we refer to ourselves as “I” or “we”; we do not really know what we are referring to.

Our “I” or “we” actually refers to a combination or mixture of phenomena such as our physical needs, passions, emotions, concepts, convictions, ideas, and perspectives and so on. This mixture incorporates the pleasant and unpleasant memories of our past experiences, and future dreams, which may be emotional, economic, social, cultural, religious, and racial. In addition; the components of this mixture are variable in terms of the proportions, intensities and influence at different times, age, maturity and situations.

The chaos within our “I” and “we” and the chaos in the society complement each other and create either a vicious cycle or a wellness cycle depending upon our ability to manage stress within and outside.

Most of us are unable to manage stress inside and outside because our “I” and our “we” is torn apart between our passions, emotions, concepts, likes, dislikes, dreams, aspirations, missions; and our priorities. Often we think very nobly but are constrained, restrained and made helpless in terms of our actions in personal and social life.

Even as psychology textbooks, counselors, spiritual leaders, moralists, social thinkers and egalitarian leaders; preach a variety of norms for total revolution; let us realize that NO arbitrary formula or commandments can bring about individual and universal blossoming.

Neither an individual nor the system per se; is exclusively responsible for the ubiquitous suffering. Both complement to either vicious or wellness cycle. Inappropriate decisions at personal and social levels vitiate the system, which in turn; aggravates chaos in individual and social life!

NAMASMARAN is said to culminate the passions, emotions, fetishes and fancies into true “I”; our innate core. It is also said to embody; the evolution and crystallization of practical concrete solutions; in terms holistic perspective, policies, plans and implementation; so as to rectify the system and thereby conquer the inner and outer evils; and realize individual and global blossoming.