Anxiety, according to authentic reports, is going to be the biggest problem of the future. It is co-brother to fear, worry, tension and stress. How to escape from its’ clutches is still a question. Anxiety is an unpleasant state of inner turmoil and apprehension, often accompanied by nervous behavior, somatic complaints and rumination. Anxiety is feeling unrealistic fear, worry, and uneasiness, usually generalized and unfocused. Experts suggest that celebrating each moment is a cure. Some others advise us to get energized through service of the society. Yoga and meditation are other recommended practices. Living in faith and worships is the choice of some. Readiness to meet the worst, being unpredictable and trusting the universe also are practical options to settle anxiety related personality problems. However, there are disputes among rich and poor, men and women, children and grown up, yogi and the lay regarding who is most anxious. This quarrel of wits continues unsettled. In between, I found a mighty reason for being anxious and cautious.
A few years back two rich NRI guys settled in USA decided to live a month in India at the rate of poor Indians. They wanted to understand an average Indian living on an average income. They found that the Mean National Income was Rs. 150 a day. They also knew that 75% of Indians are under this MNI line. They spend most of the day in the tiny apartment they chose, organizing their food. Eating out was out of question. Milk and yogurt turned quite expensive; days went on without meat, ghee, butter and bread. They passed through the streets looking at things they can’t afford to buy. It was then that they noticed that the Planning Commission assessment of a villager’s income is only Rs. 26 a day; city and village are different. They walked to a known Kerala village, determined to live on Rs 26 a day. They were through official poverty.
As their days in exile came to an end, their hosts arranged a sumptuous meal in celebration. They later wrote to their friends, “Wish we could tell you that we are happy to have our ‘normal' lives back. Wish we could say that our sumptuous celebratory feast two nights ago was as satisfying as we had been hoping for throughout our experiment. It probably was one of the best meals we've ever had, packed with massive amounts of love from our hosts. However, each bite was a sad reminder of the harsh reality that there are 400 million people in our country for whom such a meal will remain a dream for quite some time. That we can move on to our comfortable life, but they remain in the battlefield of survival - a life of tough choices and tall constraints or in other words, a life where freedom means little and hunger is plenty.”
I strongly feel that it is only on this aspect of human life that we all need to be anxious and concerned. When we decide to be anxious only over the less fortunate, I think the solution is found.
Joseph Mattappally
No comments:
Post a Comment