THE MIND BODY CONNECT

Medical researchers are suggesting more and more about the relationship between the mind and the body. It is now almost settled that health and physical well-being is to a significant extent dependent on the impact of the mind on the body. It has been established that a large number of diseases have a psychosomatic origin. It is strange that despite this knowledge, authenticated by the medical researches, people still believe that psychic healing is more of voodoo stuff that is only for story books. But there is a need to think more logically.

Even if psychic healing is strange and esoteric, is it not more strange and esoteric that powerful pharmaceutical compositions of several drugs with known health-threatening side effects are depended upon? It is the power of marketing that helps the pharma industry make it possible. In fact, with huge money being put in corporate hospitals, the medico-business nexus is using marketing tools to not just proclaim miraculous healing but even perpetrate hypochondriasis, one of the most common diseases that doctors feel is afflicting the modern society.

A very basic lesson that doctors are taught in their initial semesters is the philosophical cannon of Kant that what the mind does not know, the eyes cannot see. This knowledge is these days exploited to the hilt by the marketing-savvy pharma industry and the profit-driven corporate hospitals. It is rather intriguing that even doctors know and talk about the importance of the healing power of the mind. But patients are yet to understand how to apply this power. Interestingly, the drugs also depend on the mind of the patient for being effective. Psychological experiments have proved this time and again. Faith-healing has been a subject-matter of study for long and hypnosis and focussed suggestion techniques have been effective.

The power of the mind is tremendous and one needs to train the mind in order to discover its healing abilities. It is a simple fact that the more skill one can develop in self-healing, the less medical attention he will be requiring. How to develop this is of course a million dollar question. Training the mind for self-healing is easier said than done. But that it can be done is definite. To begin with, one needs to develop self-awareness for which the basic step is to still the mind. The greatest distraction in this is the visual noise, the myriad of stimuli that bombard the mind from all directions. Rather, their impact is such that they impinge upon an individual’s mind even after they have ceased to exist.

Training the mind to quarantine the effects of visual noise will require a good bit of effort and an ambience that is even more difficult to find these days. There has to be solitude and quietude. The silence of the external environment has to be followed by silence of the internal environment that is mind. Once this is done, the mind comes under control and then it can control the thoughts. Once this state is arrived at, the self-healing process can be initiated. There are three broad phases through which it can be achieved. The first is imaginisation in which the mind has blurred yet useful images of the problem. It is some kind of a mental imagery that tells you where to go. The second is visualization. This is the step which tells where to direct the thought. And then follows realisation that is self-healing.

THE INDIAN SCHOOL

The common refrain in India these days is that the millennials have lost connect with their sanskars, the Indian value system. Well, it may be about the conventional generation gap where each generation wears a holier than thou attitude. But, that apart, there is a bigger question. It is about the kids of today, the generation in the making. The children, who are exposed to a maddening competitive streak by their parents, pushed in a race much ahead of their times. They have access to mindboggling information and rocket speed technology with astronomical aspirations thrust upon them. It may be argued that there were problems related to the value system owing to generational conflict in the past and the same set of attitudes were encountered by all generations during different stages of their aging. But what we find today for the would-be generation, the primary and middle school going children, is that things are going different, given the way they are being brought up. If in the case of millennials of today, the questions raised about their disconnect with the sanskars left some room for doubt, for the children of today, it appears a certainty if what they are exposed to is any indication. Let us look at the different hues and colours of the environment in which most of the children are being raised. There is the single child with double income parents that has become the norm. The first casualty of such a state of affairs is the emotional bonding that a family provided. The commuting travails of heavily crowded cities demand that there is hardly any time left for the parents to connect with the child emotionally. Beginning with play school at two-and-a-half years, the toddler has only interacted with aunties and Ma’ams. And all he has learned is to put “heads down”. With playing fields vanishing rapidly in the jungle of concrete, the virtual world of gadgets and toys replaces the real world for these children. Obviously because parents hardly have time to bequeath the sanskars that are passed through generations, though with a gradual dilution over ages. With the time a child spends in the family getting reduced, the only option left for making the children learn the sanskars is the school, the one premises where he spends considerable time with the same set of people. But the problem is that schools, too, are bitten by the competition bug and have little time to talk about sanskars in this fast-paced technology-driven age. The excessive focus on everything English, from culture to language, to value system, there is little time left to talk about sanskars. But it was a pleasant surprise when my grandson asked me to attend his school to witness a Hindi Diwas Assembly recently. What a pleasure it was to watch the six-year-olds of Class 2 of this elite school perform skits and recite poems reflecting the cultural milieu of our country. And, that too, with a pride hardly visible today in anything vernacular. The messages of those skits and poetries were related to our valued sanskars, like respecting the parents and being grateful to them. More surprising was the message of the Assistant Vice-Principal emphasising the importance of our language and culture. And the biggest surprise was that the school was not in India but in a distant land, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. The name of the school, of course, is Indian School Muscat.

THE VIRTUOUS LEADERSHIP

These are the times of virtual reality where surrealism rules. Naturally, talking about virtuous reality may appear totally out of sync. But is it really so? Given the crisis of the present times and the decline in the values of people in leadership positions, there is a need to revisit the concept of effective leadership and its essence. And none will refute that we need virtuous leadership. Understanding what this virtuous leadership is may not be easy given the fact that virtues are no longer a valid currency. But it can be understood by observing the actions of those who epitomise virtuous leadership. An ideal example will be Lord Ram whose life and time has been elaborately narrated in Ramayana. It was exactly one year ago, on October 14, that the International Ramayana Conference was inaugurated in Fiji. Sponsored by the Government of Fiji in collaboration with Fiji Sevasram Sangh, the conference was organised on the theme, ‘Universal appeal of Ramayana’, to commemorate 100 years of Fiji Sevasram Sangh. Being an invited speaker in the conference, this columnist had the opportunity to interact with Ramayana scholars from eight different countries of the world. For Fiji, of course, the Ramayana has a special significance for it was the Ramcharitmanas of Goswami Tulsidas that gave sustenance to the indentured labourers from British India who were taken to Fiji as slaves. The magnificent eloquence of the keynote speech at the inaugural session by the acting Prime Minister of Fiji set the ball rolling by elaborating the many qualities of the Maryada Purushottam, the greatest among the human beings. His central idea and that of almost all other speeches was the supreme leadership qualities of Lord Ram that revolved around his quality of being virtuous; a man of character, conviction, and courage. It may certainly appear outlandish to talk of being virtuous in this age of self-adulation and deceit. Leaders inebriated with power are embodiments of pride and egotism. For these persons with bloated egos, humility is a sign of weakness and not greatness. In such a scenario, virtuous leadership may appear to be an extinct concept. But that is the essence of leadership, which management theorists and practitioners have been trying to find out, ever since statesman philosopher Sir Thomas More raised the question of why enterprises fail, more than 500 years ago. For Sir Thomas More, the reason was poor management. Obviously the answer would lie in effective leadership. But it all boils down to one thing — virtuous leadership. A leadership that is sustainable, a leadership that transcends time and space. A leadership that has universal appeal and is accepted across cultures and societies. It was this leadership that Lord Ram epitomised in Ramayana; the story of Lord Ram is about morals, ideal conduct and character. It is about those principles and lessons that cut across the boundaries of time and space. All these principles and lessons were embodied by Lord Ram. He represented all that was good — righteousness, compassion and gentleness. He was the ideal son, the ideal father, the ideal husband and the ideal king. He honoured his word and was not a hypocrite. Contrast this with Ravan. He was egotistic and arrogant. He did not listen to anybody and was not compassionate. Those were what we call the demonic qualities, the sum and substance of which is ahankara. Humility is an important trait of virtuous leadership. This makes leaders respectable, acceptable and sustainable.

THE THREE LETTERED PROBLEM

Philosophers, theologists, and religious preachers have all tried to ponder over the problem of evil without any convincing conclusion. The problem of evil has existed since times immemorial and many of the misdeeds of the evil-doers may sound eerily contemporary. The conception of time in Hindu religious thought talks about four eras — Satyug, Treta, Dwapar, and Kalyug. It has been prophesied that Kalyug, the present time, will be the worst in terms of righteousness or dharma and there will be evil abounding all around. In the Ramayana, there is a detailed dialogue between Garuda and Kakabhushundi on this subject. Instances have been quoted predicting what the scenario will be like. And yes, the scenario is very much like what was predicted. But let us examine the problem of evil. Was it not there in the Satyug? It was and no less than what we see today. The forces representing evil were the rakshasas or the demons doing whatever they felt like, and the good, the sanyasis, were suffering at their hands. That was Satyug, the era of truth. Then came Treta, the second era. The situation was no better. Evil forces represented by Ravana and his ilk did the same things their predecessors in the Satyug had done. The third era that followed was the Dwapar or the era of Mahabharata and Krishna. The evil forces were again doing the same things that were done during the earlier periods. In Dwapar, the forces of evil were represented by Kansa and his ilk who again were perpetrating evil. So from Satyug represented by Hiranyakashap to Treta symbolised by Ravana to Dwapar epitomised by Kansa, the evil persisted. Kalyug, of course, is witnessing the same. So this fight between the good and evil is eternal, irrespective of any religion or time. Even in the Old Testament it was the Satan responsible for catalysing the ‘Paradise Lost’. And of course, the first time that crime visited the earth was in the form of a murder, brother Cane killing Abel out of sheer envy. The New Testament is also a saga of treachery, bigotry and deceit. But the point is not to narrate a historical account of the problem of evil and the suffering of good down the ages. The point is to identify the reasons why evil persists. While we may identify many reasons if we observe the incidents and carry out a detailed historical analysis, the one reason behind all those reasons has been the individual and his ego, his ahankara. It was the same ahankara that drove the forces of evil in the earlier eras of Satyug, Treta, and Dwapar, and it is the same ego that is driving evil in Kalyug. This three lettered word is at the root of all evil deeds. Take a careful look around and you can understand. The answer to the problem of evil lies in understanding its nature and taming it. It apparently seems difficult because our understanding of reality is mired in a four letter word maya, the myth, which makes us believe that we are invulnerable. This false belief pushes us to evil and inebriated with ahankara, we create our own nemesis. Let us realise the basic truth that we all are one small element of this huge universe and our existence is a relative reality. The forces of nature are supreme and can decimate us in a fraction of a second. This is the truth.

REVISITING GANDHI

As we prepare for one more Gandhi birth anniversary tomorrow, one question crops up — has he become irrelevant? Many, of course, would want us to believe that Gandhi was never relevant, while there are many others who think his ideas are now impractical. Even otherwise, Gandhi is not in popular discourse these days as we are talking about developments to take place in the latter half of the present century, or even the beginning of the next century. But if we take a rather careful look around ourselves, we are forced to rethink about Gandhi. His ideas, his ideals, and even his idiosyncrasies. A utopian in thought and practice, Gandhi had a worldview that would not be common to find. More importantly, he had strong convictions about his worldview; he believed what he believed and he did what he believed. He practised what he preached. In the present times, when chaos thrives, his ideas about Swaraj seem to be pertinent.

The question that arises is: Could we actually achieve Swaraj? A difficult question to answer because for the majority freedom from the British rule signified Swaraj. But was it the same Swaraj that Gandhi had dreamt of? In the contemporary Indian thought, the meaning of Swaraj is ambiguous and anything from self-rule to home rule to independence can denote Swaraj. But Swaraj in Gandhian thought had a different connotation. According to him, Swaraj was a concept of the Vedas signifying control of oneself. It was a philosophical concept which considered an individual as a spiritual entity. For Gandhi, Swaraj was a concept related to the idea ofmoksha or liberation, which was the highest goal of human existence. It was to be an outcome of self-regulation in which a person needed to develop control over his desires. Thus, Gandhi advocated rejection of materialism and recommended conduct that was based on ethics and righteousness. Controlling passion or vaasana was basic to Swaraj. Alas, we have been interpreting Swaraj in just the contrary terms.

Gandhi invariably emphasised the development of ethical behaviour. He certainly wanted external freedom or freedom from foreign rule, but the essence of his Swaraj was internal freedom or freedom from desires. In his Hind Swaraj, Gandhi had addressed many of the challenges that concern the country today. It talked about a composite secular nationalism that can offer solutions to the problems that stare today at the face of the country. The nationalism debate and the tolerance issues are all deliberated upon. It talks about the very meaning of Swaraj itself as it covered not only political Swaraj but spiritual Swaraj too. Further, it discusses the issues of non-violence and the creation of a less violent Indian society and polity. The concept of Hind Swaraj emphasises an eclectic worldview that would integrate laudable Western values, like equality and individual liberty, within an Indian intellectual scheme. Gandhi’s idea of Hind Swaraj was based on his interpretation of Indian history and understanding of the concept of religious pluralism. His focus was on spiritual liberation and peaceful coexistence. Rejection of Gandhi’s ideas today rests on the premise that those were not practical. But as our ways seem to be going haywire, there is a need to understand that Gandhi was a practical idealist. Little wonder he is still counted as one of the greatest world leaders, systemic designs to the contrary notwithstanding. Gandhi then needs to be revisited and understood in a wider perspective.

ETHICS AND THE ATTORNEY

Even as the courts and Governments are expressing concern about the mounting cases, the reality is that misuse of law has become rampant, with innocent citizens becoming victims. There was a time when ignorance was blamed for all this. The assumption that little knowledge is dangerous has given way to the belief that awareness would help the cause and hence campaigns to educate and enlighten the people are undertaken. But what is happening is that more knowledge has become more dangerous. The conclusion is that the enactment of law and knowledge of law may not be enough. It is the quality of the people that will make the difference.

Particularly, in the case of law, it will be the quality of the advocacy, the ethics and values of the men and women in the legal profession. Without people of principles, practice of law may not achieve the desired goal that is justice. In words of Sigmund Freud, the first requisite of civilisation is that of justice. Amartya Sen in his literary masterpiece, The Idea of Justice, has tried to link ethical thinking with objective reasoning. Sen suggests that we should understand reason as the ultimate arbitrator of ethical beliefs. But there is a rider. Ethical thinking requires us to be as objective as we reasonably can because reason is capable of recognising the dangers of ‘overselling reason’, that is, being overconfident in the conclusions of our own reasoning.

Understanding the basic character of this reason may not be easy but one definite way is to realise that pure reason or objective reason must be free from the influence of ego. Ethical objectivity is the essence and to understand this we need to be the ‘impartial spectator’ of Adam Smith or apply public reason as advocated by John Rawl whose book forms the basis of Sen’s idea of justice. But understanding this hard philosophy may not be easy unless we take into account the ground reality or realise the softer issues that govern the attorney’s psyche. Let us try to examine what drives the idea of justice and what derails it. A simple question — who advocates the cause of criminals and the corrupt, the liars and the crooks? Obviously, the attorney. A hypothetical scenario — what will happen if no one is ready to defend a wrongdoer? The answer may not be far to seek.

Since such a scenario is completely utopian, let us think of a more feasible approach. It is common knowledge that these days most cases lodged in the courts are false. And it is common sense that almost all of these are lodged only after taking the attorney into confidence. Now what if the attorney refuses to consider false cases as his or her brief. But this is also not possible unless ethical objectivity is inculcated through some means in the attorney. It is no wonder why one of the major concerns of the Apex Court in 2016 was the urgent need to review the regulatory mechanism for the legal profession. With rising ambition and increasing greed of professionals, there is a need to put the onus on the attorney also for false cases, just like celebrities can be hauled up for proclaiming false benefits of products or the Chartered Accountants for deceiving the law. Ill advise by the legal practitioner is compensatory to the injured. True, identifying such people may not be easy but the mere threat of law may work.