Living in a hyper world

Around a month ago, World Hypertension Day was observed. The notable piece of statistic was that four out of 10 adults worldwide have high blood pressure and only around 50 per cent of them are aware of it. Some two decades ago, the number of adults estimated to be living with high blood pressure was around 972 million. In the next five years, the number is expected to grow to around 1.56 billion. Mindboggling by any standards as a good 20 per cent of the population around the globe will likely be suffering from hypertension. What is the basis of coming to this conclusion is certainly a subject matter of another research. Particularly because if we calculate the total number of people suffering from hypertension and other global epidemics like diabetes, cancer, AIDS, depression etc, it may work out to be nearly the size of the entire population of the world. Whether the whole world is sick or not is a widely debatable issue, but given the business interest of the strong pharma lobby, there is certainly some room for scepticism. More so when huge investments in corporate hospitals are coming up and health/medical insurance companies are looking for a new and huge market. Then there is another question that needs to be answered: Whether these pieces of statistic are meant for creating awareness or creating a market. If one has the patience to sit in the out patients department of any senior physician of a decent sized hospital and observe closely the kind of complaints the patients come with, hypochondriasis rather than any serious malady would seem to be the major disease. In fact, many doctors are now actually confirming this. However, this is not to discount the threat that lurks all over the world on account of changing lifestyles, which most diseases of the present times arise from. But we must take these warnings with a pinch of salt. Are they actually warnings or agonising statistics to awfulize the whole scenario by creating some kind of a fear psychosis that benefits the pharma lobby more than the potential patients? There is need to assess the whole situation scientifically and with an open mind and question such assertions. A case in point is the recent guidelines on identification of diabetic patients and potential diabetics. While the measures of diabetes are also changing and benchmarks are being lowered, what is more interesting is the creation of new categories. So there is a range of measurements that tends to classify categories of diabetic patients, starting from a stage called pre-diabetic. Often the predisposing factors are being highlighted as causative factors and this prompts many people to start taking preventive medication, which may not be needed at all. Further, many people may actually develop some diseases out of fear. The big question that thus needs to be addressed is whether the hypertension epidemic, that the world is likely to witness in the next five years, is due to medical conditions or mental conditions created by the onslaught of fear evoked through information that can make even a healthy individual anxious of his health condition. Tension, of course, is rising in the world but it is more due to anxiety that is being systematically ingrained in human minds. Health is everybody’s concern, but that should not make everybody sick.

Tenets of true leadership

Leadership issues have been discussed since time immemorial and leading as a practice is as old as civilisation. A leaderless society is a rudderless society that goes astray because it is the leader who gives direction to society and sets goals which must be pursued. But it is here that we need to ask what can be that type of leadership which can give the right direction and suggest the right goals for society. The same can be said for the organisation. The question that needs to be addressed, as we discuss and debate the qualities leaders must possess, is what those requirements are. Interestingly, even after ages of research, the select qualities could not be identified and inconsistencies galore cloud the investigation as to what makes an effective leader. It is not only about winning or losing, it is not also about achieving the desired results, it is about doing right things, results may or may not be achieved. This is the one difference between Western models, which focus more on the ends, and the Indian model, that is concerned more with the means. The Bhagavad Gita has given a wonderful explanation about why means are important. While talking to Arjun in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Lord Krishna dwells upon a variety of issues that arise in a person’s life which has been likened to a battle. But the Lord emphasises that it is the karma, the duty, that has to be performed diligently in the righteous way, upholding dharma. It is rightly emphasised because only karma is in a person’s hands. Results are controlled by a force called providence, which is entirely in the hands of God. True leadership then has to take a leaf out of this critical lesson of Gita, and the leader has to carry out his duty diligently. This is what needs a value-based approach. Understanding this approach, thus, holds the key to true leadership. We often mistake good leadership as the one adopted by some historic figures who can be emulated as role models. This understanding is often erroneous. Leadership is a situation-based action in which the person in question must try to be his real self and know what matters most to him. But here he should be able to rise above self-interest and be concerned about the larger interest. The leader, therefore, must follow some principles. First is self-reflection, to know who he is. For this, he needs to look inwards. The second principle is to look at the situation from multiple perspectives or having a holistic outlook. The ability to take a balanced approach will help in this. People often err when they take a unicentric view because that is egocentric in nature. The next principle is to have faith in oneself and one’s ability. A shaky approach may be a road to disaster. So the leader must move ahead confidently, being fully aware of his strengths and weaknesses. Another important principle is the leader’s attitude, which must be tempered in humility rather than arrogance. In fact, this last principle is the most basic one because it is this that may render the other principles ineffective. Many a good leaders have failed to achieve the desired results because of their arrogance, which often leads to overconfidence. The above mentioned values go into the making of a true leader.