Living in a stressful world

Life for mankind has never been easy. But the present times are certainly more challenging. Not because of environmental demands only. It is the human aspirations to reach the sky that makes the feet leave the ground. With the mind going wayward, peace eludes humanity as it chases a mirage, thus facing unbearable stress in the process. Stress, thus, is a concomitant of modern life. More appropriately lifestyle. The type A and Type B personality hypothesis which categorises people into these two classes (the former making people impatient and stress prone, while the latter less ambitious and calm), has now become redundant. The very temperament of the society has changed and there are only the Type A people today — ambitious, edgy and always running short of time. Given this lifestyle, it is only natural that stress has come to impact human life in a big way. Interestingly, most people are not aware of it and by the time they realise what is wrong, it is already late. While the World Health Organisation has termed “Burnout” as an outcome of excessive workplace stress, the fact is that “Burnout” like symptoms can be found in persons having nothing to do with the conventional workplace. From housewives to students to even those who have long left the workplace after a reasonably long innings, all face stress. The observation of the World Hypertension Day last month warns that in the next five years the number of adult population living with high blood pressure is expected to grow to a mind-boggling 1.56 billion. Even if there are reasons to doubt these statistics, the fact remains that the health of the world is not in good shape. What do we need to do? No easy answers, but given the fact that stress is the cause, yoga seems to be a probable antidote. Yoga and health have now proven positive links, despite questions on the medicinal effects of this traditional form of Indian exercise regime. At least yoga can go a long way in preventing ill effects of stress related problems of both the body and the mind. Individuals differ in their stress tolerance limits. Thus, for some individuals low to moderate stress can prove to be harmful, whereas for some even high stress levels may not have the expected impact. It is this stress tolerance limit of individuals that can be called the Stress Resilience Index. Stress affects all and the only way out is to adopt effective coping mechanism that can help withstand the pressures of stress. Yoga can be an effective way of coping with stress because it can provide mental and physical strength needed for coping. With simple yogic postures carried out as a daily regimen for even half an hour, an individual can raise his stress resilience. The advantage of yoga is that it catalyses the secretion of good hormones in the blood while inhibiting the harmful ones. Since the harmful effects of stress largely result from the raised cortisol levels for continuous period, Yoga can be a useful means to regulate this. It helps in balancing the mind-body chemistry which is losing its equilibrium. Certainly, you cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on within.

A mind without fear

Meeting Rajat Gupta at the pan IIT Bay Area Conference organised in the Silicon Valley last month was a pleasant experience. Gupta was once a business icon, philanthropist, and trusted advisor to the global elite. Then, he was found guilty of Insider Trading which shattered his reputation of decades in moments. But all this seemed not to affect Gupta’s mettle much, suggesting perhaps that he was more of a victim than a culprit. Listening to him speak was a real treat. He has been a great speaker, but this time he was speaking from his heart. About his travails during the trial that he faced, his jail sentence, his fall from grace and, most importantly, his side of the story. All these and much more has been recorded in his recently authored book, “Mind Without Fear” which details not just his rise and fall but also tells a lot about the criminal justice system of a country that is proclaimed to be a citadel of democratic principles and global champion of Human Rights. Gupta’s tale is a typical account of how societies, governments and the media react when somebody falls into the predicament of a whipping boy out of fortuitous circumstances. A classic example of “brand-a-dog-and-shoot-it” mind-set. The fallout of the recession was a good enough reason to find somebody to absorb the popular discontent. That Gupta was guilty, or not, may not be prudent to discuss here. Nor can it be ascertained. But the basic principle of criminal jurisprudence was in all probability compromised. Many believed that the sentence was pronounced rather hurriedly, as a knee jerk reaction to contain the outcome of the media trial that takes place in such cases where sensation can be built for public consumption. However, all that is history that will be forgotten in due course, but there are certain questions that remain unanswered, some issues that are unresolved, and of course some lessons that can be learnt. More than the account of the case, the book has to be read to understand how insignificant a man is in the hands of time, chance or providence, as one may choose to name. The book must not be read solely as the story of an individual,but as an insight into what recourse is left under such circumstances. “Mind without Fear” is about the resolve to keep one’s head high. It is important to remember that words emerge from the realms of truth, when the mind is without fear and the head is held high. The story of Rajat Gupta reminds one of an episode from the Ramcharit Manas in the Ayodhya kand when a perplexed Bharat questions sage Vashishtha on why Ram had to be exiled. It is to this that the sage responds that gains and losses, life and death, glory and infamy are all in the hands of providence. Whatever is destined to happen will happen. So one must face the situation as is and fearlessly. This is also what Lord Krishna tells Arjuna in the Bhagwad Geeta — ‘have faith in me and I will take away all your fears.’ Interestingly in Management, too, there exists Murphy’s law that says: “If something is to go wrong, it will go wrong”. We must realise that Truth has many facets to it, and exists in shades of Grey.