Infodemic & Pharmageddon

Corona is back. As state after state once again are resorting to night curfews and lock downs, a big issue is do we still have any concrete idea of the pandemic, its origin and nature and the solutions. Apparently not, as we continue to grope in the dark. What about the measures we took, the medicines that were prescribed and the claims of exactly 99.99 percent prevention from the virus through the use of certain products. People were blindly believing those television commercials and advertisements that were making a lot of noise. It is against this backdrop that we need to examine scientifically whether we actually have an answer to the pandemic. While businesses that claim to provide protection from Corona flourished, authentic answers were not found. In fact, it was an information driven fear psychosis that created havoc more than the virus itself. To capitalise on this there was a very powerful Pharma marketing campaign that made people go for all kinds of medical options. So in a nutshell then, the pandemic catastrophe can be summed up rather neatly in just two words: infodemic and pharmageddon. Sundries like masks and hand sanitisers also added to the effect and cornered huge benefits. However, the point to ponder is where do we stand after centuries of encounters with pandemics. Human beings have been facing the onslaught of these viral attacks ever since their existence. Looking back at some 2,000 years of experience suggest that our efforts did not have much to contribute and the pandemics subsided on their own in around one and half to two years. How to explain this phenomenon, when our advances in science, technology, medicines and biology seem so helpless. It is a natural and cyclic event that keeps on visiting the earth at periodic intervals. Or is it an auto correction initiated by the big machine that nature is. Or is it a warning to humanity from mother nature to mend ways. Nothing can be said. This is not to negate the contribution of science, technology and medicine. But it certainly suggests that nature’s superiority is undoubtedly established and human beings must acknowledge this with folded hands. It is this that nature has been trying to prove time and again. The inevitability of the devastating impact of natural phenomena hold lessons for humanity. To show where human beings stand in the larger scheme of things, not as the pivotal factor but as a small part of the comprehensive whole. But in this process what was evident was confusion, concentration of state power and chaos leading to rise of mental disequilibrium resulting in a psychodemic. As the corona juggernaut fails to halt, let us workout ways and means of coping with its ill effects. Not on the economic front but on the psychological front. Many people may try to convince that the two are intricately linked. But the fact is that they are not. It was the psychological intimidation that led to the economic downturn. It may be prudent to understand that the number of billionaires rose as the poor were committing suicide. The correlation may not be obvious but relationship between the rising Sensex and falling economies are intriguing. Matter is not created or destroyed. It only changes hands.

HiddenSouls | Best to mind your mind

We are at our wits end as no end to the pandemic appears to be in sight. Return to normalcy appears to be a shifting goal post something like a mirage on the highways in a hot summer afternoon. The society is witnessing all kinds of negative emotions reigning over human thinking. Depression is on the rise. Aggression is on the rise. Fear and anxiety are on the rise. Human response is completely clueless. With jobs disappearing, careers jeopardised and businesses vanishing, talks of positive thinking appear hollow. Rather a gimmick of a few who have the support system to hold the fort. But can something be done about it. No not about Corona. That will take its own course and hopefully it has covered most of its journey. In the times of distress, frustration can take many forms, from most undesirable behaviours too weird responses. However, the source of all this is not Corona. Coronavirus is what it is. The problem is how we perceive corona and its consequences. It is the perceived world that is the real world and the problem lies in how we perceive Corona. So tempering the perception is the answer. But the source of this perception is the mind which is giving all kinds of warning signals and anxious moments. We can take a cue from the definition of Bhram or illusion as described in Indian philosophy. The famous rope and snake illusion. If you see a snake and believe it’s a rope your response will be as if it’s a rope. On the other hand if you see a rope and believe it’s a snake you will behave like you do when you see a snake. To sum it up then the perception of Corona is like that. For some it is like snake so they are over anxious and for some it is a rope, not to be bothered at all. Both these positions are erroneous and the truth is somewhere in between. The solution lies in mind management. But mind management is easier said than done. It is both a science and an art. In fact it is a practice and one needs a lot of training to do it. It is important to understand the science first. We must realise that mind generates thousands of thoughts everyday, more distressful then the pleasant ones. The way out is to control that. One of the most popular idioms explain the way to control the mind very simply. An empty mind is a devils workshop. So the way out is engaging the mind constructively. That calls for the art. This has to be developed. By doing, by training. That is why practice is important. Experience of calmness or agitation depends on the mind. To train the mind there is a need to reorient the thought process. The greatest problem is in our assumption that we are entitled to a certain way of life. This is a conditioned state as we have taken many things for granted. So even the slightest disruption throws us out of gear. That way Corona has become a major disruption. Naturally we are completely off balance. The mind needs to be reassured. Our previous generations have gone through even more difficult times, and the world did not come to an end. This time also it won’t. Just keep on counselling the mind to take things in its stride and think of ways to cope with the disruption. It works.