subject: Stress Appeareances And Reality [print this page] Since it is human to err, often our education and acculturation are restricted to superficial and peripheral aspects of life and are rendered somewhat deceptive. When superficial and petty propaganda becomes dominant it can suppress the inner voice and conscience and create STRESS.
As a result of such education and acculturation; we are attracted by the royalty and repelled by the poverty; tempted by the riches and repelled by the ashes; excited by the abundance and indulgence and depressed by the paucity and abstinence! This happens because the undercurrents beyond the appearances are often beyond the normal or physiological human grasp and comprehension! The depiction of saints is also usually deceptive. Thus it is sympathogenic (one that generates sympathy in our mind). The display of the life of the film stars, the political leaders and other celebrities; on the contrary; is deceptively euphoriogenic (one that leads to euphoria and pleasant and grandiose excitement)!
However, our education and acculturation has several merits also. Our education and acculturation; are often influenced by the genius of the particular period reaching the root of apparent phenomena; and hence our values are not entirely and blatantly superficial, shallow, and petty or mean.
Our yardsticks for idolization and idealization are therefore NOT uniform or monolithic but multifarious. They are NOT simple and straightforward. They are subconsciously evolved and mysteriously shaped! They are obscure and intriguing.
Hence; strange it may appear; but our idols do not merely conform to our temptations and repulsions; based on our superficial perception! Our idols and ideals are determined by several factors such as our individual constitutions, moods and even whims and fancies!
Thus our idols are violent (war heroes such as Chatrapati Shivaji), nonviolent (Buddha, Gandhi, Mahavir, Jesus Christ), economically rich (Bill Gates), economically poor (Vinoba Bhave), physically strong (Mohammed Ali, Dara Singh), physically weak (Srinivas Ramanujam, yogis (Patanjali) and indulgent (kings) and those who fought during Indian freedom struggle as British army men and those, who fought against the British; and so on!
If we carefully study (and ought to study for overcoming confusion and developing conceptual clarity) our value system; then it would be clear that the differences amongst the idols and ideals are only apparent ones!
Inspite of apparent variations; our idols and our ideals had one thing in common! They were larger than life i.e. larger routinely perceived concept of individual life. They usually manifested the vision and actions (although at times contradictorily); involving the well being of a large section or whole society and/or they transcended the usual human capacity, in their respective fields! Somewhere in the depth our hearts it was appreciated that the saints have been the source of enlightenment, elegance, empowerment and emancipation; and the glamour and glitter of the so called celebrities; are hollow and pathetic (unless the celebrities are also saints)!
Our real idol/ideal is the larger than life TRUTH, irrespective of the field of life we belong to; through Total Stress Management; the core of which is NAMASMARAN; and which involves blossoming of perspective, policies, plans, programs and their implementation at individual and global levels.
This is how we can overcome the STRESS of being split in the values of apparent glamour and glitter and superficiality and pettiness; compounded by laws and regulations promoting the same; on the one hand; and our conscience on the other! We may not believe or disbelieve this; but verify and experience this!
