STRESS

AND

POLITICS DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

The news on TV showing; significant increase in mental illness (STRESS) due to poverty, unemployment and cut throat competition; confirms that; we can never succeed in Total Stress Management; without addressing the socioeconomic, political and other issues influencing our lives. We may or may not join a particular political party, an organization, or a movement; but we have to firmly assert our conscience. If e dont then we will suffer exponentially; due to the biting of conscience; in passing on this legacy to the posterity! World politics is; or rather ought to be; the expression of cosmic consciousness (converging into global consensus) with the perspective of individual and global blossoming. Thus people of such perception and conviction, when identify, appreciate, come together and interact; the pragmatic aspects of actual means and modalities of policies, plans and programs get crystallized. At present also this is happening, but in a rather imperfect, immature, inaccurate, insufficient, inadequate and ineffective manner. Primarily, this imperfection is that of perspective, conceptualization, conviction and actual experience or realization. The millions of different needs, hopes and despairs of billions of living beings; of different ages; with different geographical, political, social, economic, cultural and historical backgrounds;

have one thing in common. This lowest common denominator is the deep seated urge; for self realization and individual and global blossoming. This may be at conscious or subconscious plane! Universal Practice of NAMASMARAN i.e. remembering ones true self (about whom we are usually oblivious), right from childhood, according to the particular tradition. Availability, upholding and promotion of safe drinking water and vegetarian food Redefining the holistic health; as Optimal intellectual, emotional, instinctual and physical actions to promote individual and global blossoming, in ones field. Practice and promotion of Holistic Medicine; i.e. the art, science and skills of employing everything effective; in regaining and promoting holistic health, as; essential and inseparable core of mainstream Medical Education, Teaching, Practice and Research. Holistic Education with emphasis on a) the principles and preliminary practices of holistic health and holistic medicine, b) productive domain c) affective, cognitive and psychomotor domains, d) empowerment through NAMASMARAN e) practical productive progress, self sufficiency; research and teaching in all education institutions! Even the specialized institutions would not be exception to earn and learn, produce and progress, practice and pass principles. The written examinations would be replaced by actual assessment of the skills, at all levels.

All religious temples and places of worship would voluntarily incorporate educational, industrial, and agricultural and research activities; conducive to holistic health; thereby get re-integrated with mainstream life. Conversely, all educational and industrial houses would adopt the activities of religious and spiritual bodies and institutions; in which, the philosophy of holistic health is implicit (though variable in terms of semantics i.e. languages and terms). Getting up early, drinking of water in morning, rubbing the teeth, gums and palate in morning and using herbs conducive to dental, oral and general health, would be promoted as essential elements of holistic health. Byhearting of hymns and prayers of different religions; would be sung together; amongst all religions, in all institutions. Laws would be devoid of vindictiveness, conducive to holistic health i.e. formative, and hence rigorously and strictly executed; e.g. the persons soiling the public property would me made to clean without compensation the same, a corrupt person would be made to work double the duty hours, in minimum salary and those involved in misleading or deceptive commercials such as (98% stoppage of hair fall, double increase in height) would be made to participate in production, research, training and practice of holistic health and medicine, at no profit. The production of bicycles and vehicles of mass transport being echo-friendly would be encouraged as against vehicles of personal transport.

 Sanskrit would be researched and taught all over the world if after careful scrutiny of international well meaning intellectuals belonging to different religions; and found beneficial to mankind. The unifying elements and enlightenment in the lives of saints, seers and other reformers would be integral part of the curriculums. There would be extensive and conclusive debate, evolution of globally beneficial policies, laws, rules and their implementation in this regard; world over. There would be encouragement to folk sports as for the folk arts and folk music in preference to high tech sports and Let us understand that we cannot appreciate certain convictions, unless we have been sufficiently evolved and become reasonably objective. Thus if alcohol is our weakness, then we may not appreciate and support the opposition to alcohol production; even if it is destructive to us and the society! This is what causes innate conflicts and stress! Conquering these conflicts and stress; is difficult but inevitable! So, let us not be desperate and violent to others and/or to ourselves! Let us resort to the ancient and traditional wisdom of practice and propagation of NAMASMARAN; and experience the inner and outer revolution; and the individual and global blossoming!

NAMASMARAN i.e. reorientation to cosmic consciousness; has to be the goal, the purpose, the core and the basis of every policy including the rejection of alcohol production. Without NAMASMARAN; we may face; many socio-psychiatric and socio-pathological evils; with or without alcohol production! arts