Dr John Moahn Razu
Anxiety is not something new; certainly not of the present. It has been there through ages. It is part of us, in all of us and thus cuts across race, class, creed, caste and color. It is within us and amongst us and therefore what is to be done. Anxiety will have to be faced boldly and should be addressed and resolved. To bring clarity to this term, Charles Dickens in his masterpiece A Tale of Two Cities (1859) even after 150 years sheds light to us:“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us …”
A fabulous blend of polar opposites parallels and paradoxes that describes the web of life that humans cruised through the ages. It is important at this juncture to ponder over that despite many achievements, progress and phenomenal economic, social and technological accomplishments over centuries we are more than ever intensely caught up with the anxiety syndrome. Technology has taken us to greater heights and thus made transformative changes. Global wealth has grown many times that has never been witnessed ever before. Indices of nations’ GDP, GNP and per capita income show stupendous growth figures. Increasingly, we have been entering into a world of digitalization, robotization and atomization. For these stupendous changes technology plays the most crucial part thereby taking us to greater heights. Many of us keep wondering not knowing how to cope-up with stupendous changes, almost at the cusp of post-human trajectory.
For instance, more than half the global population including India is outside the technological revolution. Majority of them live either US$1 or $2 a day—somehow with great difficulty managing and meeting both the ends. At the same time, global wealth has grown phenomenally, but inequality widened. However, the changes and transformation, growth and progress and wealth and prosperity accrued has not minimized anxiety, rather we live in an age where anxiety has maximized at alarming levels. The reasons are: The chasm of iniquities between countries has narrowed, but within countries, the rich-poor divide has widened. Pollution levels, environmental degradation and ecological disasters have grown due to meddling with the eco-system in the name of ‘development’. Materialism and consumerism have become the credo.
As a result, more than half of the younger populate is obese. On the one hand, children under less than five die of malnutrition and live and prolong without basic health care; many keep dying due to conflicts between castes, clans and racial and creedal differences; hundreds and thousands of people die because of climatic changes like tsunami, typhoons, pollution and landslides, while on the other, communication technology and related apps coupled with all kinds of techs and its disciplines in science and others have taken the world we live-in to unbelievable heights. The biggest worry is a massive technological trend; displacing basic labor in favor of skilled labor and capital. Robotization, atomization and digitalization have taken the toll of semi-skilled labor force. If this is understood as “progress” and “growth”, then it would us to shuddering halts.
Inequality is also a “best of times-worst of times”, followed by questions: @ whose cost and @ what cost? Clubbing all these cumulatively, inequality among all citizens of the world is real which is taking huge toll. A few (super-rich and middle classes) are prospering, but many hardly can meet both the ends and there’s no sign of quality of life in the near future. This scenario is manifests across the world leading to xenophobia, fear of migrants and immigrants within and between countries. Right-wing politics, nationalism, populism BREXIT and Trumpism furthered anxious moments. Due to all these a sense of anxiety has already been crept into us that we live in a world of rising insecurity wherein lynching of all kinds have become the order of the day—terrorism, honor killing, ethnic and religious conflicts; rapes, building walls and host of other.
In a world of anxiety, is there any hope? YES! Taking cue from Prophet Isaiah: 40: 31: ‘Arise with Eagles Wings and Be Renewed with Strength, Expectation and Hope’. Analogy of eagle by prophet Isaiah is something unique and apt because for centuries people have seen eagles as symbol of beauty, bravery, courage, honor, pride, determination and grace. Eagle as a bird is important and symbolic to humanity particularly at this juncture because of its characteristics of eagle that has been associated with escalation of anxiety that we face at present. Eagles are fearless and tenacious, which is why they love the storm. Usually, birds tends to flee from the storm and resort to hide-outs, while eagles fly into it and use the wind of the storm to rise higher in a matter of seconds. Eagles use the intensity and ferocity of the storm to glide over.
Eagles characterize some of the most amazing characteristics that are to be taken as solid benchmarks for us to move on in a world of anxieties. There are numerable storms we face and confront each and every moment of our existence. Running away from them shall never be a solution. Eagles fly into it and use the gale/typhoon to fly higher and higher and then glide over storing and preserving its energy. Whatever may be the crises-ridden situations, those who have imbued with the characteristics like that of eagles can overcome daringly with the resolve to maneuver the situation boldly. Let us not assume that life is smooth, straight and devoid of any problems. Life is studded with problems being engulfed with all sorts of issues. Problems vary from each other arising out of social or economic or political or cultural or religious facets, but its magnitude may differ from one to another. Obviously, the problems that we face and confront infuse anxiety that propels us to take diverse actions. However, the core of all these is anxiety.
Anxiety therefore is part of human nature which is obviously quite natural. However, handling anxiety differs from one to another. Apparently many sink as they fail to encounter anxiety in the ways it should be handled. But, a few boldly face anxiety and thus transform it as opportune moments. Anxiety should never be allowed to creep-in, because it is like slow-poison, which affects our mind and then gradually seeps into body. Despite problems of all sorts and anxiety of numerous dimensions and proportions, what constitutes in our life is hope. To conclude, let me bring a quote from Bethan Albertson: “Democratic citizenship in an anxious world can be deeper, more informed citizenship”. With hope and in hope, we should move on. Let us strive for secured and humane world. Let 2019 be anxious-free and hope-filled year.
