Recently, the Indian Society for Training and Development, VSP Chapter, invited me to speak on “Inner Balance in a Busy World: Living Mindfulness.” I accepted the talk not because I am a subject-matter expert, but because sometimes I am an honest failure. For that matter, many of us have failed at some point in our lives, unless we are spiritually elevated. Yes, it is true — we will not gain enough inner capacity unless we imbibe spirituality.
That said, only two kinds of people can speak at a time: the one who has succeeded, for obvious reasons, and the one who has failed, who can share those experiences so that others need not experiment in that direction.
I am really worried about a few statistics: 1 in 8 people globally lives with a mental disorder. India accounts for approximately 36% of global suicide deaths in the young population segment. Around 77% of employees report stress at work. Mental health issues cause approximately 12 billion lost workdays globally per year. They cost the global economy around $1 trillion per year in lost productivity. What could be the reason? There are many theories; however, let me present one perspective from the spiritual dimension.
In Satya Yuga, it is said that Devas (demigods) and Asuras (demons) lived in different worlds. Good and bad were clearly separated. In the Treta Yuga, the Devas and Asuras were on the same planet but in different countries. Rama lived in India, and Ravana in Lanka. The distance between good and evil reduced, and conflict began. In the Dvapara Yuga, good and bad lived in the same country but in different cities. Krishna and Kamsa lived close to each other. Conflicts became more frequent, and tension became part of life. And today, in Kali Yuga, there is no distance left. Good and bad do not live in different worlds, countries, or cities — they live within the same mind. The mind becomes confused.
Let me share an example of how our minds are confused and immersed in conflict today. Let us take the scenario of world wars. World War I was fought between “Britain, France, Russia, and later the USA” versus “Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria,” etc. In World War II, it was again clear: the “USA, the UK, the Soviet Union, China, France” versus “Germany, Italy, Japan,” etc. Today’s wars are confusing. There are no clear sides, no clear visibility. Determining who is on whose side is difficult.
For example (using these examples only for explanation, not in a real scenario), if my sister or brother is living in one of the countries on the initiating side of the war, I would support them. If my gas cylinder had been empty yesterday and our country’s tanker was allowed through the Strait today, I might take the opposite view. If a tweet about war wipes out my stock portfolio, I might blame one side again. If a non-friendly country is on one side, I might support the other side, regardless of my actual preference. In this way, the mind continuously generates conflicting signals. Obviously, this results in the numbers mentioned earlier.
Yesterday, I heard a talk where someone gave a beautiful definition of “rich” and “middle class.” If you are earning 50 lakh per year but, due to all the EMIs you carry, you cannot quit your job next month, you may be considered poor. If you have a basic house to live in, your monthly expenses are less than 50,000, and your earnings are 60,000 with 10,000 savings per month, you may be considered rich. If you are earning 1 crore per year but at the cost of your health, you may still be poor. In this way, definitions are being reinterpreted.
What is the solution to this? The answer lies in the topic I was asked to speak about. Of course, it is difficult to practice, but we should try. A new perspective could be this: the rich understand the difficulty of understanding and practicing this, while the poor do not even recognize the need.
Maybe I am still struggling in the middle class — both materially and spiritually!
Ravi Saripalle
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