[Assam] AT: Human Happiness on Decline? What crap?

[umesh sharma]

The writer seems sad about something!!

Seems he eats too much and does not realize the needs of  the poor and hungry.

Any comments?

Umesh

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http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=aug2908/edit3

EDITORIAL 
 Why is human happiness declining?
 — Dhurjati Mukherjee The
World Health Organisation (WHO) has indicated that by the year 2020,
around 22-24 per cent of the world population would become
psychological patients. Worse, most countries would not have the
psychiatrists and specialized doctors to deal with this problem.

Importantly,
the increase in competitive consumerism and fast lifestyles coupled
with the overwhelming stress on globalization and liberalisation has
resulted in human beings becoming prone to different forms of stress
and strain. Wherein, in most cases, it is becoming extremely difficult
to adjust to such a fast life and bear the stress and strain without it
impacting a person state of mind and mental balance.

All this
has resulted in individuals increasingly becoming victims of depression
and tension in spite of material prosperity. Not only that.
Consequently, different types of diseases have been the by-product of
such depressive tendencies which are now becoming widespread both in
the industrialized world as also in the developing countries.

According
to the World Values Survey, material wealth has not been able to boost
happiness in any way. Americans are now twice as rich as they were in
1950 but not happier. The US consumes twice what its land, air and
water can sustain. America’s outsize footprint results from its
appetite for stuff — what psychologists now say are the wrong approach
for social sustainability and happiness. The pursuit of so-called
happiness can only result in environmental degradation and the
resultant degraded conditions lead to increased tensions and social
chaos.

Worse, the ‘extrinsic’ values (wealth, power and fame) as
opposed to ‘Intrinsic’ values (achievement, engagement and meaning)
seem to go hand-in-hand with socially and environmentally destructive
behaviour and leads to increased tension. This increased tension is
manifest not only among adults but also among children who have become
victims of their parents ‘unusual’ behaviour patterns. 

A
fall-out of these trends is depression which has been identified as the
fourth largest health problem by WHO. By 2020 or even earlier, it is
likely to rank second behind heart disease. This has been the finding,
of a study, published in Lancet last September. Further, it has
revealed that depression has more of an impact on the physical health
of those who suffer from it than chronic diseases like diabetes,
arthritis, and epilepsy.

Depression which might be an off shoot
of hypertension is a silent killer because it could remain undetected
for years before a secondary problem arises. Individuals who look happy
may actually be suffering from depression without any outer symptoms.
In fact, depression is a sort of mental illness which needs long
treatment.

The fall-out of all this has seen an increase in
suicides, divorces and separation all over the world. Caused by
individualistic behaviour which, in turn, has been influenced by
tension in office, family and social life. The failure to achieve
targets in office and not being considered for quick promotion (by
superseding other colleagues), the failure to get to the top by hook or
by crook, the failure to win over the opposite sex as bed partners have
all resulted in terrible stress and tension.

In turn, this has
had an adverse effect on children, who are deprived of their father and
mother after office hours, who are busy attending parties. With the
result the children behave abnormally and frequently quarrel with each
other.. Thus, the ideal home environment is lost as nowadays all
actions of the people are linked to either material gain or loss.

While
the decline of social and moral values is a major factor in the erosion
of happiness in human life and society, this has been accentuated by
increasing the unachievable targets and the quest to move higher and
higher up the ladder. Jealousy has increased due to competition and the
thirst for more and more.

It is also well known that in most
countries, including India, corruption has been on the rise thanks to
the increased greed for material prosperity. As these developments are
not compatible with the prevailing social standards it has spoiled
healthy relationships between human beings and taken away his/her
happiness.

In India, as in many developing economies, depression
has become a major problem. It is agreed that with modernisation of
societies coupled with growing consumerism, cases of depression would
aggravate in the coming years. Moreover, the lack of an adequate number
of qualified doctors and psychiatrists has further complicated the
problem. True, counseling centres have come up in the metro cities in
recent years but most people are reluctant to visit these centres and
frankly confess their problems.

Also, notwithstanding that most
Indians are religious, they too have become victims of jealousy and
greed leading to a disturbed mental state, aggressive behavioural
tendencies and spread unhappiness in society. While it is very
difficult to check such tendencies, one cannot forget its effects on
society, family life and children.

Psychologists and
psychiatrists opine that the lack of tolerance and understanding in
human behaviour along with the aim to achieve more has resulted in
increasing depressive tendencies. Suicides, on the other hand, could
also be attributed to poverty and high debts in the rural countryside.
Besides, the increase in terrorism and the killing of people in the
name of religion could also be attributed to jealousy and the sentiment
that injustice has to be fought by killing others. Never mind that most
religions talk of compassion and peace. There is no gainsaying that
inhuman genocide like the recent bomb blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad
can in no way be justified.

The solution? Inculcating values
among children and trying, to some extent, limit the spread of
consumerism in society. Just studying the Koran, Bible and other
religious texts would not be enough. This should be accompanied with
inter-religious study of values necessary for a decent life. These
should be made a part of the curriculum from Class III till Class VIII
or IX. Apart from this, more counseling centres need to be set up. 

While
the Government has been talking of reforms in the economic sector,
there should also be a campaign of reforming the human individual. In
this connection, the life and sayings of Mahatma Gandhi have great
relevance today as he talked of limiting our wants to our essential
needs and not craving for more and more. In the ultimate, with
resources becoming scarce the world over it is imperative that we
develop a habit of limiting our needs and remain happy with what we
have. Indeed, it would be a sad commentary if the spread of
civilization and prosperity signals diminishing happiness in society as
future generations might become badly affected.

Umesh Sharma



Washington D.C. 



1-202-215-4328 [Cell]



Ed.M. - International Education Policy

Harvard Graduate School of Education,

Harvard University,

Class of 2005



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