Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Dig your alienated mood

Do you remember who said that, freedom is the expression of knowledge? I don't but I like that quote; we are as free as our knowledge. Think of a tiny little electron, an element of an atom, that can be seen only with very powerful and sensitive devices; what we could do about it? But human being found that if that can be made to flow through a conductor, electricity can be produced and the electricity helps us to have a comfortable life. 
So it is always important to find the laws of a process. The same goes to mental condition.

When you feel empty and depressed, there are some objective and subjective conditions. Traditional psychology only goes after the subjective conditions. You will be interrogated to find the fact about immediate cause of your depression. Maybe it's workplace, maybe it's your relation or maybe it's your childhood history. Well, that finding is no less important but more effective way to work on your mind is analyzing the objective situation. This objective situation can be broader than you imagine but don't give up to dig. Knowledge may be boring, but effective.





History of sigh: An alternative case study
Let's take 'sighing' as an example. Have you ever noticed that sighing is relatively a mature act? Could not I make myself clear? Sighing is an expression of discontent or relief rather than an exhaling process. Notice that, I have used two alternative terms- 'discontent' and 'relief'. People with lighter moods can act high and mighty but mature minds think and either he or she agrees or cannot agree with a situation. So feelings of discontent and relief belongs to mature people. But why am I telling this? Allow me some history blended with social theories; but I swear I will not lead you to any intellectual-complex discourse.
'Cosmopolitan' is an idea that only grew in the Twentieth Century. Eightieth Century called human kind to be free from the chain with land and explore the world for better opportunities. Industrialization spread and old form of land based society gradually withered away. Big industries grew up and big cities also emerged to meet the requirement of time. A big city that gives shelter not only the native dwellers but all members indifferent from races or religions, is called as cosmopolitan city. High-rise buildings, broader highways, multi-lanes, multicultural atmosphere, traffic and most of all alienation are the characteristics of this kind of city. Growing complexities of life demanded more specialization of a person and that made each individual incomparable to another; each of them are indispensable to the highest extent. Thinking about the whole process is not everyone's concern but every individual's part keep the whole process running. That is an alienation. An individual cannot have the objective idea of the reality and bound to be a mere subject who has to do his or her duties that society needs. 

Now argument can raise, why should be the situation different? Division of labor is a must, otherwise everything will be purely chaos. 

Subjectively this is true. But may I raise another question- who actually choose what job a individual should do? To be more precise, who created the division of labor? Whom give consent to that creation? A common individual may think himself or herself as a prisoner in the societal jail from which there is no way out. Some can develop a logic that it's their duty for doing greater good and sigh with relief; some can't just accept the situation and express discontent with a sigh.



Is there any escape?
Do you think that the situation stated above is simply frustrating because you are not in a position to change the structure of the society? But who said you are not?  
Everybody in the society is not on their knee like slaves. There are people who have been fighting for hunger free world, better future for the children. If these seem a big and distant issue, why don't you think of some field nearer! Some are planting trees to make the world more green, some are working for vision impaired in a community, some are raising funds to educate girls in third world countries. There are urges of change and there are efforts. All little changes ignite big changes and every effort is a protest to the imprisonment feelings imposed by the society. 

Getting together for a common cause is always against alienation process. So socializing is the only escape form your mental trap.