Anxiety is the modern plague. Fear is the most disintegrating enemy of human personality. Worry is the most subtle and destructive of all human diseases. The moment pleasure is made the primary objective of life, tension is created. The effect of nervous tension, synthetic excitement, noises and anxiety causes many types of ill health. There is an epidemic of fear in modern life. Millions of cases of illness are brought on directly by fear, and aggravated by worry and a feeling of insecurity.
The secret of a peaceful state of mind lies in proper evaluation of life and consequent intense spiritual practices. Spirituality, truly practiced, will certainly bring harmony, unity, integration and highest joy in our life. Higher spiritual unfoldment alone will eliminate anxiety, neurosis caused by frustration, insecurity and a sense of guilt.

Anxiety and Tension are the Cause of Nervous Breakdown

A YOUNG scholar was unusually ambitious in establishing himself in academic life. He found that somebody else was trying to occupy a coveted position in his field. He became apprehensive. He was found to develop neurotic symptoms. His inordinate ambition for power, position or intellectual achievement created anxiety and thus he became mentally sick and his disturbed mind developed many functional ailments, as well as neurotic and psychotic behavior.

A young woman of thirty developed 'depression' after having enjoyed a fairly happy married life. Their financial position was weakened due to loss of income of her husband and the situation was further aggravated by the death of her rich father-in-law and this gave a blow to her depressed mind. She was very much worried about the probable help her widowed mother-in-law might seek from her husband. This imagination of additional financial strain created serious tension in the young wife. She had a nervous breakdown and all the symptoms of serious mental disorder. Her mental balance was stabilized by understanding the significance of the higher values of life. She was made to understand that her mother-in-law would never be a burden to her. She gave up her egocentric life and realized the value of cultivating altruistic attitude in life. With proper understanding of the ideal of life and certain mental training for the development of will-power and calmness of mind, she gradually reintegrated her personality and became better in every respect.

Hate Blocks Energy

The late Knute Rockne, one of the greatest football coaches the U.S.A. ever produced, said that a player cannot have sufficient energy unless his emotions are under spiritual control. He was not willing to take anyone on his team who did not maintain a genuinely friendly feeling for everyone of the team. "I have to get the most energy out of a man", he said, "and have discovered that it cannot be done if he hates another man. Hate blocks his energy and he is not up to par until he eliminates it and develops a friendly feeling."

Epidemic of Fear and Worry

"Anxiety is the modern plague". A famous psychologist asserts that "fear is the most disintegrating enemy of human personality", and "worry is the most subtle and destructive of all human diseases". In a sense, ours is a pathetic generation believing only in sensual pleasures. The moment pleasure is made the primary objective of life, tension is created. The mind is stimulated by desire for more and more and the spirit of competition, selfishness and the pursuit of unholy methods and consequent disturbing mental and physical activities become evident.

The effect of nervous tension, synthetic excitement, noises and "damned-up anxiety" causes many types of ill health. The destructive quality of worry is indicated by the fact that the word itself is derived from an Anglo Saxon word meaning "to choke". Dr. George W. Crile, a famous American surgeon, said: "We fear not only in our minds but in our hearts, brains and viscera, so that whatever the cause of the fear and worry, the effect can always be noted in the cells, tissues, and organs of the body". A doctor recently stated that there is an epidemic of fear and worry in U.S.A. "All doctor", he said, "are having cases of illness which are brought on directly by fear, and aggravated by worry and a feeling of insecurity". It may be noted that it is possible for a person to live a quiet life physically and yet maintain a high tempo emotionally. The character of our thoughts determines the pace.

Spirituality Brings Harmony and Integration

"The abiding cause of all misery is not so much in the lack of life's furniture as in the obscurity of life's significance," says Tagore.

Most of us understand life superficially. As Swami Vivekananda says, man is interested in the conquest of external nature for his pleasure and thereby he creates various types of problems and tension everywhere until he ruins himself. True religion always lays stress on its adherents controlling the lower nature and manifesting the higher nature of man. Religion always advocates the need of greater unification and order in personality. It recognizes that a healthy mind requires hierarchical organization of sentiments, ordinarily with one master sentiment holding the dominant position and thus succeeds in marshaling energy and bestowing order in life. That is the reason why Swami Vivekananda says that the more persons can conquer their inner nature and manifest their higher or divine nature, the greater and more stable the society will be. Spirituality, truly practiced, will certainly bring harmony, unity, integration and highest joy in our life. The satisfaction of leading a noble and dedicated life is really worth pursuing. It is declared by mystics and demonstrated by them that religion strikes at the root of all tension when it is systematically practiced in everyday life. William James said, "Of course, the sovereign cure for worry is deep religious faith". Mere intellectual comprehension of tension will not remove it. Proper emphasis is always given to the objectives of life, and relative values are subordinated to the supreme objective -- the manifestation of divinity already in man, as Swamiji said.

Hence, we must have a house-cleaning regarding the goal of life. Otherwise, we will fail to solve the pressing problem of mental disturbances.

Wrong Understanding of Life is the Cause of Mental Tension

Freud, Adler and their followers are of the opinion that tension and conflict are created by a particular urge. We know that various urges cannot be wholly separated from one another. The emotion and intellect often function simultaneously. It is our view that mental tension is created not merely because of the presence of a specific urge or of several urges, but tension is also created by wrong understanding of life in general.

"Many sources of present evidence indicate that most---perhaps all---neurotic human beings suffer, not because they are unduly inhibited as regards their biological drives, but because they have disavowed and repudiated their own moral strivings. Anxiety, I believe, comes, not from repressed sexuality or pent up hatred, but from a denial and defiance of the forces of conscience" (Mowrer, a clinical psychologist).

Spiritual Unfoldment Alone Will Eliminate Anxiety and Worry

The secret of a peaceful state of mind lies in proper evaluation of life and consequent intense spiritual practices in the form of meditation, worship and dedicated service in the cause of humanity. The change of outlook on life is more important than that of environment or condition of life. Higher spiritual unfoldment alone will eliminate anxiety, neurosis caused by frustration, insecurity and a sense of guilt. We are to be convinced of our inner potentiality that we can bring change through our changed outlook on life. The conscious change of attitude towards life, when carried out in daily activities, will certainly give us satisfaction on the ethical and spiritual plane. Hence, Swamiji emphasizes this important fact that "it is a change of the soul itself for the better, that alone will cure the evils of life".

Most of the people who go to psychiatrists for help could probably cure themselves if they get interested in helping others. Most of them are busy with their petty, senseless, and useless lives. G. B. Shaw had remarked about them in this way: "a self-centred little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world would not devote itself to making him happy". "Melancholia", says Adler (on p. 258 of What Life Should Mean to You), "is like long continued rage and reproach against others, though for the purpose of gaining care, sympathy and support, the patient seems only to be dejected about his own guilt". This simple practice of making others happy can be practiced by anyone by doing good deeds. A good deed is one that brings a smile of joy to the face of another. Trying to please others will cause us to stop thinking of ourselves, which is the very thing that produces worry, fear and melancholia. Religion asks us to expand ourselves as contraction is irreligious and equal to death. Hence, change of attitude to life has been recommended by all.

Comments on this article can be sent to: VedantaSoc@aol.com

Books by Swami Tathagatananda:

1. The Vedanta Society of New York -- A Brief History, 2000
2. Mahabharat--Katha (Bengali), 1998
3. Ramayan Anudhyan (Bengali), 1996
4. Healthy Values of Living, 1996
5. Meditation on Swami Vivekananda, 1994
6. Meditation on Shri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, 1993
7. Glimpses of Great Lives, 1989
8. Shubha Chinta (Bengali), 1988
9. Smaran--Manan (Bengali), 1987

You can order these books from The Vedanta Society of New York.

Other books on Vedanta can be purchased from any Vedanta Center.

Please check out our Lecture and Class Schedules.