Page 9 - Seniors Today - May21 Issue

a certain philosophy that is also your back- on the group just for self-importance and
of-the-mind belief, you identify with this
leader and you abandon the values you
have had in the past and engage in extreme
support of the leader. You often reject the
reality of the situation. Politics becomes a
complex interplay of class, racial, religious
antagonism aggravated by the social and
electronic media. I see this clearly in my
school group, from being brought up secular
to being irrationally biased. I was brought
up with the idea that one should agree to
disagree. Never discuss politics or religion
as it would only lead to an argument, and
may not change the other person’s point of
view
Hate is a virus that spreads faster than the
coronavirus. My school group exemplifies
this maxim. Attacks become more personal
and vicious. In every group there are a
few participants who post strong political
messages and by default they become
opinion-makers in the group. These opinion
makers are classified as unique individuals
and become de facto leaders (lots of wah-
wah, well said, kya baat hai). Some group
members begin to identify with these unique
individuals and feel accountable to them.
They fear that if they were to have a contrary
view it would amount to defection, and
choose to remain silent.
Strangely, when people know their role in a
particular dynamic they predictably play the
part even when doing so is self-destructive.
The propaganda theory that if you lie often
enough people will believe it, even yourself
– this is the scary part. At this point you
have to convince yourself that that if the
iguanas of Papua New Guinea did not mate
on the full moon night it would make no
difference to your life. Similarly if xyz wants
to follow a certain line of political thinking,
good for them. These are mere postings
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #23 | MAY 2021
bravado. Beyond the group they wouldn’t
have the guts to go out and propagate their
thoughts. The bottom line is that political
differences and arguments can lead to stress
and anxiety. For our own sakes we need to
find communalities with our friends. Avoid
political discussions; be open to hearing
a genuine point of view but don’t get too
bothered about it – this will make it easier to
tolerate or understand people with different
views. If you find it difficult to discuss
political issues in a calm and constructive
manner, disengage from the conversation.
Between Covid-19 restrictions, pandemic
stats, violence, elections and generally bad
news, it is easy to get caught up in the act
of doomscrolling (a word I just discovered)
– a term used to describe excessive
consumption of negativity. Being negative
comes easy to us – converse with a group of
friends on any bad news or negative topic,
and each one will have a story. There is also
endless amount of negative news that the
media dishes out. The unfortunate part is
that negativity is addictive and infectious.
We love to hear stories of sadness,
misfortune, illness etc etc, to the detriment of
our mental health.
While it is important to be informed, it
is also important to moderate the amount
of news we consume – good, bad or
otherwise. Make a deal with yourself that
for every negative headline you read or
political discussion you get into, you will
find something that will tickle your funny
bone. Find humour, comedy or even watch
the forbidden stuff. Phone a friend, gossip
and maybe attempt something physical
– cooking, painting, singing, puzzling,
going for a walk or even tidying up a messy
corner. Notice how much calmer you feel
afterwards.
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