Art of Staying Calm: Psychologically Desensitized by Disasters, Politics, or Bureaucracy
The first post of my September also marks the one hundredth post for the year 2011. The post finds me becoming a bit calmer after another scare for my UK visa application to be rejected (Thankfully, after staying up until 2am last night to call the LSE Admissions Office, the officers were very responsive and helped me obtain the necessary new materials within one business day. As I sent off the new materials to the Border Agency in New York, my visa application is officially back on track).
The fact is that after suffering through so many natural and man-made disasters, I am getting so accustomed to the idea of something bad unexpectedly happening that my mind no longer feels any sort of panic in facing them. Whether it be the near-death experience through the Quake in Japan or dealing with prospects of not getting my visa to UK (even now), I can think beyond the initial fear or scare of everything not going according to the "normal way." No longer do I feel any sort of sensitivity to new harmful situations that arise in my way...
Humans, by nature, are perhaps the most adaptable animals living on Earth. Its flexibility to adjustment to different environments allowed it to populate the entire habitable world and reach the top of the food chain without good physical protection or weaponry. Such adaptability, even more than physical adjustment, is best reflected mentally in each individual. Human societies chug along without a hitch even after massive floods, hurricane, or wars that can often kill off large percentages of the entire population at once.
By forming societies, humans can give one another the mutually shared mental comfort needed to survive difficulties. The existence of social companionship that bring joy can often overcome the detrimental effects of harsh situations for survival. Friendships and warmth of socialization allow humans to be mentally build up for greater physical tolerance and ensure survival. Stoic calmness (much reflected in the Chinese tradition of "吃苦 (chi-ku)" or literally, "eat bitterness") is ironically due to lack of stoicism toward loved ones, rather than any sort of physical superiority per se.
Yet, we can only treasure the mentally comforting nature of companionship when we do face difficulties. Even life is completely smooth and without any adverse issues, then the companionship will be taken as granted and see no purpose in helping a person's life progress. On the other hand, if a person is to face a certain obstacle, he or she can often immediately find someone, whether in the immediate social circle or on the Internet who faced similar problems. The sharing of problems and their solutions can immediately reduce the burdens of suffering.
Not mention the great Quake in Japan, even the small, not-that-fatal recent experiences of the earthquake and Hurricane Irene visiting the East Coast show that human bonding does indeed allow for our psyches to calm down quickly after the automatic reflexes of fear after disasters. As the entire country expressed concerns and support for the people of the East Coast while gently joking about the lightness of the damage, the lighthearted wit served to help the victims stay optimistic and hopeful in the face of destruction.
The same attitude is seen with politics, bureaucratic slowness, and other man-made disasters. The likes of low approval ratings of the American president and the frequent replacement of the Japanese prime minister are often shrugged off as trivial and nothing worthy of grave concern. While unfortunately the lack of sensitivity here may lead, at times, to utter carelessness toward any political issue, the fact that people see their indifference toward the key issues as not damaging to the society as a whole illustrates the strength of human bonding that created stable human society.
And finally, there is that aspect of mutual caring that is mentally helpful even in the gravest of situations. People are inclined to help others in need, especially if the need is urgent. As my personal experience dealing with the LSE and the Border Agency show, at times of difficulties, people are willing to bend some rules and ignore some formalities to assist those in need. It is good to see that the social rules enabling mental stability of individuals can also be changed to introduce even more psychological comfort to others.
The fact is that after suffering through so many natural and man-made disasters, I am getting so accustomed to the idea of something bad unexpectedly happening that my mind no longer feels any sort of panic in facing them. Whether it be the near-death experience through the Quake in Japan or dealing with prospects of not getting my visa to UK (even now), I can think beyond the initial fear or scare of everything not going according to the "normal way." No longer do I feel any sort of sensitivity to new harmful situations that arise in my way...
Humans, by nature, are perhaps the most adaptable animals living on Earth. Its flexibility to adjustment to different environments allowed it to populate the entire habitable world and reach the top of the food chain without good physical protection or weaponry. Such adaptability, even more than physical adjustment, is best reflected mentally in each individual. Human societies chug along without a hitch even after massive floods, hurricane, or wars that can often kill off large percentages of the entire population at once.
By forming societies, humans can give one another the mutually shared mental comfort needed to survive difficulties. The existence of social companionship that bring joy can often overcome the detrimental effects of harsh situations for survival. Friendships and warmth of socialization allow humans to be mentally build up for greater physical tolerance and ensure survival. Stoic calmness (much reflected in the Chinese tradition of "吃苦 (chi-ku)" or literally, "eat bitterness") is ironically due to lack of stoicism toward loved ones, rather than any sort of physical superiority per se.
Yet, we can only treasure the mentally comforting nature of companionship when we do face difficulties. Even life is completely smooth and without any adverse issues, then the companionship will be taken as granted and see no purpose in helping a person's life progress. On the other hand, if a person is to face a certain obstacle, he or she can often immediately find someone, whether in the immediate social circle or on the Internet who faced similar problems. The sharing of problems and their solutions can immediately reduce the burdens of suffering.
Not mention the great Quake in Japan, even the small, not-that-fatal recent experiences of the earthquake and Hurricane Irene visiting the East Coast show that human bonding does indeed allow for our psyches to calm down quickly after the automatic reflexes of fear after disasters. As the entire country expressed concerns and support for the people of the East Coast while gently joking about the lightness of the damage, the lighthearted wit served to help the victims stay optimistic and hopeful in the face of destruction.
The same attitude is seen with politics, bureaucratic slowness, and other man-made disasters. The likes of low approval ratings of the American president and the frequent replacement of the Japanese prime minister are often shrugged off as trivial and nothing worthy of grave concern. While unfortunately the lack of sensitivity here may lead, at times, to utter carelessness toward any political issue, the fact that people see their indifference toward the key issues as not damaging to the society as a whole illustrates the strength of human bonding that created stable human society.
And finally, there is that aspect of mutual caring that is mentally helpful even in the gravest of situations. People are inclined to help others in need, especially if the need is urgent. As my personal experience dealing with the LSE and the Border Agency show, at times of difficulties, people are willing to bend some rules and ignore some formalities to assist those in need. It is good to see that the social rules enabling mental stability of individuals can also be changed to introduce even more psychological comfort to others.
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