An open market - the beneficiary of fear and greed

by Afreeha Jawad

Fear stalks the Sri Lankan mind. Against this backdrop, the Buddha words indeed are recall worthy. "It is attachment that causes fear". Certainly, he said it all. It is only when one possesses, the fear of losing sets in. In the absence of possession, fear ceases to be needless to say the effacement of deprivation.

In fact it is fear that even drives one to commit murder. For instance why write off an opponent's life? The answer is crystal clear.

Fear - the fear of some other overtaking you into greater clout and consolidation.

Secondly, why do people discriminate others? Again the answer is fear. Why do racial/religious/ethnic communities resort to discrimination? Here again the fear of one community overpowering another.

Even in the ongoing ethnic conflict fear is the underlying theme. Having resorted to discrimination (again a result of fear psychosis) followed by an endless arms struggle coming off the discriminated, even when there is hope of a solution in power sharing, fear gripped questions such as 'Oh! will they get hold of the whole country thereafter, "You know, you can't trust these fellows, what they will do one never knows," - all this and more keep thudding majority mind.

The mistrust is mutual. Ironically when ethnically biased discriminatory bills were passed in parliament, none ever thought of the hurt to follow.

Fearless people I've observed are those that remain where they are and bat on confidently not asking for more. Why does the human mind thirst for more and more? Here we go - it's fear again of some unknown and imagined unstable future. Like mad dogs with tongues outstretched humans run after this, that and the other only to find life snuffs out even faster than expected.

Exalted/deprived mind

While the mind in its most exalted state does not recognise fear, at its most deprived state it is engulfed with fear. In the act of giving away his two children to Joothaka Brahmin, King Vessantara suffered no qualms. Fear then was not even remotely connected to his mind. He was not even least bothered of his old age security - the kind of ordinary question that gnaws the average mind. He simply yielded to a selfless state.

Fear also brings people under so much of social control. Oft' heard utterances are "what will people say" and "what would people think". In an increasingly politicised society such expressions are on its way out. Not surprising in a socio/political set up where politicians do not care let alone two hoots, not even one for what its citizenry would think of them.

These normless politicians have become 'excellent' role models in transforming wrongs into norms. Yet, even today at least a fraction of the populace upholding morality, show concern over the opinion of those few that tread moral ground.Significantly, on the rise is ethnocentricity. 'My race', 'my religion', 'my country', 'my caste', 'my language' and an endless state of I, me and mine have come to stay.

One smart guy even exclaimed, "How can this be when we cannot even have our own body organs behave the way we want?"

New trend

Emerging now is a culture of superiority where the 'knowledgeless' are positioned in hot seats feeling quite cold over ones that pose a threat. With political blessings sans knowledge, they keep upgrading their official designations for fear that someone would overtake.

Come election time the 'fearful component' is most conspicuous as political opponents resort to vigorous campaigning - again a display of fear. An opponent's victory is a difficult encounter - an unpalatable exercise. The fear of losing power, the thought of falling flat on the face minus status and privileges keep haunting throughout the day into the night to the point of exhaustion.

It is fear that drives politicians into politicising politics which in its unpolluted state is meant to serve man. The 'nummada aal', 'apey man', or 'our man' culture itself is a negation of the essence of political thought and once again reflective of fear. To help 'our man' and not the one of different political ideology is an attempt into safeguarding the electorate. In the economic front one's competitor is the most dreaded. The fear of losing business while the other is into 'customer increase' luring even one's own, the thought of a business collapse, the threat of a bleak future are among other intended gloom that keep driving many into restlessness.

In the social scene there's no better place to witness fear other than in one's own neighbourhood. Keeping up with the Jones' is the main theme as one neighbour tries to outdo the other. The latest material acquisition - be it a high rise structure, a limousine, television set, the latest electrical equipment and what not are cause for envy - again beginning with fear that the next door guy would unseat the other in social positioning.

In all this fear syndrome significantly is a beneficiary - the free market economy. What starts as fear leads to greed and envy and in the matter of meeting unending wants is the propagation of the free market economy. Not too had anyway for a highly manipulative global political economy.

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