BECOMING SELF-AWARE

Volume 11 Issues 6 June, 2021

Bhagavat Gita is claimed to be a psychology text. While many of us may agree, we may not know how it is so.
There may even be a slight doubt – Bhagavat Gita is over 5000 years old, how is it possible that it can ever
address my modern-day problems?

Here is an example of the depth of understanding of the human mind in the Gita.

ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंस: सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते |
सङ्गात्सञ्जायते काम: कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते || 2.62||

dhyāyatō viṣayān puṁsaḥ saṅgastēṣūpajāyatē |
saṅgāt sañjāyatē kāmaḥ kāmāt krōdhō’bhijāyatē || 2.62 ||

For a person who is constantly thinking of the sense objects, a fondness for them arises. From fondness, desire
is born. From desire, anger comes.

This verse is famous because it analyses the pathology of development of anger, which further leads to the
temporary loss of rationality. In later verses, there are several techniques on how to overcome this problem.
The meaning of the verse is quite straightforward – the more you dwell on an object, the more you become
attached to it. With attachment comes the strong desire to possess it.

It seems almost too obvious, isn’t it? You may feel, “Yeah, I knew that.”

Some of us are superficially aware of this little connection. But how many of us are aware of its application in
day-to-day life? How many of us are aware of how we are being exploited by it?

Here is a less-explored corollary of the understanding of this verse. A number of large corporates these days
have adopted this simple but cardinal rule in their marketing and advertising strategies.

The corporates have understood that repeated exposure to an object creates an obsession with that object
(which is exactly what the verse says).

For example, if I am repeatedly shown photos of say, a pair of nice shoes or a cosmetic product, over time my
mind is convinced that I need that product. Then, against my better judgement, I buy it. Irrespective of
whether I need it or not. This is targeted marketing. We have all experienced it. How many times have you
googled something and for the next 3 days you are bombarded with ads for that product?

Recently I switched on my FireTV to watch a movie. The first image on my TV was not a trailer or a poster for
a TV show or movie, but an advertisement for a burger chain! By the time I had scrolled past it a few times,
deciding which movie to watch, I was almost tempted to order a burger!

Here’s a small experiment for you: Observe how repeated viewings of the same ad eventually persuades you to
say, “Ah, okay, let me get it!”. Try to count how many ads it takes for you to give in.

These corporates hire expert psychologists from top colleges to study human psychology and predict patterns
of behaviour. All to get you hooked to whatever they are selling and to propagate consumerism.

The reason I bring all this to your attention is not to discourage you from buying objects. Certainly, buy what
you need and what you enjoy. The point of all this is only to become more aware of yourself and also become
aware of how one can be easily influenced if attentiveness is not cultivated.

If the big corporates spend big bucks studying your psychology to get what they want, you should at least
spend some minutes a day becoming aware of your own mind to get what you want. The only way we can ever
outgrow the clutches of manipulation is through self-awareness.

As a society and a nation, we can only grow when we become independent thinkers. So let us develop strong
minds through the practice of mindfulness and the study of psychology – either modern or ancient.

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