A popular song called “Kutti Story,” sung by Vijay, a widely known actor and the current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. There is one key line which goes like this “Life is very short nanba, always be happy”. It can be translated in the following way – You could die in any moment; so be desensitised. Essentially, if you lose the sensitivity, you can live without any negative feelings. Ego positivise itself by suspending the other. Probably, this could be the motto of many youngsters. Focus on yourself presupposes decreasing the concern for others. Individualization becomes the key to success and happiness. But, the truth is, it is destructive to both individuals and the community. An Individual tired out of itself in the pursuit of achieving everlasting positivity. As a consequence, the community broken down into atomic and depressive individuals.
On the contrary, Vallalar, a Saint succinctly says that, ‘Whenever I see withered crops, I wither’. We need to be highly sensible to say this. Sensitivity does not mean emotional affectivity. Emotional affectivity relates to the individual psychology, while sensitivity slips from the individual psychology, since it grasps the innermost core of the other. Being sensitive means being away from our ego and moving towards others.
Contemporary individuals are preoccupied with their personalized desires and preferences and perpetuates it, in order to be authentic. Authenticity is not anymore an expression of an essence, but faithful consumption. Their libido is completely invested in themselves, which erases the worldly sense. This is the primary reason for depression. Sensing others’ sorrows and sufferings can impels one to think and act in a much more different way. Sensing the sufferings which is common for all, gives way to revolution – a change in community.
Consumption prioritizes the individuals likings and interests. It is complexifying the life of an individual as their psyche is built into apparatus for the right consumption. And, their constant pursuit of achievement and seeking validation from the other, strips out the sense of community. A citizen must focus on common good and should take responsibility for the community. And, today, each individual has their own opinions, which drowns the community into confusion. An action presupposes a strong decision. In a pool of opinions, indecisiveness only prevails.
A German Designer, Otl Aicher says, “We have become incapable of doing anything. We participate in the world through opinion no longer through Interventions, actions and plans. We all see the state of this world. We all know that something should be done.But we only write appeals. We participate in full consciousness in the process whose end is foreseeable but there is a danger that we can do nothing“.
Before that we can do nothing, we should start to think and act in a way to bring a new opening to the world. Our conception of happiness is related to (individual) pursuit. An individual is reduced to simplistic and ready-made desires. Desire has the potential to break and divert the structure in new possible ways. But, today, this mode of desire is crippled by hyper-consumption. The maxim ‘Always be happy’ leads to a comfortable life. There is much more difference between a comfortable life and intense life. Comfortable life resists change and sustains the world in the same way. Being intense bursts the world and shapes it in novel and creative ways.