Talk Na

Is “talking” the solution to every mental health issue? Early humans would have committed mass suicide in the absence of a language if this was true. It is disheartening to note that simplistic solutions are being continuously offered against the most complex human problems.Humans are attached to their “I”, their sense of identity. They spend their lives in search of the musk that lies within. All the material quests, name and fame, money, power, relationships, etc. are tools for them to discover this musk. They are by nature seeking the limitless, the infinite, that is why no achievement or event can ever make them stop, unless they choose ( by divine grace or by conscious will) to discover the truth. That doesn’t mean though, if someone is suffering from clinical depression – we start prescribing a to-do list as a quick fix. ( Yoga, meditation, spirituality, positive thinking, talk and talk, etc. ).How can you imagine that a person who has been led by the mind to deride life altogether, will change dramatically by a to-do list? And how are you sure that if you had been in similar circumstances you would have actually summoned those to-do saviors yourself and not succumbed to the pressure? And most importantly, do you understand that each individual is different, and the solutions should hence be person-specific? Do you understand that everyone has a distinct struggle and a different life journey, and suffering is an essential part of the learning?Do you realize that doing research on social media doesn’t make you a life expert? Are you sure that no medicines are to be prescribed for mental ailments? Are you sure that “talking” is the solution? Coming to talking, most certainly it is the cause of depression in many cases. When you talk too much, your mind is made to process so much unwanted crap. You are made to hear so much which you would have otherwise avoided. Some people hence just prefer to be left alone. The brave ones acknowledge that the root of their depression lies in too much talking. They naturally prefer social distancing. Talking to intellectually and emotionally incompatible people creates unimaginable stress. In the name of talking, you start tolerating the damage to your own mind. In fact, sometimes the reason for loneliness is not the absence of people to talk to, but the absence of those who understand things from your plane.Do you understand that unconsciously people try to insert their incompatible worldview into your mind? Isn’t that a burden? And if in return or as a favor, if you make an effort to rectify their opinions, will they accept them? Hence, the option of solitude can never be overemphasized. It presents a neutral platform for self enquiry.Is the shallow society which recommends talk-talk solutions ready to address the root of mental health issues? In the absence of compatible advisors can people be just left alone and seek their own answers? Had someone asked Ramana Maharshi about the utility of talking to others during depression, he would have said, “talk to yourself, there are no others”. And obviously, talking helps when someone actually listens.