Look around you, it is everywhere — the search for a deeper meaning to life; the search for solace amidst the hectic pace of everyday life; a vent for frustration and anxiety, perhaps even anger; a thirst for spirituality with a gusto not seen before. It cuts across all ages, from schoolchildren to the elderly, and is perhaps a global phenomenon of sorts.Alternative forms of healing such as pranic healing and reiki, alternatives to allopathic medicine, homeopathy and ayurveda, yoga and meditation, are all geared towards making the individual feel in touch with his or her real self, unobstructed by the stresses and strains of daily living. Healing of the soul and the spirit — as opposed to healing of the body — has come into focus in this day and age.What is it about our world that makes us so thirsty for spirituality? And what are we healing anyway? We raise our children to believe that they must be achievers to survive and be happy. Our children struggle for at least 15 years of their lives to be on top of their classes. The establishment of phone helplines at the time of major school results and the trauma faced each year by students seeking admission to college reflect the harsh expectations Indian society has placed on its youth.Assuming that one has secured all the degrees necessary to be a saleable commodity in the job market, one has to then auction oneself to the highest bidder. It is as true for the college graduate as it is for David Beckham — human beings have been commodified. Once we enter the job market, we are constantly striving to earn a higher wage, to pay rent and bills, to seek treatment at the best hospital, to marry, to have children, to send them to the best school, to acquire a better car, to get a better house loan. money makes the world go round. This is the basis on which a capitalist, globalised economy is built. Some of us accept it, and some don’t.Those of us who don’t are in a minority; we form only a small enclave. And the reason we are not a part of the rat race is because we have not entered it due to lack of opportunities, or because we reject it, or because we have got left behind and are too tired to start again.The world has become a very stressful place. One no longer has the time to meet friends and kin, to eat a decent meal at one’s workplace, to spend time with children. Yet the demands made on us keep increasing, our limits are constantly stretched. In this environment it is normal to seek solace and strength in something. We need to heal our minds as much as our bodies, and if we seek that peace in “new religious movements”, alternative forms of healing, meditation, dance, music or art, then so be it. Let no one judge us for the paths we choose, for we are products of the society we have created.
