Pre-war mindset, its repercussions and how to deal with it?

• Deep breaths, shaking hands and a crowded subconscious
• It seemed easy until it was our turn

The Pre-War Mindset refers to the time period when people have different set of attitudes and beliefs on the occurrence of a war scenario. Different kinds of people present their views over national and international issues. It is a time period when a number of thoughts conquer our subconscious. Mental health consequences are significant, including pre war stress, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and survivor`s guilt.

Philosophical and psychological views:

Thomas Hobbes view: Philosophers like Thomas Hobbes held a low view of human beings, believing them to be fundamentally selfish, driven by fear of death and the desire for personal gain. This perspective suggests that humans are prone to “WAR OF ALL AGAINST ALL” in a state of nature.

Contemporary Psychological insights: Human nature includes motives that can inhibit violence, such as self control, empathy, fairness and other mechanisms for reducing aggression. This means that War is a modifiable intrinsic manifestation of human nature and  it can also be eradicated, much like slavery.

Repercussions: It refers to the effects on the hearts and minds of the people during and aftermath the war. Several consequences of pre war time have been discussed under the following headings:

Public Attitudes: The attitude of the people during the pre war time depends on various factors like the geographical location, the social group where they live in and many others. For example, the people living near the border areas are terrified by the war. As it is well said, we are the crux of 5 people we live with. Therefore having a positive peer group also plays a very important role in developing our mindset and attitude towards the war. 

Changes in our daily life: The situation of Pre war time creates a very negative and hectic mentality in the lives of people. Most of the people lose the hope to live, therefore end up  giving their lives. Students often lose the motivation to study. Women also start to feel unsafe considering the threats to their safety because they are often triggered by the enemy groups; not because the women are weak but because they hold an upgraded and respected position in a state like India.

How to deal with it?

Your life is the most precious gift God has endowed you with. Wasting it on futile chores like the mindset of  occurrence of war and its after effects is ultimately the disrespect of that almighty. The days of our life went more on contemplating  the past and predicting the future, rather than being at the moment. The hands which have created you very well know how to manage your lives.

Each and everything we are surrounded with is very much sorted and simple, until and unless we make it complex for our own self. According to a survey done, it was found that a four year adult laughs 300 times per day but an adult laughs only 15 times per day. Isn”t it shocking?  This is because we have encapsulated ourselves with negativity. Therefore, all the pre assumptions of the war should be neglected in such a way that they should not harm our daily chores and productivity.

Meditation and surrounding yourself with intellectual and positive people is also a way to deal with it. Comedian  Steve Martin reportedly laughs for 5 minutes in front of the mirror every morning to get his creative juices flowing and to start his day on a high note [try it, it really works]. Spend a day without your watch , being fully unaware of the problems of this outlying world.

The writer can be contacted at shrutikadabur1@gmail.com via contact no: 8493884073