Srinivas Arka

Aggression does not appear to be a compulsory part of the nature of human nature. It is part of a whole culture that has developed over thousands of years. Humans are always ruled and influenced by numerous factors such as eating habits, environment, the nature of their work, parents’ history, circumstances, upbringing, the atmosphere they live. People in crowds wait for long periods of time without food and drink and are prone to provocation, agitation and aggression that may turn violent. The same tendencies can be seen in the case of people who live in densely populated cities. They minimise body movements, avoid eye to eye contact, speak in a low tone of voice and greet others with half smiles that say, ‘I won’t harm you, so don’t harm me.’ People who live in the countryside close to nature are less prone to sudden eruptions of aggression. A combination of excessive stimuli and information that crowds the brain, pressures and demands of society that make one feel that there is too much to achieve in too little time, desperate attempts to retain one’s social and monetary position, too much conditioning of the mind, pollution and many other products of crowded cities cause stress and frustration. This leads to aggression. A minor provocation is enough to trigger that frustration and release suppressed emotions. One becomes mindless at that moment and in a maximum display of aggression, another person or an animal may become the victim.

Some of the 18 th century demographers seem to have believed that human population growth is followed by vice and misery as well as disease and food shortage. People need not necessarily have to undergo misery and suffering. Generally we think and believe that we can control the growth of population and master social pathology. We can do both to some extent, but we cannot gain absolute control over the growth of population in the world. Social pathology and population density are interwoven. The cultural and psychological differences of different nations won’t allow us to make a collective, unified, harmonious study and effort to curb the ever increasing population.

Our planet earth has the resources to host varieties of living beings. But a surfeit of resources in certain countries is not being extended to the needy ones. There is no natural food shortage in the world because food supply is proportional to the quantum of existence of living beings. Too much of human interference with nature and our natural way of living have affected the balance of existence and resources. Living in an artificial man-made planet has not made us concerned about the shortage of food. The same energy and resources invested in living in such an artificial world could be focused on how to raise human awareness. What can we do to bring more harmony and a common understanding between different nations with different attitudes, beliefs and cultures? Are there any alternate means other than mere scientific thinking that could ease people’s minds and bring down their stress levels?

Most people, particularly in today’s world, are worried about today but not seriously concerned about tomorrow. Juvenile crime that is seen today has never been as prevalent in the history of humankind. Our laws, social ethics and overly interpreted democratic themes have deprived children and youth of the family care and affection, which play a very important role in the development of healthy human psychology. Culture, on the other hand, has a major unconscious positive influence on humans. Religious beliefs and thoughts may create barriers among humans in understanding one another clearly but culture will never create such barriers and conflicts, since culture is colourful. Unfortunately, it is hard to separate culture from belief-systems and religion. When one is not familiar with another’s culture, that person is accepted and treated in a friendly manner, as opposed to when one is not familiar with another’s religion. Unfortunately, culture is diminishing in countries like India and the Far East because of abrupt alienation.

By raising their awareness humans can avoid violence, aggression and provocation. If aggression were to be our real nature then the earth would have become deprived of human existence. The desire and will to survive and live is a natural defensive resource in all living beings. We can decrease aggression through relaxing and recreational activities. We can also decrease aggression in the world by increasing our awareness through dialogue and recognising each others’ good qualities, promoting friendly sports and increasing gardens. Every human being must commit to planting trees, sharing resources and creating better communities.