Famed French novelist Paul Bourget said: “There are conditions of blindness so voluntary that they become complicity.” Blindness is not only physical. It is also a state of mind.

Many among us do not realise even a tenth of our true potential because of a corrosive blindness of the mind. There are some tell-tale signs of this voluntary and unfortunate disfigurement, I believe. It is prudent that we recognise them.

Why? Mental health is the new fountain of youth. According to experts in the field of human behaviours and related matters, mental health is as important as physical health. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress and relate to others.

Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through to adulthood. To protect and preserve our mental health it is critical that we are able to separate “the chaff from the wheat”, especially at the start of new year which may offers opportunities for recharging and renewal.

Discarding the chaff

Miserabilists extol being miserable as a virtue. These philosophers of doom and gloom are adept at seeing and finding a problem for every solution. They see dark clouds over every horizon. Only the worst possible outcomes make sense to them. There are not hermits. They are busybodies. They ply the highways and byways hoping to deceive those who they can with their poisonous pessimism.

Today is day eight of a new year. Already some of our countrymen are invoking the worst. Some operate under the cover of a prophetic cloak. They are relevant because too many among us see prayers as an “Open Sesame” to all our earthly challenges.

As I see it, prayers without work is mere superstition.

According to Genesis 1: 26: “And God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ “

Dominion presupposes that we use our brains, not to abuse the very environment which sustain us, but more so to establish a harmonious relationship.

There are disgusting miserabilists who use especially academic trappings to hide their real objective. Already some of these are fervently wishing economic degradation upon our land. Their snarling is obvious to those who are discerning enough to see the “lean and hungry look” (Shakespeare) on their faces.

Henry Kissinger said: “Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.” Power is everything for miserabilists.

Dr Nigel Clarke, the minister of finance and the public service, credits Jamaica’s economic recovery from the novel coronavirus pandemic to the prudent fiscal measures implemented by the Andrew Holness-led Administration. Miserabilists bellow that Dr Clarke is talking folly. While they scream in agony because data put out by our Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) and verified by the Statistics Institute of Jamaica (Statin) will not confess to their “fuzzy math” (George W Bush), the International Monetary Fund ([IMF), the World Bank, International Credit Rating Agencies, and other credible institutions which rely on verified evidence to inform conclusions are all expressing confidence in Jamaica’s strong position to withstand external shocks.

Recently Finance Minister Clarke noted that: “Our reserves at the Bank of Jamaica [BOJ] are at extremely high levels. He noted, too, that the country now has access to a $1.6-billion facility to which it has not made a drawdown under the International Monetary Fund’s Precautionary Stand-By Agreement.”

Miserabilists say, “Yes, that sounds great, but people on the ground are ‘sucking salt through the proverbial wooden spoon’.”

It is true that we have some very vulnerable people here at home. It is also true that the Administration has been increasing its attention to these groups by giving increased and targeted support. I discussed that in previous articles. Of course, much more needs to be done. Miserabilists claim these are the worst of times for most Jamaicans. This is patently false. Facts, of course, do not matter to them.

Pollyannas

The extreme opposite of the miserabilists are the Pollyannas. These are people who think good things will always happen and find something good in everything and everyone. The characteristic make-up of Pollyannas reminds me of a scene in Lewis Carroll’s fantasy, Alice in Wonderland.

Recall a point in the mentioned book at which the characters are running madly in all directions. At a point Dodo (a character), which is a caricature of the author, calls out, “The race is over.” All crowd around him asking, “But who has won.” Dodo contemplates. He then responded: “Everybody has won. And all must have prizes.”

The reality is all will never win prizes in this race call life. In general, some do not win prizes because they retard and/or sabotage their own growth and development. Others do not win prizes because they are preoccupied with low-voltage matters which sap their energies. ‘Bad mind’ is a classic example. And others believe Abrahamic-type curses steer and direct their lives.

All will never win prizes.

Those who tell people all will and should win prizes, irrespective of the absence of sustained personal effort and application, are charlatans.

I remember many years ago, John Searchwell (now deceased), an outstanding educator, crusader for the development of the parish of St Mary, and a former president of Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), was the lead invigilator at my literature examination at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC). He said this short prayer before the start of the examination: “Lord, I hope those who have studied will pass; and that those who have not, will fail and fail, miserably.” The prayer was profound. I have never forgotten it.

Success is 90 per cent perspiration and 10 per cent inspiration, someone said. I agree! The reality is life seldom rewards individuals for sitting on their fannies and wishing that a magic wand falls into their lap. The granting of three wishes to change the world exists in fairy tales. Positive thinking is great and needed, but minus prudent choices and action it is worthless.

Ignorance merchants

No matter who sings it, no matter who says it, no matter which lettered people embrace it and its proponents, I maintain that ignorance is not bliss. Those who glamourise and monetise “dunce-ness” are not doing this society any good.

“The only good is knowledge. And, the only evil is ignorance,” said Socrates. I agree.

I believe ignorance eats away at the mental health of people like an aggressive tumour. Those who sanitise and deodorise ignorance are involved in an elaborate scheme of betrayal. Sadly, this betrayal is often perpetrated by those who have had the benefit of education at significant public expense.

Why do they do it? I think primarily because acceptance of personal responsibility over many decades has not fetched a premium. It is not a big vote-getter either. I suspect that is a large part of the explanation as to why so many of our citizens believe someone else is responsible for their every action, or inaction, and must, therefore, bear the consequences of both. Quality education across the board is the best antidote.

Keep up with the Joneses

I believe that trying to maintain the same lifestyle as the neighbours or peers at all costs is a cancer. The pervasiveness of social media has helped to metastasise the “keeping up with the Joneses” infirmity.

Many of us who grew up in the rural parts are probably familiar with the term ‘satisful’. It means to be satisfied. Some of us might well remember grandparents who repeatedly warned that we must never look upon the possessions of others with the disposition of the green-eyed monster. I believe those warnings have greater relevance today, perhaps more than any other time. Instant gratification is the god of far too many these days.

For good mental health, I humbly suggest that we need to steadfastly stay in our lane. To be clear, I am not saying that it is unimportant to acquire material possessions. I am saying, we should take great care not to gain the whole world and “lose our souls” on the acquisition highway.

‘Flossing’ or flaunting the ‘good life’ is now a dominant theme on social media. There are people, nowadays, some are called influencers, who post every new dress they wear, every party they attend, every morsel they put to their mouths, every high-end hotel they stay in, and literally make a business out of delivering a frame-by-frame account of their lives.

Too many among us fail to recognise that most of these influencers are doing a business. This failure has plunged many into chronic depression; forced some into lasciviousness, trapped some into unnecessary high cost debt, and flung others onto a cruel elevator to self-destruction.

American poet Max Ehrmann, in his celebrated prose piece Desiderata, warns that: “If you compare yourself with others you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.”

Conspiracy Theorists

What the British call bonkers beliefs seemed to have surged over the past two years during the height of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The crazies and their craziness will not go away any time soon either.

Why do some ideas of uncertain merit, like conspiracy theories, gain traction and spread through society? Numerous scholars have come up with various answers. There is a general consensus that conspiracy theories are built on the notion that a powerful group is acting in secret, thus building on (and potentially also creating) suspicion towards the powerful, such as the Government.

Recall the hullabaloo that 5G phone masts reduce our bodies’ defences against COVID-19, and that vaccines are being used to inject us with micro-chips allowing us to be tracked and controlled. Recall also the ‘moonshine’ that Bill Gates, the Illuminati, Bilderbergs, Skull and Crossbones Members, plus several other groups were all scheming to bring mankind under subjection with the COVID-19 vaccines.

While unverified imaginings seemed extraordinary to many of us. It is swallowed hook, line and sinker by hundreds of thousands across the globe. These beliefs have led to the vandalism of 5G phone masts and made millions reluctant to be vaccinated. Thousands have died as a consequence of their failure to get vaccinated and follow proven health measures, such as mask-wearing, and personal and private hygiene measures.

Conspiracy theorists are a scourge on human kind. I have read scholarly papers which have posited that globally the mental health, anxiety levels, and various physical health conditions of millions were significantly worsened because of the negative actions of conspiracy theorists. If we choose, we can establish workable defences against these purveyors of balderdash. Here are some:

1) Pay attention to where your news is coming from.

2) If you get information from social media, check the original source.

3) Within news articles, examine the sources and how they are included. Read beyond the headline.

4) When you see your friends and family share misinformation, correct them.

Leaders’ mental health

Political leaders are people too. Consider these screaming headlines:

‘Biden vacations in Virgin Islands as Americans face problems at home … Issues include the border crisis, inflation, and a deadly winter storm’ (Fox News, December 28, 2022)

‘Eric Adams went to Virgin Islands as bomb cyclone hit NYC’ (New York Post, December 27, 2022)

‘Mayor Adams has since revealed that he went on a two-day vacation to the US Virgins Islands to reflect on the recent passing of his mother who was his anchor, friend and confidante’

Here, at home, some among us raise the roof when our leaders take a vacation. We need to remember that our political leaders need mental health time-out too.

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Garfield Higgins is an educator, journalist, and a senior advisor to the minister of education & youth. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or higgins160@yahoo.com.