How to Stop Worrying

(Published in Banking Services Chronicle November 2005)

We spend a lot of time worrying. The sources of worry range from lapses in the past to troubles of the present to—and this is most worrisome—uncertainties of the future. Most of us are unable to adopt a “Que sera sera” (whatever will be, will be) approach. And that is why we dread change and start worrying.

Worrying, however, is a colossal waste of time. If you worry for an hour, you have wasted a valuable hour which could have been devoted to a constructive purpose. But the story does not end there. During this one hour of worrying, you have viewed yourself negatively. And a negative perception of oneself is a potent ingredient in the recipe for disaster. Besides, you may have irritated those around you and earned their disrespect.

“I understand that, Sir! But how can I avoid worrying?” Well, if that is a sincere question, my best advice would be: read Dale Carnegie’s How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. As for now, let us try to understand why and how we worry. As mentioned earlier, the main cause of worry is an insecurity about the future. Every impending change is fraught with uncertain consequences.

The question is: who worries? He that feels insecure. And he feels insecure because he lacks confidence in himself. If I have a sufficient store of grains, I will not be much worried about a famine. Or, coming to a problem much more relevant in modern India, if my place is equipped with power back-up facility, I will not be much worried about the gruelling periods of power-cut.

So, therein lies the clue: “back-up facility”. That is what confidence is. It arms an individual with resistance and, if that fails, with resilience. Take the example of developing countries. Regimes in these countries are often worried about a Foreign Hand trying to destabilise them. The CIA and the KGB have rendered uneasy many a head that wears the crown. But we have never heard about the US getting jitters from India’s Research & Analysis Wing (RAW).

Or, take the case of the media in our country. The channels have a ‘tez’ (speed) complex which often leads them to betray their immaturity. Even the prime minister Manmohan Singh recently complained: “In the race for capturing markets, journalists have been encouraged to cut corners, to take chances, to hit and run.” It is the insecurity of survival that drives them to desperation. What they forget is that brand is not built in a day.

Terrorism, a global menace that has assumed threatening proportions, is a consequence of being worried about the success of one’s idea. Says Bipin Chandra, an eminent historian; “Gandhiji would not only oppose the use of terror to achieve any objective but would also say that terror is resorted to when one is not able to build a majority or a large-scale public opinion. That is why he criticised revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh.” So, ultimately it boils down to a crisis of faith in one’s own ideology.

Similarly, xenophobic tendencies are a consequence of being worried about the future in the absence of protectionism. Many in our country want to stop foreign investment and a liberalised trade regime for fear of being trampled by the gigantic multi-national companies (MNCs). Developed countries, on the other hand, are worried about job loss and vehemently oppose immigration and outsourcing.

In each of these cases, we find that the crisis of confidence leads us to react. And we orchestrate our efforts to arrest the agent of change itself. Which is quite stupid. In doing so, our attempts often prove abortive and set us on the path to worrying.

You cannot stop an idea whose time has come. But you can make provisions for its negative consequences. At least try for it. And enjoy peace of mind.