1. STRESS
AND
FREEDOM
DR.
SHRINIWAS
KASHALIKAR

2. We experience STRESS; when our freedom is
jeopardized.
In cellular jails the freedom is throttled in terms of even
making movements and meeting people apart from all
other things and hence the life is extremely
STRESSEFUL!
Lack of freedom of availability; of security, food, water,
clothes, shelter, health care, education etc.; creates
enormous STRESS.
Conversely, compulsion or imposition (lack of freedom)
to live only in certain in certain conditions, eat only
certain type of food, drink only certain quantity and
unsafe water, wear only certain type of clothes, live in
certain type of shelters, get only certain kind of health
care, get only certain type of education; cause STRESS.
Lack of freedom of building shelters, using medicinal
herbs, cultivating land, running businesses etc; without
oppressive, coercive and harrowing license system; or
throttling restrictions on all these by various laws; is
denial of freedom and hence extremely STRESSFUL.

3. Lack of freedom of moving to other countries, doing
business in other countries, expressing ourselves in
paintings, music, literature, movies, dramas and so on; is
also a STRESSOR.
Lack of freedom from superstitions is also a major
STRESSOR!
God and His worship have been a part of human
civilization for millennia. In fact many philosophers and
seers consider God to be unanimous with truth, rather,
absolute truth. However we may think God to be a too
burdening and too paranoid superstition, to surrender to,
as our freedom is brutally challenged by it. We may
argue that such suppression of reasoning coercive and
STRESSFUL. Our freedom; especially of rational thinking
are suffocated by God. It is not easy to get freedom from
God, because everything sublime, selfless, subtle, serene and
supreme is also associated with God.
Lastly; we are not quite free to assert our conscience and
are in STRESS; due to inconsiderate outlook, intolerant
attitudes, bigotry, religious, racial impositions, vested
interests, fanaticism, terrorism, and pettiness of
perspective, policies, plans and transactions inside and

4. outside us! In turn, the laws, the conventions, the
traditions, the fashions, the beliefs and even literature,
media and advertising suffocate our conscience and
create STRESS!
Just as every particle is connected by gravity, space, time
and so on, similarly but not in exactly the same way, we
are connected through consciousness. When we do not
realize this unifying link, we are under stress of being cut
off from others (like being in jail) locked in prejudice,
bitterness, hatred, jealousy, contempt and so on! This is
due to the slavery and starvation of our conscience!
When we define and hail political freedom; we have to
consider these different aspects of freedom and see;
whether majority of us in the world are FREE in all
respects and free from STRESS!
If we understand freedom in depth; then we would not
discriminate between those who participate in political
freedom movements and those who don’t. An individual
or an organization that does not participate in political
freedom movement is not necessarily antinational or
against freedom! Thus artists, scientists, hermits, health
workers, government servants, social reformers, atheists,

5. internationalists, different religious leaders; might not
have participated in political freedom struggles; in
different countries. But they are not antinational, against
freedom; antisocial and so on; but they actually work for
different aspects of our freedom to blossom together!
Thus; together; we all can get total freedom of individual
and global blossoming; by working complementarily; if
billions of people; apart from making brilliant and
valiant efforts; practice NAMASMARAN (which is core
of Total Stress Management) with freedom of any
superstition in theist or atheist imagery.
This is because; in remembrance of God or true self, we
realize and help others to realize this unifying link (as the
immortal saints are said to do); and/or help the others;
through our perspective, thinking, policies, plans and
administration, arts and other creative efforts! An
atmosphere of unity and harmony is thus created through
the remembrance of God or true self.