An observation on social psychology of loot
Nature’s impact on Social psychology
Five thousand years ago, on a spine chilling winter morning, Adam’s family woke up in their cave located next to frozen floors of river Vychegda with uninspiring background of black Ural mountain ranges covered with white snow. While children started playing, Adam was mentally preparing plans to hunt down big brown bear for next week family food requirement. Adam gathered with neighbours and started on expedition to hunt down some big animal today. Snow clad earth without a blade of grass and autumn trees without leaves were witness to this everyday struggle for survival in this harsh winter.
On same morning, in another time zone, somewhere in vast Arabian Desert, Mostafa woke up with his family and came out of his small makeshift hut. Cold sub-zero winds of desert felt much pleasant than hot sandstorms of summer. He leisurely counted his herds of goats and sheep and also stoked his favourite camel neck with affection. Today he was the host for a big community celebration and he was the host for serving guests for delicious Camel and Goat meat with sun dried dates that his family had collected last summer. Females in his family started preparing for cooking food in water brought from nearby Oasis about 2 km away. Children, having no other work today, watched the whole food preparation activities with great curiosity.
In yet another different time zone, somewhere near present day Rishikesh in foothill of picturesque Himalayas, on banks of river Ganga a small village is buzzing with activities this winter morning. After attending to morning rituals of yam-niyam farmer Ram Swarup was preparing to move with his bulls for tilling his farm. After milking her cow, wife Tulsi was preparing curry and wheat chapatis for all family members. For preparing food, she prefers drawing fresh water from community well next to their house. Children clad in warm homespun clothes to face windy but pleasant winter are walking down to Sanskrit gurukul on outskirts of village. It is known that Acharya of Gurukul is very knowledgeable and is one of the disciple from lineage of Rishi Ved Vyas. Acharya is famous for imparting multidisciplinary teachings. Village cows were walking down to nearby forest for feeding on natural flora. Invariably these cows return back by evening before milking time to their respective homes.
Above illustration of three different mornings in three different parts of world five millennia ago, moulded the psychology of MAN and also Social psychology of society.
It was natural for Adam and his friends to be equally ruthless to extremely ruthless environment in quest for survival. Born in such society, it is anybody’s guess why Charles Darwin proposed theory of natural selection-fittest survives. From social psychology perspective, society and men in this society treated nature and its constituents as hostile entities fit for taming and destroying for survival, safety and progress.
In Arabian Desert with small Oasis, for Mostafa’s family and friends, control over small sources of scarce water was major challenge of every day. For meeting their rest of needs they prepared to raid other localities in nearby and far flung areas. From social psychology perspective, under dictate of their leader, Mostafa and his friends were always ready to raid other settlements and to safeguard their settlements from others.
In the village on banks of Ganga, Ram Swarup and his fellow villagers have more than plenty needed for their decent living. From Social psychology perspective, society is now engaged in higher level of contemplation beyond mere survival. They are trying to seek oneness with nature as ultimate guardian and friend. Those with scholarly bent of mind went to learn controlling the senses and understanding the microcosm and cosmos. In such social environment it was natural for a wise man to propose principles of “Ekam sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti”, truth is one, but it manifests in different forms. Family, village and faith on nature as Guardian was ingrained in mind of each individual.
With the help of above background and understanding of social psychology, an attempt would be made to solve the puzzle of why a pandemic and an incidence of discrimination led to free for all robbery and looting in world’s advanced society that aspired to write obituary of different forms of civilisations as proposed by various thinkers in one single proverb — the end of history
Pandemic and display of social psychology in India
By now it is amply clear that as pandemic hit Indian cities, every migrant worker living away from his family and village clamoured to somehow reach back to home. Even if poor, he intuitively knew that he and his family members would safe once they reach their village. Even in worst of times, he either patiently waited for state to help him reach his home, or undertook journey on foot, knowing fully well risks involved in such long journey. But idea of looting and riots to survive never struck his mind.
While walking down modern national highways leading to his home, eating food from many road side bhandaras sponsored by rich, never ever felt need to pelt a stone or two on rich. Deep within he has acceptance of that inequality is built in nature. Two apples growing on same tree don’t taste same. Two children born in different family status, or different social value systems cannot be equal. All ants living in same colony don’t enjoy equal rights. This poor man also carried with him belief passed down to him over five thousand years that nature as guardian will take care of him till he reaches his home where he would be invariably safe.
A society that treats family, home, village and nature comprehensive insurance and do not envy neighbor's wealth will never engage in loot and arson for survival is general inference we can draw.
Pandemic and display of social psychology in USA
American society carries the Adam’s ethos of survival as daily struggle against nature, also imposes concept of (democratic) equality and rights on social psychology of its people. While it allows and looks other way when extreme level of real economic inequality raises its head. This is perfect example of highest form of hypocrisy on display.
Family and community as social insurance have been deliberately destroyed and replaced by state mandated insurance. State, having replaced nature as guardian, is supposed to take care of every problem of individual whether unemployment or old age care.
In American model, success of Individual lies in creating insatiable want for wealth and consumption. Few having Gucci bags and driving Mercedes are role models for a large section of society whose survival instinct is inspired by Charles Darwin. Ethos of neighbour’s envy owner’s pride run deep in society that think equality is its birth right.
So when pandemic hits hard and high consumption based economy starts deflating, lot of people become jobless irrespective of race. But unlike Indian poor migrant they don’t have any home and family to reach back in testing times. A small spark is enough to explode the bomb that crashed the very idea of the end of history. So Adam and his friends are once again out in open looking for day to day survival against ruthless nature. Only difference this time is they were hunting down nearby Walmart store.
