Col Satish Singh Lalotra
For every one of us at some point of the time in our daily lives, we have been witness to a common sight of someone or the other glued to a ‘self-help’ book on a crowded metro, airport lounges, in a quiet hill retreat, or on a late night desk illuminated by single lamp. Oblivious to the flow of the world rushing past , these people with a ‘self-help’ book in their hands try to find a connect with their inner lives that have an imprint in the myriad pages of these books. From the eternal classics like the famous ‘Dale Carnegie’s’ ‘How to win friends and influence people’ to modern sensations such as James clear’s ‘Atomic habits’ these self-help books have continued to enjoy a global readership. Some treat them as lifelines, others as mere paper promises. World famous Chinese thinker ‘Confucius’ and even Indian strategist ‘Chanakya’ were essentially ‘Self-help gurus’ guiding the masses during their times in philosophical form. With such an avid readership in the offing , can Indian self-help books be far behind? This genre of self -help books has surprisingly deep roots in our Indian context. Our religious cum mythological treatises in the form of world famous ‘Bhagwad Gita’, the Upnishads, Mahabharta and Ramayana were nothing but historical ‘self-help’ books that had been for centuries acting as a guiding light for the countless masses who often found themselves lost in the labyrinthine of worldly affairs. The priceless shlokas in Bhagwad Gita rendered by Lord Krishna to Arjun to pick up arms against his own brethren ( Kauravas) during the battle of Mahabharta when the latter was overcome by a tsunami of emotional turmoil is nothing but a leading chapter in the long march to ‘self -help’ ‘cum self-realization’. Cut to modern times and we have the likes of famous self-help Indian author cum motivational speaker ‘Shiv Khera’ who with his masterpieces like ‘You can win’, ‘live while you are alive’, ‘Jeetapki’ etc lining up the readers stands all over the sub-continent for decades. What makes Shiv Khera tick as an author in such a short time while most others of his ilk would slog through their lives and yet not able to reach that elusive aura of reigning the hearts and minds of the masses? The answer lies most probably the correct way he has interpreted the lives and times of the masses and proffered near exact solutions to the problems plaguing them via his writings. Today the genre has expanded into sub categories like productivity, mental health, spirituality, relationships, and even financial independence.
Can anybody forget the world famous Indian independence freedom fighter cum ‘Gadr movement leader ”Lala Har Dayal’ who with his masterpiece self-help book –‘Hints for self-culture’ weaved countless Indians into a mosaic of unyielding strength to find their own moorings and take up cudgels against the British ? What exactly underlines this undying popularity of self -help literature that has been going on relentlessly and now transcending even our modern age? Do these books or literature on self-help genuinely change our lives that we so assiduously hanker after? For the above questions one has to dive deep into the very psychology of ‘Self-help’, since from here originates the dire need to gravitate towards such literature. It is the so called ‘Placebo effect of belief’ which simply creates the mindset of myriad possibilities that in turn motivates action in one’s life. Repetition of positive ideas, like affirmations or ‘habit loops’ helps rewire thought patterns in a positive realm. In addition to the above there are plethora of other reasons which goad an individual to seek refuge from the pages of these self-help books. It would do well to shed some light on them. At the very heart of this self-help phenomenon is the core issue plaguing the mankind-‘Human vulnerability’. Life is unpredictable, full of pressures that range from personal, financial, professional, and emotional and the like. With an increasingly self-centered society that has been dealt a double whammy in the form of nuclear families leaving the younger generation without an umbrella of home grown homilies so very essentially imparted by the elders in the family, is it any wonder that the new generation but naturally gravitates towards such self-help books to elicit answers plaguing their impressionable minds?
A self-help book on the contrary comes immediately to the refuge of an individual by its very accessibility and easy reach coupled with the fact that it often comes in cheap rates. The reason that our society which has off late been divided and living into water tight compartments leaving very little leeway for interaction amongst ourselves, positions us in a manner both psychologically and emotionally to make friends with such literature. The ‘factor of companionship’ rendered elusive by a fractured society makes these self-help books a ‘de jure necessity’ away from a ‘de facto’ need. One of the biggest takeaways of these self-help books are the humongous nature of cut and dried formulas proffered by the writers of these books who navigated their ways among the choppy waves of life which were thrown their way as they progressed. Readers often testify as to how a single book of such nature changed their lives. Countless entrepreneurs cite ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ as their inspiration.’ Atomic habits’ another masterpiece in self-help category unshackled millions over the globe from their dangerous addictions building consistent routines. Yet critics argue that these self-help books can be full of limitations. Many may be overly simplistic, even exploitative for the simple reason that ‘Not one size fits all’. What worked for the author or other readers may not work for you, since the template on which was formulated a particular self-help book may just not overlap my requirements. Hence it may be of little help and value. Nonetheless these masterpieces offer a perspective shift as they can open our eyes to new and newer ways of thinking and reframing our challenges as they come our way. At other end of the limitations that come with these types of books are shallow or repetitive perspectives that just repackage common sense or popular clichés. Moreover when the chips are down for an individual facing the vicissitudes of life these books may act as temporary elixir thereby boosting the overall personae of a man or woman, but without consistent action. The ultimate down side of these self-help books may come in the form of an ‘overconsumption trap’ wherein the protagonist may just indulge in a ‘Gigo-cycle i.e garbage in and garbage out instead of imbibing anything worthwhile from such creations.
In such an interminable maze of self-help tools, how does an individual exercise discretion to save himself from the trap of falling into worthless mumbo jumbo put out by the ‘fly by night’ authors of such books? Very simply to put across–one should choose wisely these types of books backed up by research or written by credible authors. So far so good. But what about the global industry of such “self-help books”?Worldwide self -help tools encompassing the bestselling books along with seminars, online classes, podcasts and motivational lectures etc command an exorbitant billions of dollars. It has now expanded into a vast network of commercial enterprise that is growing year on year fed on the ever increasing mercurial nature of man who is its biggest client. In India, the likes of spiritual leaders Sadguru and Gaur Gopal Das blend traditional wisdom with self-help concepts, creating their own success stories. Publishers know the formula, catchy titles, relatable anecdotes, and promises of transformation of a man’s outlook towards life. For a nation of young aspirants facing competitive exams, job stress, and shifting identities ,self-help books are the way to go on road to self-discovery. The genre of self-help books and associated material has adapted brilliantly to the digital age of today. As mentioned above by me, the self-help content thrives not only in books but also in podcasts, instagram reels as well as audiobooks. Apps like ‘Audible’ have made it easier for busy professionals to ‘read’ on the go. Bite-sized motivational content now competes with full-length works. In such a challenging scenario this shift raises an interesting question-Is self-help becoming too diluting? Does a 30 second or even one minute reel truly measure up to the exacting demands of self-help and truly lead the way which once a 300 page book did?
The honest answer to the above is a resounding -‘sometimes’ and not always. A book is only as powerful as a machine on whose controls sits the reader or machine operator. Self-help offers tools, but it cannot guarantee results. For some it sparks spontaneity and profound growth, but for others it becomes an endless cycle of consumption without action. The problem with today’s generation is that it is always short on time as well as short on temper.Both have ominous consequences for self-improvement through these tools. I myself have undergone this cathartic change while in service relying on self-help books, since service conditions throw dime a dozen situations which best of training in the hallowed portals of training academies don’t cater to. To my mind the best approach for taking help from such self-help books is to apply the time tested dictum of C-A-R-E (Choose wisely, apply immediately, reflect, and finally evaluate) technique. And I am pretty sure the road to self-help from a book store is not long and winding provided the toughest of situations one may visualize in his or her life are fairly and squarely met with an abiding dictum as mentioned above.
(The writer is a retired army officer)
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