For Control and Restraint - Defeating Negative or ‘Only’ Consequences

A simple statement to begin with - You cannot live under control as long as you are dispersing negative consequences. We need to be in a situation where we are not disseminating negative outcomes or the ‘only’ moments. When we live in that safe and healthy situation or space, we don’t go without control or restraint. Every person needs to be in that safe living environment without any limitations or reservations. This is a basic requirement and there are no two ways about it. But for some of us unfortunately, this basic necessity is becoming a luxury to live with. As we evolve, over a period of time we enter the territory where there is subtle harm or unfavorable results emanating. It is unfortunate that certain individuals navigate to this territory and operate in this dangerous zone where you become a disseminator of negative outcomes. The focus should be to change this trajectory of deviation and move the person(s) back to safe and sound environment. That is the only way we can defeat the ‘only’ moment syndrome.

When a person is operating at a ground level as a potent force, the consequences resulting from his actions has far-reaching effects. This implies having the ability to influence a nation either in a good or bad way. Your actions increase in severity over time and reach the level to impact each and everyone. The out-of-control actions or increased spikes at minor level in a continuous way will have the ability to produce major outcomes as time goes by. It is imperative we need to arrest these dangerous deviations of today for a safer tomorrow. For instance, if you kill democracy and freedom in a country and curtail the liberty of people, you are a grave threat to one and all. If everyone lives in constant fear and anxiety of what happens next, you are a grave threat to one and all. If everyone lives in constant inability to wade through negative environment, you are a grave threat to one and all. If everyone lives in a realistic picture of where the next violent act emerges or the next war of the world comes out from, you are a grave threat to one and all. If everyone lives with an anticipation of where the next destruction surfaces or a threat to human life emerges, you are a grave threat to one and all. Finally, if a time comes when the negative consequences outnumber the positives of your actions, you are a grave threat to one and all and you become a grave threat to yourself. 

There is no room for extremism in this world. Human extremism has a huge impact on everyone and can sometimes lead to terrible moments – those which turn out of control and out-of-hand. We have examples from the history and past where this extremism born in one’s mind has proven catastrophic for the world.  

We can look at extremist actions of Hitler who is responsible for World War 2. Hitler’s extremism, both in his ideological beliefs and his reckless decisions before and during World War II, created a powerful and violent regime that caused immense suffering. His pursuit of military conquests, racial purity, and absolute power led to catastrophic consequences, not only for Germany but for the world. His failure to adapt to changing circumstances, his increasingly erratic leadership, and his stubbornness ultimately led to the destruction of Nazi Germany. The Allies' military victories and internal opposition in Germany sealed Hitler’s fate, and his extremist policies, rooted in racial hatred and military aggression, brought about his downfall and the devastation of Europe. The systematic extermination of six million Jews during the Holocaust was the most extreme manifestation of Hitler’s anti-Semitic ideology. It wasn't just a matter of social and political exclusion, but a deliberate program of genocide. This atrocity not only defied all human decency but also isolated Germany internationally, making Hitler and the Nazis reviled worldwide. Hitler’s extreme desire for territorial expansion, manifesting in his Lebensraum (living space) ideology, led to the invasion of Poland in September 1939. This act triggered World War II. Hitler's decision to invade the Soviet Union, despite the non-aggression pact between Nazi Germany and the USSR (the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact), was a fatal miscalculation. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hitler declared war on the United States. This expanded the war on two fronts, contributing to Germany's eventual collapse. Hitler misjudged the capabilities of the U.S. and overestimated Germany's ability to maintain a war of attrition. By 1945, as the Soviet Army closed in from the East and the Allies advanced from the West, Hitler’s situation became increasingly dire. The collapse of the Nazi regime was inevitable. In April 1945, Hitler retreated to his underground bunker in Berlin, where he lived in a state of denial about the war’s outcome. On April 30, 1945, with Berlin surrounded and the collapse of the Nazi regime imminent, Hitler committed suicide in his bunker, marking the end of Nazi Germany. You cannot scorn the people, you cannot hurt the egos, you cannot render anyone in a state of extreme shock, lifeless and motionless. When these actions increase in magnitude, it leads to your eventual downfall. 

While this is one example of spreading negative consequences on the rest of world by one person in the past, we cannot overlook the systemic damage being done by the extremist forces in present world. The collective human actions, whether driven by economic ambition, technological advancement, or personal convenience, have far-reaching and often destructive consequences. The cascading effects of environmental degradation, social inequality, public health crises, and cultural disruption reveal a pressing need for change. Only by acknowledging and mitigating the negative consequences of our actions can we hope to create a more just, healthy, and resilient world for future generations. 

As I stated many times, an individual or a group of individual behaviors often reflect the state of a nation. Our actions tell a bit about our breeding ground with that side of the story. I am operating from U.S. and let me talk about the toll of U.S. on the world. While U.S. is often touted as beacon of hope for humanity, there are quite a number of negative repercussions spread by this country upon the world. The United States has been a dominant global power for decades, leading in areas such as technological innovation, economic growth, cultural influence, and military might. While its global reach has brought various advancements and positive impacts worldwide, it has also been associated with significant negative consequences that ripple through the world and across our planet. In a simple sentence, its economic practices breed global inequality, its military interventions lead to instability across nations, its consumer culture breeds environmental impact, its cultural imperialism leads to loss of local traditions, its export of disinformation and polarization lead to political unrest, misinformation campaigns and societal divisions across the world.  

If we just look at the wars waged by this country through its military might, we can know the toll on the world in one area. The toll of U.S. wars, both direct and indirect, is immense and measurable in human, financial, and social terms. Even if we don’t look at the distant past as atom bombing, the post 9/11 landscape is as dark as it gets. The post-9/11 wars (Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, and other affected areas) have led to over 387,000 documented civilian deaths due to direct war violence, according to estimates from the Costs of War Project by Brown University. The true toll, including indirect deaths, may be far higher. Since 2001, an estimated 4.5 million people, including combatants and civilians, have died in war zones associated with U.S.-led interventions, when factoring in indirect causes such as disease, displacement, and food insecurity resulting from conflicts. U.S.-related conflicts since 9/11 have displaced more than 38 million people from their homes. This includes internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees who have been forced to flee to other countries. War-torn countries like Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan have suffered enormous economic setbacks due to destruction of infrastructure, trade disruption, and loss of human capital. Recovery has been slow and often impeded by continuing conflict and political instability. Millions of people have been displaced, millions have died, trillions of dollars have been spent, many nations live in a state of instability. Does the rise of one country require a wide-spread suffering all around. Simply, the negative consequences behind the glory of one nation are fully in open which comes at a tremendous human, capital and resource costs and trade-offs. 

As we can see, it is paramount to mitigate the negative consequences behind our rise. We should spread equity around the world and not destruction. Mitigating the negative consequences of U.S. actions on the global stage requires a multifaceted approach that considers both historical legacies and current geopolitical realities. Addressing and rectifying these issues demands a combination of domestic policy reforms, international cooperation, and a commitment to promoting equity and peace globally. By prioritizing peace, accountability, human rights, and sustainable global engagement, the United States can work to repair past harms and contribute more positively to international stability and prosperity. 

Similarly, at a personal level, it is paramount to bring down the temperatures and cool ourselves. It is important for everyone to encourage moderation, cooling down rather than driving towards extremism. When a person becomes extreme, the ecosystem takes the blame as well. In the name of preparing the person, if you drive him towards extremity, without encouraging respite, then you become a partner in the crime. It is paramount to thoroughly reject this kind of violent, extremist behavior and discourage these forces from influencing one and all. Even if it is seemingly good and gives you short-term benefits, the long-term prospects are bleak from this behavior. You should not fall for the result or short-term or transient gains but carefully analyze the process followed all the way. Finally, we should not cheer for one person downfall and look for negative consequences from one person’s actions, even if we despise that one person. Have good intentions and become heartful well-wishers of the person, for it does a world of good for the person and a world of good for the world.