Reading the therapeutic contract in the Quran

Day # 22

On #negativity, #positivity and #psychic #immunological and #neuronal responses

In yesterday’s post I referred to hyper-individualism. What does it mean to care only for oneself and one’s achievements, or to think that one is capable of finding one’s solutions on one’s own without a community, a family or a partner. How did we, as a society, become so?

I found an interesting explanation in the work of philosopher, Byung Shul Han. In his book, the burnout society, he talks about what he calls the age of positivity. He explains that the age of self and other governed by negation, creates an immunological response. We are defined by that which we are not, by opposition to an other. The external danger creates a response in us, he refers to as immunological response. However, in the age of globalisation and sameness, positivity becomes equally dangerous, perhaps even more threatening as it does not trigger an immunological response; there is seemingly nothing to oppose. “The same does not lead to the formation of antibodies”. As such the need for an immunological response decreases .

Han explains the impact of such a system on the psyche as causing neural violence. Excess positivity is seductive and causes burnout and depression, perhaps in medical terms it attacks itself and leads to auto-immune malaise as its formation is not in response to otherness rather to excesses within the self such as overachievement, over-productivity, etc.

Byung-Shul Han writes, “The positivation of the world allows new forms of violence to emerge. They do not stem from the immunologically Other. Rather, they are immanent in the system itself. Because of this immanence, they do not involve immune defense. Neuronal violence leading to psychic infarctions is a terror of immanence. It differs radically from horror that emanates from the foreign in the immunological sense….

…The violence of positivity does not deprive, it saturates; it does not exclude, it exhausts. That is why it proves inaccessible to unmediated perception.

Viral violence cannot account for neuronal illnesses such as depression, ADHD, or burnout syndrome, for it follows the immunological scheme of inside and outside, Own and Other; it presumes the existence of singularity or alterity which is hostile to the system. Neuronal violence does not proceed from system-foreign negativity. Instead, it is systemic—that is, system-immanent—violence. Depression, ADHD, and burnout syndrome point to excess positivity.” (Han, 2015)

The reason for introducing these idea is that the verses that follow contain a series of “prescriptions” as if to point to the fact that what we are being prescribed is a remedy for an illness or a preventative medicine. Every prescribed rule triggers an immunological response in the psyche, calls for thought and consideration, builds one’s character or raises one’s mindfulness of God and of others.

The verses reflect a continuous concern for establishing and safeguarding the healthy organisation within a relation system. The rules set have a higher objective to maintain the wellbeing of the individual and the society. Hyper individuality on the other hand removes the immunological response as we become more self-absorbed and self-consumed.

These theories also drew my attention to the dangers of positivity in belief. To only think of God’s mercy and forgiveness will lead us to excesses and transgression. It puts into perspective the 99 names of God, which are divided into two categories, the names that inspire beauty and those that inspire awe. In their contrasting meanings lies the key to a healthy psychic immune system.

2:177  Goodness does not consist in turning your face towards East or West. The truly good are those who believe in God and the Last Day, in the angels, the Scripture, and the prophets; who give away some of their wealth, however much they cherish it, to their relatives, to orphans, the needy, travellers and beggars, and to liberate those in bondage; those who keep up the prayer and pay the prescribed alms; who keep pledges whenever they make them; who are steadfast in misfortune, adversity, and times of danger. These are the ones who are true, and it is they who are aware of God

2:178  You who believe, fair retribution is prescribed for you in cases of murder: the free man for the free man, the slave for the slave, the female for the female. But if the culprit is pardoned by his aggrieved brother, this shall be adhered to fairly, and the culprit shall pay what is due in a good way. This is an alleviation from your Lord and an act of mercy. If anyone then exceeds these limits, grievous suffering awaits him

2:179  Fair retribution saves life for you, people of understanding, so that you may guard yourselves against what is wrong. When death approaches one of you who leaves wealth

2:180  it is prescribed that he should make a proper bequest to parents and close relatives- a duty incumbent on those who are mindful of God

2:181  If anyone alters the bequest after hearing it, the guilt of the alteration will fall on them: God is all hearing and all knowing

2:182  But if anyone knows that the testator has made a mistake, or done wrong, and so puts things right between the parties, he will incur no sin: God is most forgiving and merciful

2:183  You who believe, fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may be mindful of God

2:184  Fast for a specific number of days, but if one of you is ill, or on a journey, on other days later. For those who can fast only with extreme difficulty, there is a way to compensate- feed a needy person. But if anyone does good of his own accord, it is better for him, and fasting is better for you, if only you knew

2:185  It was in the month of Ramadan that the Quran was revealed as guidance for mankind, clear messages giving guidance and distinguishing between right and wrong. So any one of you who is present that month should fast, and anyone who is ill or on a journey should make up for the lost days by fasting on other days later. God wants ease for you, not hardship. He wants you to complete the prescribed period and to glorify Him for having guided you, so that you may be thankful

2:186 [Prophet], if My servants ask you about Me, I am near. I respond to those who call Me, so let them respond to Me, and believe in Me, so that they may be guided

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