My attempt to apply Vedic psychological analysis on the ongoing cultural crisis in America and how Vivek Ramaswamy, the new US presidential candidate is addressing it, and how it differs from Narendra Modi's approach.
The main question is what gives fulfillment to the individual because that is paramount to Americans. Continued existence and expansion of the individual is fulfillment according to them. Existence means asserting individual's sense of identity i.e., who I am.
The purpose of government is to enable individual fulfillment by ensuring that one doesn't obstruct another's fulfillment.
Wokeism defined individual identity to be what one defines his physical self to be - race, color, gender, sexual orientation. Freedom means ability to assert one's identity. Oppression is coercing another against that assertion, and discrimination based on identity.
According to Marxism, individuals always try to oppress each other and the job of govt is to prevent that by law enforcement. So as an individual, if I feel I am a man, nobody has the right to call me a woman even if my body is feminine. That is violation of my freedom to assert my identity.
Wokeism says American constitution is inherently oppressive by this definition. It gave rise to the deep guilt among citizens that they actually belong to an oppressive nation. What will make America great again? Adoption and enforcement of individual's assertion of identity.
What does being American mean to the individual? Nothing. What is life's purpose? To nurture the body to be what I want. So annamaya kosha identity defines who I am. This is where Vivek Ramaswamy enters the scene.
Vivek says that American youth have no conception of what it means to be American. 30% of America is clinically depressed. The biggest reason according to him is the lack of a purpose and meaning to life to aspire to. This is the reason for focus on petty things like gender etc. as substitute for that void.
So what is American Identity? A society that fosters free speech, meritocracy, and equal opportunity for individual excellence to realize one's true potential. Here there is no mention of any ideas such as larger good of humanity etc. Hence this is the identity or the concept of Self of the praanamaya kosha. Even though meritocracy sounds like an ideology, it is basically an attempt by the individual ego to assert itself.
He says manifestation of individual power is the only goal. America's self-interest is the only goal of foreign policy. Government has no business in protecting gender assertions other than being completely blind to annamaya kosha based identities.
So he is advocating the resurgence of the domination of praanamaya kosha identity which is the essence of capitalism.
So what is the larger purpose and meaning he is offering to American youth? Individual glory and power by de-emphasizing their annamaya self and its cravings. It is resonating well because praanamaya aananda is more intense.
In contrast, what is Narendra Modi doing to arouse Indian masses?
Modi is also appealing to the praanamaya urge of youth to expand and dominate, but with a larger purpose - vasudhaiva kutumbakam. He always emphasized that India produced the covid vaccines, not for profit but to save lives in other countries. He said Chandrayaan-3 is for humanity. Have you seen NASA ever make such statement? That is the assertion of vijnaanamaya kosha's identity, which is dharma. Yes, enthusing praanamaya not for its own sake but to serve a higher vijnaanamaya cause. This is an even more powerful sense of purpose than Vivek's.
In summary, Vivek is appealing to praanic rajas to raise America's population out of taamasic preoccupation with annam/body. Modi is also appealing to India's praana but gave it a sattvic motive to subserve vijnaanamaya urges. Always the aananda of higher koshas is more intense, and must be aroused to pull people out of attachment to lower urges. That can be a psychotherapy technique.
