The Antifragility Concept

Antifragility is a concept introduced by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his book, “Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder”. It refers to the ability of a system, organism, or institution to not only withstand but also thrive in the face of chaos and uncertainty. The concept of antifragility can be applied to various aspects of human life, including the Institution of Sanyas.

Comfort Zone

Ordinarily man aspires to create a comfort zone in his life in the form of properties, pleasures & various comforts. All this just to create his own comfortable heaven here on earth. Heavens in any system just represent the ultimate comfort zone we can dream of. Obviously comfort zones provide us comfort and a zone of undistracted & focused pursuit of anything which is dear to us, and it could be studies, research, writing, arts, meditation or even simple pursuit of undistracted pleasures & gratifications. Comfort zones also provide us with relaxation and de stressing, They have rather become an epitome of a successful & wealthy life. Big bungalows, luxurious flats & other properties. Greater the comfort zone greater the success. No wonder the world over every person aspires to create their own comfortable homes & zones.

The Positive side of Comfort Zones

Comfort zones do have a positive side, after a tiring day this is where we come back & relax & rejuvenate. If we use our comfort zones to pursue something higher then they become great blessings. Like we have universities and even Ashrams with good comforts, so that we can keep doing our studies & research or sadhanas without any distractions. However, more often these comfort zones become oasis where we revert to just relax & rejuvenate, which by itself is also very important & good. However, when we do not pursue anything higher - no sadhanas, no studies, no arts nothing special at all, yet keep on living in these zones then we simply vegetate and even rot. We become complacent, devoid of any enthusiasm and energy. Just eat, sleep and rest. Such a life may appear relaxing & peaceful, but this is where all diseases - physical & mental start creeping in. It is a challenge of various health experts to motivate these people to at least do some exercises, yoga or even walk.

Perils of Comfort Zone

Experts tell us that some of the most evident perils of our comfort zones are stagnation, lack of creativity, missing out on various opportunities, and of course various kinds of regrets. Various sportsmen tell us that they achieved the best of their dreams only when they kept on challenging themselves. Health enthusiasts know that only when they workout vigorously that they fulfil their dreams, Defence personnel’s are trained in rigorous conditions to help them invoke their latent strength & potentialities. Too much of comfort zones is their death knell. Comfort zones help us to relax, & rejuvenate so that we pursue our dreams all the more vigorously then they definitely become blessings, not otherwise. Be devoid of any passion then we shall simply vegetate & become weak.

Gruhastha Ashram

An ideal household definitely needs a comfortable house, which can provide us our comfort zone - to relax, rejuvenate, procreate, take care of children, educate and prepare for something dear. However, living in such a zone, one should definitely keep pursuing something higher passionately, otherwise all the above mentioned perils of comfort zones just keep waiting to pounce on us and make our lives a hell. Taking up duties, responsibilities and working to attain them is the main objective of such an order. Challenges help to get the best out of us, and even invoke intelligence. Thereafter there are other stages of life, which nowadays very rarely people even think about - and that is a life of simplicity & austerity and finally a life of Sanyas.

Sanyas Ashram

Very few people, including many Hindus, rightly appreciate the objective & nature of Sanyas Ashram. Here are some people who worked hard, had their homes & relatives, earned money, fulfilled their responsibilities in the best possible manner, yet at some point in time voluntarily take to a life of simplicity, austerity and even recluse. Some fear such a life, but some rare few voluntarily opt for it. They definitely appreciate the role & importance of comfort & wealth when it comes to taking care of their family & jobs, however, they also appreciate that austere life helps them to invoke their best. We can either take necessary comforts from extraneous things, or can strive to wake up and actualize self-realization. Gita tells us that a man of knowledge is contended in himself by himself. For this obviously we need to stop any conscious or unconscious dependence on extraneous factors, which was our life earlier.

Antifragility & Sanyas

This is what makes us see the positive role of the concept of Antifragility in this institution of Sanyas. Every situation we come across has two options to choose from. One is a path of comfort & convenience and the other is the one of challenge. One a beaten path and the other a less trodden path. Bhagwad Gita says that the path of Sattwic Sukha initially has lots of difficulties in the beginning, but this alone opens up the gate of enlightenment and immortality later. The so-called Preya Marg is the one of ego fulfilment and the Shreya Marg is all about surrender and negation of ego, so as to wake up to a realm which transcends the ego. Fragile is a relative word, and is in relation to the capacities & fears of the ego, while those who rather believe in the philosophy of non-duality and the intrinsic divinity of all dare to keep aside the concerns of ego and enter into the so called world of antifragility and growth. Can we imagine that in one of the Upanishads a seeker of truth has a dialogue with the Lord of Death himself.

Ego is always Fragile

The concept of Antifragility tells us that in every fragile situation there are two curves, one going up and the other going down. The possibility of going up is just by being more intelligent, positive and creative. Those who are devoid of these qualities obviously take a safer & convenient way of assuring their personal conveniences & security. If someone prefers to remain a small, insecure & fragile individual then obviously all challenges bring us to the crossroads of fragility, however when philosophically you believe that the substratum of all change is the changeless infinite divinity then you can dare to make the concerns of the individual subservient. This is exactly what a Sanyasi does and this choice alone makes all the difference and opens up the gates of the so called enlightenment & freedom.

Om Tat Sat.