People have always had anxieties. But if you thought, by some coincidence, that I was going to use this space to simply express my opinion about the primary anxiety people have been dealing with over the past few months, you would be wrong. While the pandemic may have sparked my interest in writing about coping mechanisms, COVID-19 worries aren’t my focus. I’m opining about anxieties in general terms. And, believe it or not, there’s a connection to RAM.
My point is that even a person with knowledge and wisdom has to cope with occasional anxieties. However, that type of individual—one who has knowledge and wisdom—is way ahead of the rest of the pack. Such a person has learned to separate all anxieties into those that are self-inflicted and those that are the result of unforeseen circumstances. The former we can avoid, whereas the latter are usually (although not necessarily) unavoidable. In any event, they will befall us without it being our fault.
SELF-INFLICTED ANXIETIES
If you want to eliminate self-inflicted anxieties, there are three steps you must take.
1. Do some judicious pruning. For example, before even thinking about going on a camping trip with an 18-wheeler-sized recreational vehicle full of every conceivable accessory, think of what you can do without. Resist the urge to take along nice furniture, fancy cooking equipment, a freezer, a portable generator, lights, a TV, and many other items. Think of setting up, packing up, backing an 18-wheeler into a tight spot. Would you really have enough time to enjoy camping? Do your pruning before you do anything else. It’s all within your power.
2. Develop and stick to sound priorities. Set them without delay. Above all do not develop a passion for work. Instead, develop an intense desire to add value to whatever it is you are working on. Passion should be reserved for adding value, for mutually beneficial interaction, with your family.
3. Acquire a spiritual perspective on life. Regardless of its origins, a solid spiritual perspective is far superior to a purely secular viewpoint. People with mere secular viewpoints will put faith in humans. Because they have never examined the sorry record humans have left for successive generations to clean up, they will always repeat the errors made by their predecessors. A future full of anxieties awaits those without some type of spiritual perspective.
BEYOND-OUR-CONTROL ANXIETIES
How can we cope with anxieties that aren’t self-inflicted? Aren’t there people who have anxieties because they suffered injuries due to the negligence of someone in authority? Or because they were born to parents or into an environment not of their choice? Indeed. They, too, must find ways to cope, somehow. Despite the injustices visited upon them, they also have the right to live tranquil lives. An important first step, to the extent possible, is for them to become informed.
Good books can make one informed. The person suffering from anxieties that were not of their own making will still be able to find role models in others that have suffered before them. They can be friendly with empathetic fellow residents and fellow believers with whom they share a particular fate, and with whom they can share a sound faith.
Faith is a quality and attribute of those who made application of knowledge and thus upgraded it to become wisdom. Faith in a higher power turns uneasiness and apprehension into tranquility, which is inner calm and the opposite of anxiety. Deep within themselves, those who have faith in some higher power will be freed from uneasiness, foreboding, and alarm. His or her mind will not be unsettled by the distractions and perplexities resulting from anxiety.
THE RAM CONNECTION
The question is how does this discussion of coping with anxieties relate to your work life and the areas of reliability, availability, and maintenance (RAM)? The answer has to do with a professional’s conscience. It’s a bit like the medical doctor’s Hippocratic Oath: “Do no harm.”
A doctor without a conscience is prone to endanger many. In the technical professions, the one free of anxiety is a value-adder. The one whose conscience has become callused or even shut down completely becomes a danger to the gullible and the deliberately uninformed.TRR
Editor’s Note: Click Here To Download An Updated (May 2020) List Of Heinz Bloch’s 22 Books
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Heinz Bloch’s long professional career included assignments as Exxon Chemical’s Regional Machinery Specialist for the United States. A recognized subject-matter-expert on plant equipment and failure avoidance, he is the author of numerous books and articles, and continues to present at technical conferences around the world. Bloch holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and is an ASME Life Fellow. These days, he’s based near Houston, TX. Email him at heinzpbloch@gmail.com.
Tags: reliability, availability, maintenance, RAM, professional development
