Quietly Confident

I’m all set for a one-month break from computers, meetings and management (even monks can’t escape these things!). Taking full advantage of the festive season, we’ll travel the country sharing spiritual wisdom in the form of thousands of books; ancient writings which are ‘food for thought’ in a fast-paced world. Our approximate route: London – Norwich – Hull – Sheffield – Lincoln - Chesterfield- Stafford - Nottingham - Derby – Mansfield - Leicester - London (and a lot of smaller towns in between!). Last week I dropped off the books for our team in various locations. The sight of nearly four thousand books piled high to the ceiling was slightly bewildering! Would it be possible to stand in a bustling town-centre, stop people at random, and inspire the otherwise-engaged shoppers to seriously contemplate higher truths? Have we ambitiously over-ordered our stock? Will people really be interested? Where do we get the confidence to undertake such a task?

The modern self-development gurus teach us that confidence comes from within. You have to “believe in yourself”. If you are sure, others will be sure – your consciousness creates the reality. They tell us to be optimistic about our abilities, to pride ourselves in our strengths, and to have the conviction that anything is possible if we try hard enough. This ‘material confidence’ may work in a limited scope for a short time. Such confidence, however, which is rooted in self-assurance, will gradually deflate. We eventually realise that we’re not what we pumped ourselves up to be. In his prime, Muhammed Ali would proudly assert: “I am the greatest”. Later in life he realised his folly, declaring that he was in actuality the greatest fool for attempting to usurp the Supreme position.

Real confidence comes from humility. We realise our inherent limitations, but gain firm conviction from knowing that the all-powerful will of providence is on our side. With such transcendental back-up, anything is possible. One who is ‘quietly confident’, their surety grounded in humility and dependence, can achieve unimaginable things in this world. Pride, complacency and hopelessness are not found in their dictionary. Seeing themselves as merely instruments, their job is to just “get out of the way” and let the divine magic manifest. I’m trying to learn the art of being a ‘quietly confident’ ambassador of goodwill. By accessing the wisdom of Bhagavad-gita, people can flourish on all levels: physically, emotionally, socially and most importantly, spiritually. This is welfare work with a difference. I hope I’ll play a small part in connecting people to this spiritual powerhouse.


 

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Split Personality

I remember studying a module on Human Resource Management at UCL. The lecturer emphasised the necessity of understanding people’s personality in order to maximise individual potential and create synergy in teams. I came across the "DISC model" a few days ago and decided to asses myself. The results clearly indicated that I was a "steady-cautious" type (as opposed to dominant or influential). The descriptions corroborated with my observations; I appreciated the opportunity to discover more about the strengths, weaknesses and fears I may have. Try scribing a word with your non-writing hand - it takes twice as much time and effort, feels uncomfortable and awkward, and usually comes out quite shabby and unclear! Similarly if we engage with the world in a way that is foreign to our natural personality, we end up struggling, sweating and falling short of our true potential.

We are spiritual beings on a human journey. Having passed through many chapters of existence, we are left with strong impressions from the myriad of experiences we go through. This, along with our childhood and upbringing, forms our ‘material personality’. Nature and nurture leave us with a body and mind that are wired to act and respond in a certain way! Aspiring spiritualists can also take advantage of understanding the material framework within which they exist. When committing oneself to spiritual practices, roles and responsibilities in a devotional community, it helps to be aware of our personality and the potential pitfalls we may encounter.

The Bhagavad-gita, however, goes further than modern psychology. Krishna explains that beyond our psycho-physical makeup, is an eternal spiritual personality endowed with its own divine and attractive traits. If one connects with the ‘higher self ’, to that extent one can also transcend the temporary material personality we receive. If one comes to the profound realisation that the body and mind are simply coverings of the soul, the limitations of their psycho-physical makeup can somewhat diminish. It’s comforting to know that each one of us has a unique, pure and perfect character that we simply have to reawaken. The trick is to suitably engage and absorb our temporary personality in eternal spiritual practices. Then we can really be ourselves.

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