Today, at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Center in Boston, Swami Tyagananda delivered a lecture on “Living from Moment to Moment.” He discussed human perception of time — how sad past events haunt us and uncertain future events frighten us, leaving little room to focus on the present. Regarding the past, he remarked that a memory which forces itself to the mind’s fore repeatedly is an “undigested” memory, one whose lesson has not been learned.
But it is his remarks about the future that I found most interesting and applicable. Swamiji framed the problem of the future as a question: How can we develop confidence? He then said that there are three sources of confidence:
- Morality. A steadfast life based on truthfulness and selflessness is a source of great inner strength. As Swamiji puts it, “Even if I should suffer, I will stand for what is right.”
- Faith in God. With a calm belief that there is a purpose to life’s trajectory, we can deal with life’s surprises, suffused with the conviction that things are in the hands of the Almighty.
- Accepting one’s divinity. Swami Vivekananda exhorts us to be aware of our own divinity, to feel that we are, in fact, the Spirit, or Atman. A firm belief in this internal divinity also affords the confidence to meet the future.
Swamiji remarked that these three methods of developing confidence are not mutually exclusive. One can be moral and pious, confident in one’s own actions and calmly accepting the future. (As a side note, I would also add competence to the list — for example, a licensed driver is confident on the road, and a well-prepared student is confident on the relevant exam. When it comes to technical knowledge, spirituality is no substitute for preparation.)
To me, holiness lies in confidence. I have respect for the confident — it is confident, brave action that pushes humanity forward. I only put a “ji” at the end of someone’s name once I am convinced of their confidence, their certainty, their decisiveness in meeting the future. No matter what degree of technical skill we may have as doctors, teachers, or gymnasts, we may still feel constricted by a lack of confidence. That is where spirituality is useful. Spirituality has the unique ability to free our minds, calm our nerves, and inspire us to meet life every day with conviction.
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