Quite often we talk about 'individuality' of a person. If we can not segregate our thoughts as right and wrong and if we can not talk about what we assess as 'right' and act on it or act according to it, does it not tantamount to losing one's own 'individuality'? If we cannot nurture and maintain our individuality, how can we be distinguished from each other? The educationist and philosopher J. Krishnamurthy argues that as the kids grow they should be taught to guard against the temptation to fall-in-line or conforming to the general view. It is easy to join the bandwagon rather than staying alone and proving one's own point. At what age do we start building our own individuality in terms of our thinking and action rather at what age we become over-conscious of our surrounding and start losing our individuality? Even against the odds, we should stand up to our conviction if we want to maintain our individuality. The odds might be the "power" of a person whom we are taking on or it could be the "superfluous obviousness" of what one is contesting against.

There is an anecdotal story to explain this point. There was a saint in a town who went around and preached a few things that he earnestly believed. No one in that town seemed to have taken his preaching seriously. When a guy who watched him preaching right from his childhood approached him and questioned his conviction as no one seemed to have got reformed because of his preaching, his answer was that he wanted to guard against the possibility of getting converted by others. The point is that if not to convince the whole world but atleast maintain one's own individuality, we need to have convictions and more so that we stick to those convictions. It is not simple to follow as it needs self-discipline, effort, courage and intelligence.

Parents are the first teachers for the kids. Thereafter, they go to school and teachers inculcate the character along with knowledge to the children. As the kids grow up, they pick up many qualities 'required' to lead a life on this highly competitive world just to make the survival possible. As we grow up, one of the characters that is put to strain is the courage and conviction to speak the truth or what we feel is right. "Courage with Conviction" is an ideal combination but "gathering" courage and investing effort to get to the bottom of the truth and gain conviction over the truth is a prerequisite before one acts courageously with conviction.

In order to gain conviction on anything, one needs to be unbiased and objective. This is possible only when we have detached attachment to anything and anybody. More importantly, one needs the courage to plough deep and wide to be aware of all facts to get conviction. Essential qualities of a person to be self-confident about his/her own integrity include courage, untiring effort, detached attachment and objectivity. In a way lack of conviction or indifference to find the truth kills one's individuality? If losing individuality is tantamount to killing our identity, when do we kill ourselves- At young age or when we grow up? How to maintain one's individuality in the midst of confusion and motivated self-interests? This is a serious question one needs to introspect oneself if one wants to make an impression during his/her lifetime? Only those geniuses who had answered this question and identified their strengths left a legacy behind them.

What could come in the way of gaining conviction? Indifference to the truth, prejudiced about the incidence/person (that elders/superiors know better than us), lack of self-merit, lack of intelligence, and excessive involvement/attachment with the event/person would repel us from getting to the truth. We would analyze them in the forthcoming weeks.

Continues next week....

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