We are members of the human family. As human beings, we do not have any more or less right than anyone else. Every one of us has as much right as anyone else in the entire world to express views and ideas, to be heard, and to be agreed or disagreed upon. We are global persons not affected by accidents of history: nationality, race, color, creed, gender, looks, ethnicity, family. For instance, we did not have any choice about being born in any country, race, sex or belief system. We should not be affected by racism, casteism, and sexism. We should not be tainted by any form of prejudice or pre-conceived ideas. None is royal; yet all are royal as children of God. None has any privilege solely on the basis of birth. Purity of being implies integrity. One continually needs to choose to be human and humane; one needs to continually purify oneself. One is not against anybody; one is for all. One leaves this world not as an Indian or American but as a human being. And the only measure by which one is judged in the words of Jesus Christ is: "When you did it to the least of your brother or sister, you did it to me" (Mat. 25, 31-45).

             Purity of intention is the corner stone of spirituality. Spirituality is unthinkable without it. My intention gives meaning to my action. It determines the quality of my deed. One's duty well done is a reward in itself. Do I do things that I may be noticed, recognized, acknowledged, awarded? Do I do anything to impress others? Looking back at my early years in religious life and community living I am aware that I took great pleasure in being noticed while doing various spiritual exercises. I am also thinking that I either performed spiritual activities or prolonged them so I could be noticed by my superiors or my fellow religious. I wanted to be considered to be holy by others; I wanted to be in their good books. Spiritual masters were very emphatic about the importance of purity of intention. When giving alms, Jesus said, let the right hand not know what the left hand gives. It is very difficult to practice purity of intention in the consumer society that we live in where we are required to advertise ourselves, blow our own trumpets, and literally sell ourselves. While esthetic clothing and grooming are important, our preoccupation with dressing and make-up can only have a deleterious effect on our spirit life. The flower in the forest that is not enjoyed or noticed by anyone still blooms.

             Purity of means tells us that end does not justify means. Not even a good end justifies bad means. In the non-violent Quit India Movement started against the British in 1942 by Gandhiji, he quit Quit India program when it turned violent even against the wishes of some of his followers. The fact that they tasted some success against the colonizers did not mean that a bad means could justify a good end.

Holy Indifference/Affective Detachment

             Holy indifference is a very important sign of spiritual health. St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of Jesuits and the author of Spiritual Exercises, gives utmost importance to holy indifference. His book pioneered retreats among Christians. He stated that one should be indifferent with regard to long or short life, poverty or wealth, and sickness or health in the service of God and humanity. In fact one should be indifferent to praise or blame, honor or dishonor, good or bad reputation, and recognition or neglect. God alone knows the intentions of a human being. God alone makes judgments that are a hundred percent correct. Humans can and do err. We have numerous examples of innocent persons executed and criminals set free all over the world. That alone should argue against death penalty if nothing else. An action well-performed is its own reward. Being human we all look for a positive outcome from a deed. It is alright to expect a positive outcome, but one should not be unduly attached to the fruit of one's actions. This is also what is indicated by nishkamakarmavritti(not attached to the fruits of actions) in Bhagavad Gita.

             One is not indifferent in the sense one does not care about what one does. One is optimally motivated and involved in what one does. Over-motivation or under-motivation as well as over-involvement or under-involvement spells disaster and paves the way for the opposite of what one looks for. Two examples come to my mind. A politician or someone else who keeps on endlessly rambling in speech on stage massaging his/her ego is unconcerned; on the other hand, someone overly concerned and self-conscious suffers stage-fright, freezes, and cannot utter a word. A man going through a forest inhabited by ferocious wild animals is over-confident and therefore unconcerned and not cautious enough meets with the same fate, namely an attack, as another man who is so frightened that he freezes and cannot run when the wild animal approaches. Both over-motivation and under-motivation are bad. So a balance is called for. One answer St. Ignatius provides is: Do everything as if everything is dependent on you; once done, leave everything to God as if everything is dependent on God.

             Life is made up of successes and failures. We are told that failures can be stepping stones to successes if we do not lose our hearts. The familiar story of despondent King Bruce who was defeated in battles several times took courage from a spider. That spider did not give up after several unsuccessful attempts at jumping to reach its destination in a cave that Bruce fled to. I have stated elsewhere that success (a good outcome) can come after or as a result of failure (misfortune). And sometimes the failure is the price that we pay for the success that we are looking for. In any case a level of indifference that is unholy as well as a level of anxiety that is undue can cause enormous amount of emotional and mental problems. Our involvement in everything that we do needs to be optimal and balanced. Affective detachment is the psychological term I use for holy indifference.

Self-transparence as a Mode of Conscious Being

             A truly spiritual person is seen through and through. There is no pretense or deceit. There is nothing to hide. There is no room for manipulation or duplicity. There is no misunderstanding. There is no need for guess-work. One's intention is clear. You get what you see. People know you for who really are. You are your own person. One is not living a life of lie or pretense. There is no area in one's life where light has not shined. While one is discrete in disclosing, at least one or two persons know all about one's life. For instance, it is very important for one's spouse to know all about one's life. In my 35 years of clinical practice there were instances when spouses in marital therapy disclosed their infidelities while their partners were hidden from them. Trust, intimacy, and friendship are greatly facilitated by self-disclosure. Self-transparence contributes greatly to any relationship.

             A self-transparent person is not concerned about guilt or shame. Guilt relates to what we think of ourselves. Shame relates to what others think of ourselves. If I do not have anything to hide, I do not need to be ashamed of myself. And if one has done something one should feel guilty and/or ashamed of one should have the courage and grace to admit it and make necessary reparation if needed. Actual ego and the real ego are the same in a self-transparent person.