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The role of non-cognitive capabilities on sustained human development*

Dilip Dutta

School of Economics

Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences

University of Sydney

NSW: 2006, AUSTRALIA

dilip.dutta@sydney.edu.au

Abstract

A psycho-physical individual becomes a psycho-social personality with a clear sense of social or inter-personal responsibility. An individual becomes a person with capability to relate his or her higher qualities to other individuals. Persons with different degrees of higher assimilative qualities create different personalities. After reviewing the role of various human capabilities on human development, focus is made on non-cognitive human capabilities at both individual and collective levels. The nature of an embodied human soul or ego self and its role on the development of a human personality are analysed. The process of sustained development of a human personality as an energy tool used by the human soul is elaborated. The role of will power on building a strong character of a personality is then highlighted. It is argued that non-cognitive capabilities based sustained human development has potential for rendering true services to the society

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*The paper to be presented at the HDCA (Human Development and Capabilities Association) Conference on Capability and Diversity in a Global Society at Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo, Japan during 1-3 September, 2016.

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1. Introduction

An ordinary psycho-physical human being with a raw ego of individuality has the tendency to treat itself as a subject, or as the end-value, by considering everything else in the natural/physical or material world as means to the end-value. When this idea that material objects serve no purposes of their own other than serving the purposes of a subject is applied to social environment, the individual commits a serious ethical blunder, and becomes the exploiter of even other human beings. The basic truth underlying a social environment is the truth of mutuality and interdependence. Other human beings constituting the social environment are, therefore, not just objects, but also subjects as well. With this understanding that each individual is an end itself as well as a means with respect to other fellow beings, individuality with raw ego grows and expands into personality with ripe ego. As to the basic difference between ‘individuality’ and ‘personality’, the former is primarily a psycho-physical entity, while the latter is predominantly a psycho-social one with a clear sense of social or inter-personal responsibility. An individual becomes a person with capacity to relate his or her higher primarily non-cognitive qualities (such as love, affection, care, trust, etc.) to other individuals. In fact, persons with different degrees of higher assimilative qualities create different personalities. By developing one’s apparent present individuality, one rises to a point where one becomes a better, perfect and real personality. One’s conscious existence, where every action is accompanied with a feeling of egoism does not, however, cover the whole spectrum of one’s existence. During sleep or in performing automatic actions, there is no feeling of egoism present and yet one does exist, though one enters a stage that is below the conscious existence and/or even inferior to it. In the higher stage of human development also there is, as mystics claim, no feeling of egoism, but it is claimed to be superior to the ordinary consciousness. Equipped with a self-reflective mind1, humans are generally driven by ‘a fluctuating array of imaginary personas’ especially when the mind remains 1 Following their controlled experiments in cognitive science, neuroimaging, and social psychology, the empirical scientists however challenge philosophers’ claims that , by reflecting on itself, thought, and therefore mind, reliably reveals our nature, grounds knowledge, gives us free will, endows our behavior with moral value, etc. (Rosenberg, 2016). Philosopher Thomas Nagel (2013) argues that one cannot understand mind until the physical sciences stop ‘subtracting from the physical world as an object of study everything mental– consciousness, meaning, intention or purpose.’ Nagel (Ibid.) further notes: “Mind…is not an inexplicable accident or a divine and anomalous gift but a basic aspect of nature that we will not understand until we transcend the built-in limits of contemporary scientific orthodoxy.”

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uncontrolled; they identify themselves with their individual/personal body-mind complex, which makes them highly ego-centric. As long as their ‘I’ consciousness is increasingly attuned more to the events and circumstances (both pleasurable and miserable to human senses) of the external world, they forget the higher assimilative qualities of their inherent inner nature. Thus, while all other living things in the natural world function spontaneously and efficiently, most humans have very little or no understanding of what natural and effortless functioning means. However, the more human mind becomes disciplined and refined, more does one become aware of the ‘surplus in human being’ as the real source of ‘I’ consciousness. Consequently, a person with a command and control on his or her mind, without being swayed any longer by the external forces, becomes able to see things as they are, and becomes more balanced and equipoise in daily life activities (Dutta, 2014b, p. 260).

After reviewing the role of human capabilities on human development in section 2, section-3 will analyse nature of an embodied human soul or ego self and its role on the development of a human personality. The process of sustained development of a human personality as an energy tool used by the human soul is then elaborated in section-4, which is followed by a conclusion in section-5.

2. Role of human capabilities on human development

Although the terms ‘capability’ and ‘capabilities’ are often interchangeably used in the literature on human development, Gasper (2007, p. 336) has summarized the basic distinction between the two terms. Accordingly, ‘capability’ in Amartya Sen’s capability approach to human development is the “full set of attainable alternative lives that face a person; it is a counterpart to the conventional microeconomics notion of an opportunity set defined in commodity space, but is instead defined in the space of functioning[2].” But the term ‘capabilities’ in Martha Nussbaum’s somewhat distinct ‘capabilities approach’ to human development, “conveys a more concrete focus on specific attainable functionings in a life [say, of women] and connects to ordinary language’s reference to persons’ skills and powers and the current business jargon of ‘core capabilities’” (Gasper,

2 People value their ability for ‘doing’ certain things and for achieving certain type of ‘beings’ such as well-nourished, free from avoidable morbidity and able to move around as desired, and so on. Sen (1988, p. 15) gives these ‘doings and ‘beings’ a generic name called ‘functionings’ of a person. The achievement of a person’s ‘functionings’ depends not only on the commodities owned by the person, but also on availability of public goods viz: health, education, communication, transportation, etc. either free or at a subsidised rate.

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Ibid). Nussbaum (2011, pp. 18-19) lists 5 essential elements of the capability approach: (1) the principle to treat each person as an end, rather than looking at average; (2) to focus on choice of freedom rather than achievements; (3) to be pluralist about value, which entails that different capabilities are incommensurable; (4) to be deeply concerned with entrenched social injustice and inequality; and (5) to give a clear task to government and public policy.3 Generally speaking, human capabilities are basically, human capital (HC) referring to physical, mental, and social attributes “that are produced, are embodied in humans, are not alienable [i.e., ownership not transferable], and contribute to person’s productive capacity” (Tomer, 2008, p. 14).

Human Development Report 2013 (p. 36) emphasizes that need for expansion of the individual level capabilities or freedoms to social competencies:

“(T)here are aspects of societies that affect individuals but cannot be assessed at the individual level because they are based on relationships, such as how well families or communities function, summarized for society as a whole in the ideas of social cohesion and social inclusion. Individuals are bound up with others. Social institutions affect individuals’ identities and choices. Being member of the healthy society is an essential part of a thriving existence.

In Human Development Report 2014 (p. 79), such a healthy society has been defined as a socially cohesive one:

A ‘socially cohesive’ society is one that works towards the well-being of all its members, fights exclusion and marginalization, creates a sense of belonging, promotes trust and offers its members the opportunity of upward mobility. Lack of these attributes is often correlated with conflict and violence, especially in situations of unequal access to resources or benefits from natural wealth, or with the inability to deal effectively with rapid social or economic change or the impact of economic or climate-related shocks.

Recently, World Development Report 2015 (p. 100) also points out the importance of development of individuals’ non-cognitive skills4:

3 Quoted from Robeyns (2011).

4 Other terms used to describe the non-cognitive skills include soft skills, personality traits, character skills, and socio-emotional skills (Heckman & Kautz, 2013). These skills are related specifically to an individual’s self-

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Some psychologists see them [non-cognitive skills] as related to personality traits, while neurobiologists focus on the ability to control oneself (self-regulation) and related constructs. The cognitive components of self-regulation, referred to as executive function, include the ability to direct attention, shift perspective, and adapt flexibly to changes (cognitive flexibility); retain information (working memory); and inhibit automatic or impulsive responses in order to achieve a goal such as problem solving (impulse control). … Self-regulation also includes emotional components such as regulating one’s emotions, exhibiting self-control, and delaying gratification to enjoy a future reward. …Non-cognitive skills are just as powerful as IQ and cognitive skills in predicting a wide range of life outcomes in adulthood that are economically relevant and reinforce each other… .

In the recent literature on the need to address non-cognitive skills (e.g., in the education policy agenda and labour market participation), non-cognitive skills have been broadly defined as representing the ‘patterns of thought, feelings and behaviour’ of individual that may continue to develop throughout their lives and therefore these skills are associated with individuals’ full development. In fact, multiple studies show that ‘non-cognitive skills support cognitive development; non-cognitive and cognitive skills are interdependent and cannot be isolated from one another.’ Not only that, ‘we may fail to boost cognitive skills unless we pay closer attention to non-cognitive skills (Garcia, 2014, pp. 3-4).

On a tangible-to-intangible spectrum, standard human capital (HC) skills, whether involving physical abilities of blue-collar workers or cognitive-related administrative/managerial abilities of white-collar workers, are primarily on the tangible side, while social capital5 (SC) involving mostly non-cognitive related abilities embodied in human relationships is on its intangible side (Tomer, 2008, p.

control, self-regulation, inter-personal relationship, critical thinking, creativity, persistence, emotional maturity, empathy, work ethic, community responsibility, teamwork, verbal and non-verbal communication, among others.

5 As has been defined by different researchers and summarized by Tomer (2016, pp. 16-17), social capital (SC) has three major elements: (i) specific form of the SC’s social-structural features or resources, (ii) intermediate purpose of the SC, and (iii) its ultimate purpose. Specific form of a SC defined as social-structural resources can typically take the form of “obligations and expectations, information channels, social norms and effective sanctions, authority relations, family and friendship bonds, and intentional organization (forms) all of which facilitate the actions of persons or collective entities (intermediate purpose)” which, in turn, may serve the ultimate purpose of say, fostering economic growth.

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14). While the standard HC is mostly objectively measurable with tests, the SC being highly subjective is often not objectively measurable.

Like the existing difference in usage of the two terms ‘capability’ and capabilities, there is also a variety of usages of the term human development (HD) in different traditions6. Two basic most commonly usages are in an individual’s psycho-physical and its psycho-social domains. In the first usage, HD refers to a person’s process of maturation to its potential or capability through educational training and practices for skill and talent development, and nurturance of its individual personality traits. In the second usage, though distinct from but not unrelated to the first, HD relates to the opportunities and constraints the individuals collectively face in a socio-economic and politico-cultural systems. HD flourishes when people at large not only secure material benefit of skill and personality development through freedoms of choice, action and expression, but also enjoys human dignity through all types of freedom conditions including human rights, political liberties and social justice.

Capability-based human development at the individual level

The terms ‘individual’ and ‘individuality’ or ‘person’ and ‘personality’ are often used interchangeably in common discourse. ‘Individuality’ and ‘personality’ are, in fact, indicators of two distinct stages of human development. At the stage of ‘individuality’, an individual is, strictly speaking, a limited and closed entity under the control of its own centripetal psychic forces; this is the organism-centred ego, whose social expression is limited and most likely in collision with other similar egos with a view to dominating and exploiting others. When an individual becomes a ‘person’ with capacity to relate his or her love, affection, and other higher qualities to other individuals in society, it develops a ‘personality’. As biologist Julian Huxley asserts, ‘persons are individuals who transcend their merely organic individuality in conscious [social] participation.’7 Therefore, persons with different degrees of higher assertive and assimilative qualities or capabilities create different personalities. Such capabilities in an individual’s

6 Tomer (2016, p. 20), for example, cites usage of the term ‘human development’ in four different traditions: (i) physical/biological, cognitive, and psycho-social domains/behaviours, (ii) humanistic psychological perspective of Abraham Maslow’s (1943) hierarchy of human needs, (iii) informed by research on neurodevelopment difficulties in early childhood, and (iv) Ken Wilber’s (2001) conception of human development in an unfolding series of stage from lower to higher order along many dimensions including spirituality.

7 Quoted from Julian Huxley’s ‘Introduction’ in the English edition (1958, p. 20) of The Phenomenon of Man (1947) by Teilhard de Chardin.

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personality arise from its psychological state that determines the development of a sense of self-worth; a capacity for moral judgment; and various non-cognitive (soft) skills including persistence, empathy, emotional maturity, motivational energy and orientation, interpersonal skills for social interactions; verbal and non-verbal communication skills.’

Capability-based human development at the collective level

Though distinct from the capability-based human development at the individual level, capability-based human development at the collective level is not unrelated to it. The focus of the latter approach is on the societal system, and its opportunities to be seized and/or constraints to be overcome by the individuals, rather than on individual capacity. Given a diverse population with a range of genetically based and learned potential (capabilities), human development relates to the opportunities individuals have– to pursue and achieve material and psychological security, to determine the direction of their daily affairs, to enjoy effective freedoms for achieving their prioritized outcomes– all being facilitated by a societal system based on principles of fair and reliable treatment.8

In his book titled, The Idea of Justice, Sen (2009, p.19) links freedom with responsibility:

Freedom to choose gives us the opportunity to decide what we should do, but with that opportunity, comes the responsibility for what we do– to the extent that they are chosen actions. Since the capability is a power to do something, the accountability that emanates from that ability– the power– is a part of the capability perspective, and this can make room for demands of duty– what can be broadly called deontological demands. There is an overlap here between agency-centred concerns and the implications of capability-based approach … .

Table-1

Capabilities-based Human Development

Tangible/cognitive capabilities Intangible/non-cognitive capabilities

Individual Personal skill & talent Psychological/mental (including

8 Kantner (?, p. 2)

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level development through learning the basics and acquiring (material) knowledge for becoming an economically productive person.

transpersonal) development for becoming a mentally stable personality.

Collective level

Social capital (trust, goodwill, sympathy) development for making an economy inclusive.

Inter-personal skill (love, emotional maturity, empathy) development for making a society harmonious.

In contemporary moral philosophy, deontology is a kind of normative theory according to which choices of individual action are morally required, forbidden, or permitted. In other words, to deontologists, question of morality precedes the choice of action. This is in contrast to the view of consequentialists (such as utilitarians) according to which choice of action precedes the question of morality. The inclusion of ‘demands of duty’ or deontological demands’ is, according to Dutta (2014b, p. 264), is certainly a step forward to move the capability-based human development towards a trajectory of its sustained level.

The main message in World Development Report: Mind, Society, and Behavior of 2015 is that, when it comes to understanding and changing human behavior, the policy makers for socio-economic development, can do better. But for this to be successful in any walk of life, one needs to make sure that the mind behind human behavior does not allow one’s emotional feeling to take over one’s rational thinking. Different parts of the contemporary world are increasingly becoming infested with rampant violence and moral degeneration; whimsical, reckless, misguided individuals with unstable mind harming others, mostly innocent, in public places. Under this kind of unpredictable dangers, it is normal for a human being to be fearful and a victim to be traumatized. But, a person with stable mind is expected not to overreact in these unpredictable circumstances by making socially undesirable policy decisions. Such an individual has the potential to show others the way to live with uncertainty by putting it in perspective9. Making mind stable

9 Friedman (2015) gives an example of then Prime Minister of Norway, Jens Stoltenberg’s response to the murderous rampage of Anders Behring Breivik, the far-right extremist who, in 2011, massacred 77 people. In a memorial service in Oslo two days after the tragedy the Prime Minister said: “We are still shocked by what has happened, but we will never give up our values. Our response is more democracy, more openness and more humanity.” Friedman (ibid.) writes: “That’s the kind of message one would hope to hear from [a leader]: a sober

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and socially responsible is more urgent now than ever before. In the following sections, focus will be mainly on the intangible/non-cognitive capabilities (see above Table 1) for sustained human development at both individual and collective levels of people in any society of the contemporary world10.

3. Individual soul & its role on the development of a human personality

A perennial human endeavour on search for the real nature of human being that was first explored by sages and scholars in ancient India during the Vedic period roughly from 6000BC to 2000BC, had been consolidated over the subsequent millennia by scholars into Vedânta philosophy11. This philosophy declares that, behind everything in the phenomenal world, “there is one unifying Power or Principle or Intelligence that manifests, sustains, penetrates, observes, regulates and ultimately absorbs within Itself the objective world and upon which all animate beings and inanimate objects depend for their existence. This power manifests from the supreme reality of pure Consciousness and is the substratum of all phenomena.”12 The real nature of human being is also the unity of power or energy (i.e., ‘force’ called ‘Self’ in Vedânta) with matter. Although a human personality is made of three basic entities: body, mind, and individual Self (a spark of the Universal Self or Consciousness), but usually it has an I-consciousness13, i.e., an ego with limited consciousness. Like the person, its ‘ego’ is bounded on both sides by birth and death. However, the ego has been made to develop the

acknowledgement of shock and sorrow with a reassertion of our core values. That creates a perspective in which we can experience the trauma without being engulfed or defined by it. We would be fools to insist on being unafraid in the presence of threat. But we cannot allow fear to rule– or ruin– our lives.”

10 The broad characteristics of the Eastern and Western societies with reference to human development have been summarized in Dutta (2014a, appendix, p. 203).

11 Meanwhile a number of earlier Western philosophers and scholars such as the 18th century British orientalist and jurist, William Jones; the 19th century American philosopher and Father of American psychiatry, William James; the 19th century German-born philologist and orientalist Max Müller, and a few others had, after been acquainted with the Vedântic philosophy and thought, expressed unreservedly its relevance for the understanding and development of inner human nature. Subsequently within a decade, after Max Müller’s call for the West’s attention to India’s universal philosophy of human development, it was Swami Vivekananda who made Vedânta philosophy along with Yoga system a common heritage of mankind since the last decade of the nineteenth century.

12 Tathagatananda (1993, p. 179).

13 As to the referent of ‘I’, there are six views in the systems of Indian Philosophy including the view of Vedânta philosophy (Shaw, 2015).

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boundary lines of birth and death. Although ego is not separate from consciousness, it is only a portion of it. Unlike body that is derived from parents, mind and Self (or Consciousness) are neither derived nor created; they are one’s very own nature or the part of the individual Self, which is a spark of the Universal Self or what Thomas Nagel (2013) calls a ‘basic aspect of nature’14. But the human ego, usually engrossed in experiencing five-sensory material world &/or in bondage of past impressions embedded in subconscious mind, can be developed as a human soul. Human soul is therefore not individual person’s another separate basic entity like body, mind and Self. The human ego, developed apparently as the individual embodied soul, is nothing but a changeful receptacle of the individual Self. The light of intelligence in the human soul is due to the reflection of the individual Self on the mirror of the core of the human soul or ego. It is to be noted that, in the Western tradition, Self, soul and mind are all used interchangeably. The soul lives in human being, and as a matter of fact in any other living organism, whether animal, celestial or infernal. The individual soul in its true nature is Self, and therefore is potentially pure and perfect, in the sense that it need not be explained in relation either to time or space or to circumstance. But, for some reason say, ignorance or illusion, the individual soul, is generally associated with the mind and the body, although it has, according to the Vedântic philosophy, an inherent tendency to seek for freedom to unite with the one unifying universal power. Individual soul’s presence in time and space, however, requires explanation. Whenever one wants to think about something, one’s starting point has to be the mind– neither body, nor brain. Since mind itself is not always conscious (of truth15), it is the conscious mind that one must start with in order for one’s soul to be in touch with one’s true Self. Furthermore, for the conscious mind to fulfill its function rightly– that is to say, for it to judge rightly i.e., to get at the Truth itself, the conscious mind needs to make an intelligent estimate of whatever fact is brought before it. In other words, the conscious mind must have a sense of value. But, this sense of value lies in consciousness, neither in the brain nor in the mind. In fact, all ‘values’ are to be found in consciousness because consciousness is the ‘domain of value.’

14 In a short summary on his book, Mind and Cosmos, published in New York Times, Thomas Nagel (2013) believes that the relationship between individual mind [or Self] and universal nature can be explained scientifically by a theory of the immanent (not transcendental) order of the nature developed within a naturalistic, though non-materialist, framework of analysis.

15 According to Vivekananda (CW, Vol. 1, pp. 189-90), relating facts as they are is (relative) ‘truth’. From the metaphysical point of view, truth of a Vedântic mind is unity or oneness.

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Evolution of an individual soul using a human personality as an external energy tool:

Personality as such is that part of a human being that was born into, lives within, and will die within time. To be a human (with ego) and to have a personality are the same thing. One’s personality, like one’s body (and mind), is the vehicle of one’s evolution [towards wholeness]. The decision that one makes and the actions that one takes in the material world are the means by which one evolves. At each moment one chooses the intentions (with motives) that will shape one’s experiences and those things upon which one will focus one’s attention. These choices affect one’s evolutionary process. This is so for each person. If one chooses unconsciously (without any conscious belief or value driven ideal), one evolves unconsciously; if one chooses consciously, one evolves consciously. The fearful and violent emotions that have come to characterize human existence can be experienced only by the personality. Only the personality can feel anger, fear, hatred, vengeance, sorrow, shame, regret, indifference, frustration, cynicism and loneliness. Only the personality can judge, manipulate and exploit; only the personality can pursue external power16. The personality can also be loving, compassionate, and wise in its relations with others; but love, compassion, and wisdom (personality’s non-cognitive traits) do not come from the personality. They are experiences of the soul, which is a part of the immortal Self. Every person has a soul, but a personality that is limited in its perception to the five senses is not aware of its soul, and, therefore, cannot recognize the influence of its soul.17

Personality emerges as a natural force from the soul; it is an energy tool that the soul adapts to function within the physical world. This energy is the energy of soul consciousness, which is a part of the Universal Consciousness. Each personality is unique because the configuration of this energy within is unique. It is the persona18 of the soul, so to speak, that interacts with physical matter in order to be brought into wholeness. The personality does not operate independently from the soul. To the extent that a personality is in touch with soul consciousness, the

16 External powers are those that control the (physical) environment, and those within it; such powers can be felt, smelled, tasted, heard or seen [Zukav (1989, p. 23)].

17 Zukav (1989, pp. 29-30). Note that Zukav has used individual soul and individual Self interchangeably, as typical in the Western tradition.

18 ‘Persona’ is the part of a person’s character that is revealed to other people.

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personality is soothed because the energy of soul consciousness is focused on its energy core of the Self, and not on its artificial façade of the five-sensory material world.19

The Western concept of soul is not distinguished from the mind:

In the West, under the influence of Christian theology, a person is a complex psycho-physical being and is considered to be created by God, and therefore dependent, that is, not self-existent. According to the Western view, a person ‘has’ a soul not being distinguished from the mind. Every human being is basically sinful and corrupt; the soul itself is therefore tainted.20 Each individual is, however, loved by God, the creator. This view is largely at the root of Western self-confidence and passion for intellectual understanding. Both Judaism and Christianity spent their greatest energies developing the idea of God, whereas Vedānta-based Hinduism spent its greatest energies developing the idea of the soul. The Hindu view of an individual self thus stands as quite a contrast from that of the Western view. First of all, the Hindu view is that a person is fundamentally a soul and has a body. As Vivekananda would point out, an English-saying is that so-and-so ‘gave up the ghost,’ whereas a Hindu says, so-and-so ‘gave up the body.’ Secondly, though Hindus experience guilt as well, but the deep-seated guilt associated with one’s self-image is by and large not characteristic of Hindus, and is certainly not fostered by the Vedântic tradition. In fact, in all traditions of Hinduism, the soul is seen as spirit, intrinsically pure by nature, and separate from the body and mind. Of course, the average Hindu does not experience the soul as such but this idea has nonetheless affected the ordinary Hindu’s sense of Self.21

4. Sustained development of a human personality

The widely used term ‘personality’ of a person has different meanings and connotations in psychology. The word’s Latin derivative is ‘persona’, meaning a mask or facade or outer covering of human behaviour. But now it is commonly accepted that the real reasons behind human behaviour remain hidden in the depths of his or her interior. A meaningful definition of personality is often given as the aggregate of a person’s characteristic features and qualities. These features and qualities are manifested in his or her external conduct or action, but their origins go

19 Zukav (op.cit., p. 37).

20 Atmarupananda (2000, p. 28).

21 Atmarupananda (2000, p. 29).

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far deeper and remain hidden in his or her thoughts and persistent mental impressions.

Human character as a component of human personality

Thought, character, and action together form the three-dimensional identity of a human personality. Between these three, the first dimension is of thought (or mind), which consists of that which we think, and which keeps cropping up and then circulating [or expressing] the thought in our ideas and imaginations. The continuity and intensity of this thought shapes character in a personality. The process of this character-building in a personality is very gradual, because the underlying basis of human character is innate dispositions which lie dormant in the depths of an individual personality’s unconscious mind. As long as the intensity of thought does not reach the stage where it can refine the mental impressions, the character, and therefore personality, remains unaffected. This very composite of thought and character is reflected in a personality’s action or conduct. And then, as has already been noted, all three (mind, character, and action) together form personality.

How to build strong character If the personality is to be refined and developed to its fullest potential, and along the [ideal] path, it would be imperative to mould its three-dimensional nature afresh, i.e., thought, character and conduct must be moulded in a harmonious fashion. According to Vivekananda:

That man alone is good who does good for good’s sake, and that is the character of the man. …Not the body not the soul, but character. And that is left for all ages. Think about the great characters. All that have passed and died, they have left for us their characters, eternal possessions for the rest of humanity; all these characters are working– working all through. …What of Buddha? What of Jesus of Nazareth? The world is full of their characters. This is a ‘Tremendous doctrine!’22

So, character in good part is essentially human conduct based on one’s non-cognitive personality traits. But one behaves as one is i.e., according to one’s innate mental impressions. One cannot behave better for any length of time unless

22 Vivekananda [CW, vol. 3, p. 530].

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one becomes better and better. How does one become better than one currently is? One can be better by deliberately or consciously practising approved or ethical conduct as shown by characters like Buddha or Jesus of Nazareth or other great personalities. In other words, one should not behave impulsively according to one’s fancy dictated by the innate mental impressions. It is to be noted that regarding ethical or approved conduct in Vedântic tradition, there are plenty of instructions. For example, the following conducts are often prescribed for building a strong character:

Speaking truth; moderation in eating; refraining from exposing others’ weak points; freedom from jealousy; sharing one’s good things with others; sacrifice; straightforwardness; gentleness; quietude; self-control; contentment; friendliness with all beings; absence of cruelty, anger, elation (great happiness and excitement), indignation (anger caused by something that one considers to be unfair), avarice, delusion, vanity and enmity.23

What is required for building a strong character in the first place is ‘discipline of life.’ ‘Discipline of life’ is more precious than life itself, because it is out of that discipline, life derives values. It is these derived values that formulate the foundation of one’s character. In fact, when one fails to regulate one’s life in accordance with the high principles involving the ethically approved right conducts as above, one not only fails in social co-operation, but also personally disintegrates from within. Therefore, all great teachers laid more emphasis on practice rather than on mere theoretical knowledge.24 Right conduct cannot, however, be designed for all occasions and times beforehand. Truly, right conduct has the delicate fragrance of the just blossomed flower. It is what spontaneously emanates from within the person who has done initial home work for bringing himself or herself up, under no outer compulsion, but by the propulsion of one’s own self-chosen ideals of life. In fact, character is nothing but an ‘acquired dynamics of the self-chastening process’ that is developed for a person’s going within himself or herself through self-effort. The secret of success in all worthwhile undertakings

23 Quoted from Budhananda (1983, pp. 52-53). It is also noteworthy that many items of approved or ethical conduct are identical with those as taught in the first three verses of the 16th chapter of the Bhagavad-Gitā.

24 Budhananda (op. cit., p. 48-49).

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including building a strong character is the development of a strong will-power. By loving to do what one ought to do, one can develop strong will-power.25

The basis of will-power:

Although there are various factors in a person’s success in life, but one common factor involved is will-power. How does the will originate? Behind all creative efforts in all spheres of life (secular or spiritual) is an act of human will. But what is human will? According to Vivekananda, ‘human will’ is a compound of the Self and mind.26 But, as has already been noted above, mind is nothing but a subtle matter. Thus, in the ‘human will’, there are two strands: one of the Spirit (a strand of light) and the other of matter (a strand of darkness). Thus, when one identifies oneself as only mind, the compound of one’s ‘human will’ is bound to be unreal, for it is based on the unreality of illusion.27 But as long as one is in the realm of illusion of material world, ‘human will’ is apparently very real for all practical purposes. However, the resulting actions and achievements of such human will we see in the phenomenal world are certainly transitory without lasting effects. Vedânta, instead, seeks to control the gross bodily habits and urges focused in the material world by controlling the subtle, which is mental thought. Self-control of Vedânta is essentially the restraint of all senses by thinking that they will not give lasting peace of mind.

There are, however, critics who argue that self-control makes one forget the immediate tasks at hand as one fixes one’s eyes on the eternal, and, therefore, it weakens the impulses of daily life. According to them, ‘self-control creates a mood of otherworldliness, pessimism and depression, and encourages escapism. It makes a person unauthentic and fosters neurosis’ (Dutta 2014b, p. 268). But the proponents of the Vedânta philosophies argue that the logic of self-control is compelling. As Adiswarananda (2008, p. 123) explains emphatically the proponents’ compelling logic:

“If we are nothing more than our wild impulses and emotions, we can never get rest; and if we are all desires and dreams, we will ever remain unfulfilled. …(O)ur real nature is the pure Self, and that we are not a slave

25 Budhananda (op. cit., p. 53-54).

26 Vivekananda (CW, Vol. 6, p. 44).

27 The unreality of illusion is called maya in certain Hindu teachings (i.e., Advaita Vedānta), or dukkha or sufferings in Buddhism, or ‘original sin’ in Christian teachings.

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of our body and mind, but we are their master. Life is a rebellion against the laws of material nature and not submission to them.”

Consequences for human beings identifying themselves with their mind

By unconsciously identifying one’s psycho-physical personality with only one’s mind creates a false self, the ego, as a substitute for one’s true Self. This results in a total unawareness of one’s connectedness with the whole, one’s intrinsic oneness with every ‘other’ as well as with the ‘Source’. One becomes as a ‘branch cut off from the vine,’ as Jesus Christ puts it. The ego’s needs are endless, especially if our aspirations are for worldly prosperity and wellbeing as such. In this pursuit, which creates an endless preoccupation with past and future, one feels vulnerable and threatened, and so one lives in a state of fear and want causing continuous conflict and suffering within and outside one’s own self.28

Why does that happen? By identifying oneself with one’s mind (or thought), one becomes trapped in time i.e., the compulsion to live almost exclusively through memory of the past and/or anticipation of the future. The compulsion arises because the past gives us an identity and the future holds the promise of some form of fulfillment for us. But, both are illusion.29 When one becomes compulsive, one becomes unable to stop thinking. Although this is a dreadful affliction, one does not realise that. This state of unstable mind becomes the greatest obstacle to one’s experiencing the natural state of wholeness and therefore finding the realm of inner peace or stillness30 that is inseparable from Being? Identification with one’s mind ‘creates an opaque screen of concepts, labels, images, words, judgments and definitions that blocks all true relationship’ between fellow human beings, between oneself and nature, and between oneself and one’s true Self.31

Need for control on mind for sustained development of a human personality

28 Tolle (2004 [1997], pp. 47-48).

29 Tolle (Ibid., pp. 48-49).

30 Reference to the contemplative stillness as a means to achieve wholeness by overcoming mental fragmentation can be found in The Philokalia, a collection of texts written between the fourth and the fifteenth centuries by spiritual masters of the Orthodox Christian tradition, and first published in Greek in 1782.

31 Tolle (op. cit., p. 15).

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In order to control one’s mind (or thought), one needs, in the first place, to learn how to dis-identify oneself from one’s mind i.e., to reverse mind’s ego mode32 so that it can focus on the present moment. In other words, ‘one needs to end the delusion of time’.33 Because time and mind are inseparable, time needs to be removed from mind so that mind can stop its control. Note that, truly speaking, time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion too. What is precious is one point out of time and that is this moment or now. The more we focus on time– past and future– the more we miss the present moment, which is indeed the most precious. Why is the present moment the most precious? The answer is two-fold: Firstly, because it is the only thing which is. The eternal present is the space within which one’s whole life unfolds, and it is the only factor that remains constant in one’s life. In fact, there was never a time when one’s life was not now, nor will there ever be. Secondly, the present moment or now is the only point that can take one beyond the limited confines of the mind. It is one’s only point of access into the timeless and formless realm of Being.34

To succeed in controlling mind (or thought), one must have, in addition to strong will power, faith in oneself. Sri Krishna says in the Bhagavad-Gitā 35 that one must oneself subdue one’s weakness and raise oneself by oneself. In other words, the mind will have to be controlled by the mind itself36. In fact, the mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. By compulsive actions, dispositions, and habits of thought, our task of controlling the mind becomes almost impossible. As a result, our mind, instead, starts using us. It is perhaps helpful for one to be aware of the inherent weaknesses in one’s own personality (i.e., a personality with weak human character) that allow mind to use own self. Specifically, one shall not be able to control one’s mind (or though) if one

• has strong likes and dislikes, attachments and aversions;

• has the habit of deliberately harming others;

32 To the ego, only past and future are considered important; the present moment hardly exists [Tolle (op. cit., p. 22).

33 Tolle (op. cit., p. 48).

34 Tolle (op. cit., p. 49).

35 The Bhagavad-Gitā (or the Song of God) is a part of the Indian epic Māhābhārāta– the longest poem in the world.

36 Budhananda (1971, p. 40).

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• tortures one’s body unnecessarily by indulging in intoxicants and living unbalanced and chaotic lives;

• habitually indulges in vain controversy;

• is inordinately inquisitive about others’ affairs;

• becomes very anxious to find others’ faults;

• spends one’s energies in futile pursuits;

• becomes too egocentric and self-righteous;

• is over-ambitious irrespective of one’s capacities;

• is jealous of others’ prosperity;

• has a guilty feeling.37

Once one is aware of the presence of some of the above weaknesses in one’s personality as barriers to control one’s mind, this awareness is certainly a major step in one’s personality development. One must, however, note that the word ‘mind’ in Vedānta philosophy includes two aspects of human mind: ‘mind function’ i.e., the instinctual or impulsive side, and ‘mind-stuff i.e., the mental store house of thoughts. The internal organ, as the base or norm of the above two aspects of mind, remembers some thoughts which act as the force behind one’s self-consciousness and therefore egoism.38 Because this force of thoughts in the mind-stuff creates mind waves, it becomes the source of modification in human beings’ original state of stillness. It is very important that this force of compulsive thinking needs to be stopped, because it is wastage of one’s vital energy.

There is no question about the use of our thinking mind in a more focused and effective way. Focused thought is certainly a force required for one’s sustained development or evolution towards consciousness.39 It is often argued that when a creative solution to any particular problem in the material world is needed, one

37 Budhananda (Ibid., p. 39).

38 Following Vivekananda (CW, Vol. 1, pp. 201-03) and Budhananda (1971, pp. 34-38), all three constituents, four functions, five conditions and three levels or states of the ordinary human mind have been summarized in Table-1 of Dutta (2014a, p. 192).

39 In fact, thought and consciousness are not synonymous. Thought is only a small aspect of consciousness. Thought cannot exist without consciousness, but consciousness does not need thought [Tolle (op. cit., p. 23)].

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tends to oscillate every now and then between thought and stillness i.e., between mind and no-mind. No-mind is, in fact, ‘consciousness without thought’. One’s thought alone, without being connected with the ‘much vaster realm of consciousness’ quickly becomes a barrier to creation.40 The more human mind becomes disciplined and refined, more does one become aware of ‘Consciousness’ or ‘Self’ within as the real source of ‘surplus’ in human being.41 The wonderful long-lasting achievements beneficial to the world at large are indeed the results of personalities with better character i.e., personalities with controlled and focused mind and being in touch with their inner Self– the source of love, compassion, and wisdom, which are nothing but a personality’s non-cognitive traits.

5. Conclusion

A human personality is essentially the ego-self of an individual person. Once equipped with a stable mind, it has the inherent capacity to become conscious of its embodied soul in the initial stage of its conscious journey towards the higher stage of sustained human development. Because the embodied soul is the reflection of the real Soul or Self, a continuous attempt by the conscious personality with strong will power helps build a perfect character, which, according to the Vedânta philosophy, is the precondition for its attainment into a stage of sustained human development— a harmonious relationship of the stable and conscious mind with its Self, and then with other human beings in social environment. The message of such a harmonious relationship has been exhorted in the Bhagabad-Gita (ch. 3, verse 11, line 2) as: “Cherishing and serving each other, may you achieve the highest general welfare.” A similar message can also be found in German philosopher Immanuel Kant’s Metaphysics of Morals (1909[1797], p. 47): “So act as to treat humanity, whether in thine own person or in that of another, in every case as an end, never as a means.”

The ordinary so-called ameliorative social services are more often prompted by the emotion driven feelings of duty, pity or guilt, or by conscious or unconscious desire for name and fame, or for happiness, or just as a kind of social ritual. The implication of the above messages is that the true service rendered by an individual with sustained human development is, on the other hand, is expected to be a spontaneous act and coming to him or her as naturally as breathing. The non-

40 Tolle (op. cit., p. 24).

41 The reference to the ‘surplus in human being’ is found in a remarkable verse in the Atharva Veda that dates back to more than 1000BC [Dutta (2014b, p. 261)].

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cognitive capabilities based sustained human development has therefore potential for rendering true services to the society, and is the result of his or her perception of oneness, and therefore of identity with the person served.

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