Who Is Impressing Whom

Impressing is an effort to affect deeply or strongly in mind to fix admiration, feeling or respect in others in some manner. It is a conscious choice made by an individual in specific situations but for many it becomes a pattern of behaviour, an Impression Management that involves actively adjusting actions to create an impression on others to make the ‘I’ feel good. Often the actions are performed with little conscious thoughts not going well with others and then gradually impacting poorly on one’s own wellbeing.

Impressing people is quite a human trait but what is inhuman is distancing or being ignorant of getting Divine’s Impressing, undoubtedly a better choice for this life and beyond.

The psychology of impressing others often stems from insecurities and a need for external validation. People who constantly seek to impress others are normally emotionally fragile and rely on or at the mercy of external perceptions for their sense of self-worth. Strangely for some who seek power, success and wealth it becomes impossible for them to escape admiring the impressions others are making. As they say some actions come with wrong impressions – some impressions come with wrong actions.

One should not worry about other people’s opinion of you, Scriptures mention God never said to impress people only mentioned to love them. The wise actually regard shame as the core emotion that drives the need to impress others. Instead of pursuing God approved one seeks world applaud. This is a result of one’s disconnect from one's true self and inability to foster genuine connections with Divine. Spiritual impressing’s focus on inner transformations cultivating deeper understanding of life’s meaning, being in relationship with something beyond you.

A brief examination of goals, source, and nature between impressing people vis-à-vis spiritual impressing’s could qualify to impress a change:

The goal in impressing people is to gain external validation, build a reputation, or achieve social status. Impressing the self with spiritually is to deepen one's connection with a higher power, enhance inner wisdom, and live a more meaningful life.

In impressing people the sources normally are the human achievements, skills and possessions. The source impressing spirituality is spiritual practices, contemplation, and divine guidance.

The characteristics or nature of impressing people are temporary and based on superficial factors. Impressing the self with spirituality is lasting and rooted in deeper values and beliefs.

Faith and beliefs helps keep one’s connect with divine and brings about one’s pure actions (karmas) with compassion and kindness, honesty and truthfulness, good deeds and service. These differ from those actions one does with outward display to impress God. Man's Haume (false ego-sense) is dense and stubborn by nature. It thinks God can be impressed or pleased by the outward display of religion or spirituality. Gurbani out-rightly rejects such claims and notions.

Gurbani says Jaananhaar parabʰoo parbeen……. “The Omniscient Lord God is the Knower of all. He is not impressed by the outward display. One who does not practice what he preaches to others, shall come and go in reincarnation, through birth and death. One whose inner being is filled with the Formless Lord - by his teachings, the world is saved. Those who are pleasing to You God know You. Nanak falls at their feet. Offer your prayers to the Supreme Lord God, who knows everything.” SGGS269

Spiritual practice brings in divine inspiration a divine character and when one is in alignment with the Divine, His impressing’s bring the wisdom, love, reverence, and meekness in us.  Divines' mercy is impressive, be His impression: to live life better and also the soul blossoms when resting in peace.