In today’s world, everyone seems free to have an opinion—and share it loudly. Social media has made it easy to voice thoughts publicly, often anonymously. While this could foster meaningful dialogue, it often breeds chaos. Negative opinions, shielded by anonymity, morph into public shaming. Scholar Bertrand Russell once said, “The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.” This rings true today, as opinions are frequently mistaken for facts. Recent controversies, such as cancel culture incidents or viral misinformation campaigns, show how a single opinion can destroy reputations overnight. Those with power use legal and financial muscle to protect their image, while the vulnerable face lasting social exclusion. In a society where differing opinions provoke hostility, safeguarding individuality and self-worth becomes increasingly difficult—a struggle to stay authentic amid the noise.

What is the resilience and courage needed to remain who we are and be unaffected by other’s opinions? Indian Philosophy calls it “steadfast wisdom”. This beautiful phrase, steadfast wisdom, is a literal translation of the Sanskrit word Sthitapragnya. This phrase is most famously used in the Bhagvad Gita (Chapter 2, verses 54-72) where Arjuna asks Lord Krishna what the qualities of a person with steadfast wisdom are, and the Lord replies that such a person is free from attachment, desire and ego, unaffected by joy or sorrow, praise of blame, and fully self-controlled, rooted in inner peace. Now what the Lord was referring to is someone significantly spiritually advanced, which you and I may not be, so how do I apply these learnings to my life and be a leader in the way I live?

Let’s look at the definition of this amazing phrase and apply it in our lives. The life I am referring to is that of a corporate worker, who is employed with a company and comes from a family and community that matters to that person. Such a person is always fearful of other’s opinions. I worry about my manager’s opinion because therein lie my prospects. I worry about my peers’ opinions because therein lies my peer feedback scores for the year. I worry about my team’s opinions because therein lies my manager feedback scores for the year. I worry about my batchmate’s opinions because I don’t want to fall behind compared to them. I worry about my community’s opinions because I want to be seen as successful. I worry about my family’s opinions because I don’t want to feel judged by them daily. As I write this para, I am myself beginning to feel hopeless and debilitated if I was this person, so imagine the plight of the individual in these exact shoes, which is probably millions and millions of us every day. From what I see around me; this is the definition of the ‘common man’ iconically created by the great R K Laxman in this generation.

So, for this person arriving at some level of steadfast wisdom requires looking within and gaining clarity on the following areas of self-exploration:

1. Clarity on why I am worthy: While positive psychology will tell you that each of us is worthy, ‘why’ that is is a unique answer for each of us. I may be worthy because I treat everyone fairly, someone else may be worthy because they are good at problem solving. Being able to answer this question authentically with no pretence is a wonderful place to begin and is the start of that elusive internal self-esteem where I know why I am enough without needing external validation.
2. Clarity on larger purpose: What am I here to do in this life? What is my unique role in this world? Knowing this can bring me untold equanimity. For eg, I might have clarity that my unique role in this life is to make a positive difference to others, and therefore I choose support roles, and I don’t put my hand up for other roles. With this clarity, any opinion from others that I am not meeting my potential will not bother me, because my definition of a meaningful life is different, and I know what will bring me inner peace. 
3. Clarity on which opinion is fact, and which is not: I might be bombarded from opinions from all sides, but I have the agency to examine the evidence behind each opinion once I have overcome the emotion the opinion generates within me, and reach my own conclusion. For example, As I examine the opinion of different people, I might realize that my peers’ opinion that I do not collaborate is actually correct because I have not spent enough time supporting cross functional projects, while the opinion of another person that I am quick to emotional reaction may not be correct because they only saw me in one meeting where I uncharacteristically lost my cool. I will then act on feedback calmly.
4. Clarity on whose opinion matters: Whose feedback is important and why? Examining this question will answer an even more important question – what needs to be done that is not happening and that I need to take responsibility for? Being able to prioritize the problems I need to have a hand in solving and paying attention to that will help me do the important stuff first.

Sthitapragnya in a spiritual sense is a long journey, but steadfast wisdom in the face of opinions is doable. Here’s an invitation to us all to give this a try.

This article is written by Haritha Kandala. Kalpana Sinha and Ketaki Kadekar who are Managing Partners at Aaroha the Humanistic Leadership Project – a leadership consulting firm inspired by Indian Philosophy