Being Humble

"I believe that the first test of a great man is his humility. I don't mean by humility, doubt of his power. But really great men have a curious feeling that the greatness is not of them , but through them. And they see something divine in every other man and are endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful." - John Ruskin

It happens so often in our everyday life - that we, in the glorious perceptions of our dignified lives, forget to acknowledge others and the efforts that they put in our lives to make it better. We don't realize the worth of anyone else around us or relate to any of their dreams. We simply live our lives like a rodent running on a circular treadmill.  Today, all of us are so engrossed in our own work, work-related tensions, families, and health issues that no one has the time to listen to what anyone else has on his/her mind. We are living our lives like robots. In defense of all that I have said above, let me run you through your day yesterday. Answer the following questions - Did someone cook food for you ? Did someone wash your dirty utensils ? Did someone drive you to your office ? Did someone iron your clothes ? If yes then, did you, even for a second, feel thankful or blessed ? Did you immediately respond to the favor with nice words ? If no, then why not ?

Humans, very often, while climbing the ladder of success, use services of many and then just forget to return the favor with kind words. It is as if they have bought everything they possibly have with money ! But that is not how it should be.

It is a well known fact that nature in most of its activities, follows the normal distribution curve. That is also how everyone's life fluctuates in this world; exactly like a normal distribution curve, which has a crest (highest point) and two troughs (lowest point). This essentially means that everyone is obliged to get their highs and lows in their lifetime. What might be your high may be someone else's low, but that doesn't deter their ability to make it big in their lifetimes, when the tides of time and the winds of wisdom are both in their stride. Therefore, it becomes a moral responsibility of those in their highs to help those in their lows, so that they can remember you for all the goodness of your heart and the humbleness of your nature, long after you are gone.

Everyone, desires to be great. They strive to be respected, loved and cared by all. That is the sole reason they work so hard everyday of their lives, isn't it ? Now, what is most important to understand, in this context is- 'what differentiates the great human beings from the good human beings' ?

There is an age old saying - The tree bearing the most fruits is the one which bends the most and survives the winds. This proverb is a great learning insight for all. People who stand tall in their false ego and pride, fall flat when the harsh winds of time blow rampantly; and the ones who bear the fruits of wisdom, prosper their goodness with humility.
Humility is the most under-rated virtue in today's age. In my view it is humility that is a litmus test to know the great from the good.
We, as a society, attach utmost importance and bestow instant gratification to what meets the eye - the pompous, the flashy and the flamboyant. But surprisingly, when in trouble, would you want to go to someone  who is arrogant, unhelpful and conceited with his false pride ? Absolutely never. So, why become someone whom you would never want to meet ?

You may be the best in whatever it is that you are doing, but you must never lose the grip of the ground in your pursuit of the sky, never undermine anyone's talent, never indulge in an ego trip, and never be unhelpful to others because what may be yours today will be someone else's tomorrow. Lets try being humble and experience true happiness, wisdom and pleasure. Your acts of humility have the power to change lives !

Being  HUMBLE is the biggest lesson of life. 

Simplified

Not many of us realize how simple life is. We invest so much time thinking about either the future or the past that we forget what life has to offer us right here and right now.

Let me tell you a story. Once there was a King, in a far far away land. He was strong and mighty. He had an army of thousands of soldiers. His soldiers were his greatest strength. He won all wars he had ever fought in his lifetime. Some people said that he won because he was the most disciplined leader, some said that he had the charisma to inspire his men, some thought it was because it was in his fate and the others thought because he honored his word. However, lately the king started to face some problems in his sleep routine. He couldn't sleep well at night. Something disturbed him. He complained to his Royal Priest that he was losing all battles in his dreams. His priest was extremely clever. He realized soon enough that King was unable to sleep as he couldn't concentrate over what he had and was obsessed with thinking of new battles to conquer newer pastures. So, he suggested a remedy to the King. He asked the King to do the following task at 4 am tomorrow. He asked the King to keep his eyes fixed at a target 10 meters away from him, while walking a muddy path. The King was anxious to know how this would help achieve a peaceful sleep and kept tossing in the bed all night. At sharp 4 am, royal guards knocked at the King's door to see the King ready for the activity. He came down to his central kingdom ground. It was summers then so the morning sun was just about to rise. The sky was glowing in beautiful orange hues. The priest asked the king to start. The King started walking the muddy path, while reminding himself that he had to keep his eyes glued to the target or else he would have to do this all over again tomorrow at 4 am. The initial few steps that the King took were with a lot of caution but gradually  his confidence got built and he started walking the path a little faster. The King couldn't help thinking about the time when he would reach the target. He was so engrossed in thinking about the future that he didn't realize that his right foot got stuck in a puddle. Now, for a minute, he looked at his stuck feet, which now was fully immersed in the mud and figured out how he would get out from this mess. He gently shoved off the slimy mud in excess to continue walking. But, soon he realized that his target was nowhere in sight. He looked at the Priest inquisitively but the Priest looked as calm as ever. He then realized that because he didn't do the exercise as instructed, the Priest would have him do it again tomorrow morning 4am. He couldn't again sleep that night. His failure to keep sight of his target was worrying him. The king had never lost before. It was a huge blow for him. However, he was even more determined now to not lose focus on the target. He was waiting for the dawn to break. The Royal guards were waiting outside the door at 4am. The King quickly moved out of the royal door to rush his way to the royal ground where the priest was already waiting for him. The King bowed to the Priest in respect before starting; the Priest gave a gentle smile. The King began walking once again, with his eyes affix at the target. This time he was more cautious of every step that he took. He walked slow but never lost sight of the target. But he was constantly reminded of his failure yesterday and at every step, was apprehensive that he would eventually get stuck again in the same puddle. He was worried, so he paced down drastically when he thought that he would approach that puddle. He walked a little to the left to avoid that puddle, looking straight at the target. His right leg was just about to slip in the puddle but because he was slow, he managed to maintain his balance.   He was relieved yet nervous. He marched ahead as he was in a hurry to finish his task. After three quick steps, he tripped over a small stone and fell over his face on the ground. All his guards rushed towards him to help him. He got up with their help but he knew that the target would not be there as he was unsuccessful once again to keep his eyes on the target at all times.
The King was dejected and hurt. He summoned the Priest to his royal chamber in the evening. The King asked why he couldn't do this simple task, when he had won so many difficult battles before. The Priest smiled and told him that the answer to his question was there in his mind. The King was perplexed, he didn't know what the Priest wanted to convey. The Priest smiled and then said " King you have won many battles in the battle field because you didn't allow your mind to wander. Today, you are fighting a war with your own mind.". The King requested the Priest to explain why he couldn't focus his mind to the target. The Priest explained both the instances. He said " My dear King, when you were walking the path for the first time, your mind was only fixed at the target. You didn't realize that there would be hurdles in your path, which is why you were pacing your steps on an unknown path. Your mind was wandering in the future, you were busy thinking about how you would get some good sleep after this simple activity. You were not alert about your present surroundings." The King nodded in approval but asked the Priest why he lost the second time. He told the Priest that he was not thinking about the future then. The Priest answered- " Yes, you are right. In the second time that you undertook this activity, you were not thinking of the future. But, you were thinking of your previous experience. You were worried about what happened to you last time should not happen to you again. You kept dwelling on your past and in nervousness did not anticipate the stone in the path, which is why you tripped." The King understood what the Priest wanted to teach him and bent before him in honor. The Priest had given the King the answer to his questions. That night, before sleeping, the King wrote a page in his Diary.

The King wrote-
1. Keeping your eyes on the target at all times is important but what is most important is to live in the present.
2. Problems are bound to come but don't let one bad experience ruin your confidence in yourself
3. Walking slow enables you to keep your balance in life
4. Never take for granted what is going to come ahead
5. Worrying about the past or the future doesn't let me sleep !

That night, the King rest peacefully. He realized that he must not waste time worrying about the past or the future. It is only this moment which is the most precious to him.