Humility
We do various things to achieve this level of satisfaction. And after achieving our desired level of success, the first thing we do is to flaunt that success showing that we're better than the rest of them, the 1% of the population. While in all actuality we are 99.9% the same.
But we need a difference, a comparison to satisfy our ego. It's important to have a sense of self but having an inflated ego is like a veil in front of our face that conceals our view of the world. Humans owed to be humble, because we are probably the only species in this world who consumes more than it contributes. We have nothing to be egoistical.
Being here in itself is a humbling experience where we learn from our mistakes and I know it's hard to understand because we are taught so much about self esteem, being better than everyone, having confidence, we are centred in our self, so much so that on encountering a person whose situation in life is slightly better than us according to social norms, we cultivate negative emotions on encountering such a person who has better financial, social or mental condition sometimes we do it even unconsciously, without realising.
What's wrong with it? Frankly speaking nothing but on a soul level it's not right to treat others this way like we are not made by the same creator, like we don't roam the same earth, like we don't face the same problems, like we don't hurt the same..
And the strange thing is the more closer to death we get the more we realise these things.
I'll tell you a story for you to better understand this. This story is very close to me quite personal I don't know how others will perceive it but I guess it will give everyone a close understanding of why people should be humble.
So I had a friend when I was very young I was eight years old just gotten admission in a new school in third grade, now this school was completely different than the previous school I went to, a different board and education system an English medium school I was excited and I was ambitious in my previous school I was a high grader, a reputed student even at such a young age and I promised myself to maintain the same behaviour there as well.
But in all these comes this girl I met on the first day of school, she was in my bus, her home happened to be close to mine so we get picked up on the same bus stop. I didn't know her, it was my first day and I wasn't very communicative but she was different, very talkative and the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.. she has pale complexion, thick black hairs and a smile always on her face.. she was one of those type of people who would never hesitate to go and talk to a stranger because she sees everybody as the same.
Now this girl I realise was in the same class as me, she volunteered to be my friend almost immediately as soon as we met, I guess that was because she didn't had any friends later I noticed in class no one used to talk to her reasons being she was really bad at studying or she wasn't really interested in studying, her mind was always somewhere else, it was understandable at a young age it's really hard to develop an interest in anything specially studying it's tedious and boring, she also didn't used to take care of herself so much one look at the whole class and she could be pointed out as an odd one out, her school dress never seems to be ironed or in a fresh condition, beaten down shoes and hairs that doesn't seem to be brushed carefully overall her appearance looked rough and at that age we used to judge people by appearances.
Sometimes she got held back after the morning prayer because of the dress code, it wasn't bad but it wasn't good either in class most of the time she got punishment for not focusing, not doing homework, talking during the lesson the least goes on overall other students used to steer away from her because they thought being with her wouldn't look good there is nothing that she brings to the table and she is troublesome.. all true I guess, at that time I was really ambitious, I wanted to do better too, perhaps make some friends with the good students who knew alot but I never stopped her from talking to me, I could see people singling me out for being with her but I couldn't be too embarrassed I could atleast see she was a good person.
But I was annoyed with her most of the time, it didn't make any sense to me how can someone put no efforts in studying, in appearing respectable and approachable. I used to tell her she should focus on studying even if she doesn't like it or people will always ignore her it's not a good look and because she used to take these words with so much carelessness, I used to call her crazy, it was like a short of a nickname for her all her irrelevant laughing, talking to anyone about anything didn't make sense to me and at that age it could only occured to me that she must be mad or she likes to pretend to be mad but she used to make me laugh too, her silliness never ends.
I learnt after some conversations with her that her mother wasn't around the reason being she was dead, and she lives with her uncle and aunt who were also teachers in that school they had a son too studying in kg knowing that I realised why she looked the way she did my mother made my hair everyday before going to school if I had to do it myself, my hair would probably looked like her too that made me sympathize with her and the urge to help her grew more stronger. I don't know why I'm like that but I always think there is no problem that can't be fixed.
But with her, I couldn't really fix it because alot of it was on an unconscious level the looks that people used to give her, the ignorance like she is not worthy of their attention like they have already calculated all her worth and it's not enough. Not good at studying, not good at dressing, poor background and worst of all she didn't take anything seriously.
You could never tell if she feels that she has been treated wrongly, if she noticed or pretended not to notice because she can't help it anyway, I never saw her complain, or be upset she was so cheerful that being sad and depressed would be the last thing she would do, she was like a light I noticed determined that nothing would bring her down. If teachers yell at her she listens calmly even smiling most of time, trying hard not to laugh, her homework incomplete she didn't worry, books forgotten, bag unpacked she looked carefree probably she was carefree at that time I was completely opposite of that and I wanted her to be the same but realised she can't be helped I must focus on myself she likes how she is, if she ask me for help then I'll think about it, going out of my way is unnecessary I haven't known her for that long anyway.
In my memories, I appear careless too, now I wish I had cared a bit more but nine years old Riya was too determined, too ambitious I really can't blame her for how I feel now roughly arround six months from my admission I noticed she stopped coming to school at the beginning it didn't suprise me she used to be absent alot, and not really cared for studying but later I realised from alot of rumours that a girl in my class has met an accident and died, it was probably on the news too, from a hotel's balcony she fell and died later I realised it was her that friend the one with mismatched shoes, big eyes and brightest smile she was one of a kind, I regretted not telling her that while so many found so many flaws in her and reminded her about them, I regretted not telling her how ethereally beautiful she looked, no one was a match for her in beauty that's why they compete with her in other things, how she has a gift of not judging people and treating everyone the same, or how she was a good person and not crazy as I used to call her.
She was the first person to teach me how wrong society can judge some people and their definition for things aren't always correct walking with the group is not always important sometimes you should climb some boundaries and meet some outcast set your own definition of things and people, others definitions can't be trusted we had so little time but I can never forget her for she made me humble and made me realised we are all the same.
I was proud of being intelligent, of being better, of being ambitious and striving for better things in life, recognition and thought of her to be of a lower caliber for not wanting the same things and for not trying now I realise that the things I used to give so much attention to were of so little importance and how much I try to set myself apart from her we end up being the same.
No matter what we achieve in life at the end of the day we will leave the world in the same way, what is so great about these worldly achievements based on them we differentiate each other build barriers and don't interact with someone who has less of these achievements, talents it will all go down the drain in the same way we are not different we are all just the same thus we get treated the same way by the creator when he doesn't discriminate who are we to do it? Just to make ourselves feel better, I wonder if we can still feel better after achieving it all only to realise it's not worth a cent in the afterworld.
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