SHARED THOUGHTS – 20.12.13
With the passing away of the one and only Madiba, aka Nelson Mandela, now consigned to the ages, rich tributes were paid from every corner of the globe – by every world leader, every kind of media from every nook and corner of the world without exception. Everything that can be said about a legend have been said, written, printed and read.
This is not another eulogy for a person whose tribe will increase no more.
Reading about all that was said of him, my thoughts went in another tangent, to classify the kind of personalities we - praise, look up to, love, hate or ignore.
Statesman or I would call them Super Hero – they are born one for a generation or even less… who have around them, an unfathomable aura developed over a period of time, mind you. They have gone through at various stages - persecution, ill treatment, torture, confinement, been grossly misunderstood – yet, they rose above normal responses and lived to achieve a vision against all odds. They have changed the course of a nation, given new direction; achieved what may be considered impossible in their lifetime; they have developed over a period of time, positive qualities that may have surpassed anyone’s most fancied yardsticks; what they have achieved will be talked about for all times to come; their achievements will benefit generations to follow. Such ‘Statesmen’ or my Super Heroes are someone, we can only admire and accept as a gift from God.
Only two or three names come to my mind who fit this description who lived within the past one century – Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela.
Then there are Heroes – well known ‘heroes’ for every nation, for every period in history, in different fields of skills, activity, vocation, interests. Once they have achieved hero status, of course through hard work, diligence and with a single minded devotion to their interests, they live a life of comfort, are rich and famous and record books will carry their names for posterity. “Fortune favors the brave, may be true” in their case, as also being “in the right place at the right time”. These ‘heroes’ are those we would look up to.
There are other Heroes – heroes not so well known, not so rich and famous, yet their contributions are original and beneficial to many. They may be ‘heroes’ within a smaller circle or region. These lesser known ‘heroes’ will inspire many within their area of influence, as “role models”.
Role Models – certainly not a Super Hero, nor a Hero in any measure; just simple personalities who mean a world to those around; not just due to a relationship, but someone whose positives have influenced others around, been a source of inspiration and a catalyst in others’ lives.
Now the question that comes to my mind – the question that I saw in a TV show – you wake up one day and find that you are…(someone famous).… and so on…
Well, let’s ask this question to ourselves; how many among us, will gladly, if given the chance, opt to live the life of – say, a Super Hero. Who would want to live the life of Nelson Mandela, all over again? For all the fame and place in history, how many of us would want to be confined to a small cell for 27 years?
At the other end of the spectrum – lesser known heroes & role models – well, not many would welcome to wake up to lead this life either.
Here is then, a bench-mark ; the greatness of a person may be measured by how many there are, who would gladly be willing to go through the life of such Heroes, or Super heroes. The lesser there are, the greater he/she is.
We all, in our own small ways, can try to become ‘great’ heroes, or role models ; if there is at least one person known to me, who calls me a “role model”, then I think I have achieved something.
If we do not have that one person, what then? Sure, we can start right from today, to be someone special to another, that we are great in their eyes. We can start from today to become a better person.
“Great men are not born great, they grow great . . .”
― Mario Puzo, The Godfather
― Mario Puzo, The Godfather
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“Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great, because greatness is determined by service.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.
― Martin Luther King Jr.
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It’s said – Order is Heaven’s first law ; and this means, some are great and some must be great.
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“Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.”
― William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
― William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
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“Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self Reliance
“Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self Reliance
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To be a better person. ( excerpts from Brian Tracy’s Power of Discipline).
Why are some people more successful than others? Why do some people make more money, live happier lives and accomplish much more in the same number of years than the great majority?
I started out in life with few advantages. I did not graduate from high school. I worked at menial jobs. I had limited education, limited skills and a limited future.
And then I began asking, "Why are some people more successful than others?" This question changed my life.
Over the years, I have read thousands of books and articles on the subjects of success and achievement. It seems that the reasons for these accomplishments have been discussed and written about for more than two thousand years, in every conceivable way. One quality that most philosophers, teachers and experts agree on is the importance of self-discipline. As Al Tomsik summarized it years ago, "Success is tons of discipline."
Some years ago, I attended a conference in Washington. It was the lunch break and I was eating at a nearby food fair. The area was crowded and I sat down at the last open table by myself, even though it was a table for four.
A few minutes later, an older gentleman and a younger woman who was his assistant came along carrying trays of food, obviously looking for a place to sit.
With plenty of room at my table, I immediately arose and invited the older gentleman to join me. He was hesitant, but I insisted. Finally, thanking me as he sat down, we began to chat over lunch.
It turned out that his name was Kop Kopmeyer. As it happened, I immediately knew who he was. He was a legend in the field of success and achievement. Kop Kopmeyer had written four large books, each of which contained 250 success principles that he had derived from more than fifty years of research and study. I had read all four books from cover to cover, more than once.
After we had chatted for awhile, I asked him the question that many people in this situation would ask, "Of all the one thousand success principles that you have discovered, which do you think is the most important?"
He smiled at me with a twinkle in his eye, as if he had been asked this question many times, and replied, without hesitating, "The most important success principle of all was stated by Thomas Huxley many years ago. He said, 'Do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.'"
He went on to say, "There are 999 other success principles that I have found in my reading and experience, but without self-discipline, none of them work."
Self-discipline is the key to personal greatness. It is the magic quality that opens all doors for you, and makes everything else possible. With self-discipline, the average person can rise as far and as fast as his talents and intelligence can take him. But without self-discipline, a person with every blessing of background, education and opportunity will seldom rise above mediocrity.
I started out in life with few advantages. I did not graduate from high school. I worked at menial jobs. I had limited education, limited skills and a limited future.
And then I began asking, "Why are some people more successful than others?" This question changed my life.
Over the years, I have read thousands of books and articles on the subjects of success and achievement. It seems that the reasons for these accomplishments have been discussed and written about for more than two thousand years, in every conceivable way. One quality that most philosophers, teachers and experts agree on is the importance of self-discipline. As Al Tomsik summarized it years ago, "Success is tons of discipline."
Some years ago, I attended a conference in Washington. It was the lunch break and I was eating at a nearby food fair. The area was crowded and I sat down at the last open table by myself, even though it was a table for four.
A few minutes later, an older gentleman and a younger woman who was his assistant came along carrying trays of food, obviously looking for a place to sit.
With plenty of room at my table, I immediately arose and invited the older gentleman to join me. He was hesitant, but I insisted. Finally, thanking me as he sat down, we began to chat over lunch.
It turned out that his name was Kop Kopmeyer. As it happened, I immediately knew who he was. He was a legend in the field of success and achievement. Kop Kopmeyer had written four large books, each of which contained 250 success principles that he had derived from more than fifty years of research and study. I had read all four books from cover to cover, more than once.
After we had chatted for awhile, I asked him the question that many people in this situation would ask, "Of all the one thousand success principles that you have discovered, which do you think is the most important?"
He smiled at me with a twinkle in his eye, as if he had been asked this question many times, and replied, without hesitating, "The most important success principle of all was stated by Thomas Huxley many years ago. He said, 'Do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.'"
He went on to say, "There are 999 other success principles that I have found in my reading and experience, but without self-discipline, none of them work."
Self-discipline is the key to personal greatness. It is the magic quality that opens all doors for you, and makes everything else possible. With self-discipline, the average person can rise as far and as fast as his talents and intelligence can take him. But without self-discipline, a person with every blessing of background, education and opportunity will seldom rise above mediocrity.
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Season’s Greetings – Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
MOHANDAS. KP.
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