Never Mock Others!

“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”

***

We all know about this famous saying and may have often used it in our conversations as well, but few actually comprehend the gist of it. What the legendary quote implies is that those who are superior in intellect and character, who have acquired decent education not just through the accredited institutions but also by virtue of reading good books, keen observation, deep contemplation, engaging in healthy debates, and discussions, careful listening, practicing empathy, nurturing a positive attitude, serving the fellow human beings and have contributed to humanity in one way or another, are the most humble people.

The examples could be of eminent scientists, philosophers, philanthropists, physicians, engineers, athletes, artistes, teachers, statesmen, warriors, prophets, or any normal person for that matter, who rises above the ordinary without belonging to any of the aforesaid groups of people.

On a scale from 1 to 10 where 1 denotes an untamed savage to 10 signifying an ideal and highly refined human being, we all have our own individual positions based on various factors such as education, training, environment, family values, faith, empathy, culture of the society we live in and our own personal standards which could be our very own, not borrowed or inherited from any of the aforementioned backgrounds.

Some of us progress well while journeying along the character continuum as one should, whereas some people regress depending on factors mentioned above or in view of certain other influences in their lives.

That said, the environment has a lot to do to shape up a person psychologically and emotionally. There are however some unique instances where individuals emerged from the heap of a decadent population, and they completely transformed an entire group, society, or nation.

But how can an individual rise from among those who pull down anyone who tries to leave the herd?

The easy way to achieve that goal is to set a target. Evaluate where you are, and decide where you want to be within a specified time band. That is basically devising a personal development or growth strategy. Now starting from scratch may be a good idea for some, but the recommended course of action is to emulate a person who you believe is the one to look up to.

Setting too high or too low a bar can be disastrous, so pick someone in the middle to higher range. For example, if you want to emulate a Prophet, the chances are that you would fail, because that is not what is expected from you, and times have changed as well. Your choice should ideally be fairly recent for all practical alignment purposes.

Remember that emulating a person does not mean that you start behaving like him or her. The intent is to benchmark and emulate the positive behavioral and personality traits. If your ideal person for example smokes, then you of course should not start smoking. That is implied but just in case.

Case # 1:

• You lost a game of say basketball, and the audience and rival team give you a standing ovation for the spirit of the game.
• How would you feel after losing that game?

Case # 2:

• You lose, and the audience and opponent team players start mocking you.
• How would you feel after that?

Remember the scale? Those who ridicule and mock their rivals are positioned somewhere closer to the number 1 position of the character continuum, and vice versa. It is strictly a personal choice to be where they are.

People are free to change for the better, or for the worse. They can move from the number 3 position to number 7 without making tons of efforts.

Those who lower themselves by trying to belittle others are like savages; while those showing respect to their opponents are the true heroes. It demonstrates their character and shows to the world as to who they really are.

It is easy to spot a mean or savage person. He or she always mocks and ridicules others. At times those who exhibit these signs are not cognizant of the fact and act without realizing the toxic effects of their actions or behaviour, which could be due to the age factor, i.e., teenage or immaturity. However, they do at times realize, and improve when they are subject to similar situations in life. That is a better approach and counts as self improvement.

Similarly, it requires no rocket science to identify a person of high moral character. He or she always shows respect to his or her rivals.

If you have been exhibiting such immoral character of humiliating others, fine, but refrain from doing it from now on.

Two things will happen for sure when you consciously show respect to your opponents, especially after they are down;

1) You win new friends, earn respect, and the circle of your well-wishers expands.

 2) You rise in life and people look up to you, especially your children. The explicit sign of which is that you become more humble.

Cheers!