¿How can I hide the talents that were given to me, just because society – made up of people with other talents – gave them a negative or gloating sense? Dictatorships create equal beings and extremely limited ones in terms of originality and we feed these dictatorships whenever we criticize what is different, simply because it isn't like us. Or, worse, we criticize someone who dare to expose his difference, even when it can be useful for us, and sometimes we do it only because we are afraid of do the same, i.e., explore our gifts.
¿To what extent was your humility created by you or by society? ¿To what extent does your humility make you refuse compliments when you are deeply aware that you deserve them? ¿Are you being fair to yourself and to the gift that was given to you when you reject compliments and decrease the value of the work you did and to which a lot of people contributed since you were born? ¿Are you transforming the humility society impose on you into ingratitude?
The other day, while I was jogging in Jakarta, I couldn't hold my tears when I saw a lame man pushing a huge car with garbage. We speak different languages, but his joy and gratitude were inspiring to me. I was ashamed of self-pity, which is no more than "idolatry", as the Bible say, and I followed my way. I didn't pay attention to the inside voice telling me to try to help him in my free time and I convinced myself that compassion was enough.
A few days later, I saw a blind man walking through the cars in the middle of the avenue and trying to sell snacks. I just thought how lucky I am because in my own country the State protects the unfortunate people and I followed my way, once again, in the haughtiness of a lucky woman.
In the same week, I fell into a smelly river and I broke my foot. Unable to walk and without a social security system, I bought a massage and I prayed for a miracle, but it was not supposed to get it.
Since I am a lucky person, I ended up going to an accredited hospital and I learned the lesson that true humility is always putting ourselves after all other beings. After all, we never know when everything changes. Death can come suddenly. To believe we are lucky to have been born with more opportunities and that God asks us to do more important things than simply pushing a trash car is arrogance. The more possibilities are offered to us, the more responsibility we must assume.
Because even when your ego makes you feel supportive enough, you will always make excuses or defend yourself saying that sharing a solidarity message on social media is enough. Only if you really feel – by your own initiative or through a gift, like in my case – what someone really feels, you will be able to really support him. For example, during Ramadan people can feed their compassion for those who do not have food or water.
¡So today I am grateful to have something to share! And I write not for you, but hoping that some day I will be lucky enough to comfort myself with these words.
But, if you allow me, ¿are you aware how big your responsibility is? ¿How far your humility can go? Or, rather, how far does your pursuit of happiness? Maybe you will find an answer in this remarkable video.
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