Embrace humility‚ not arrogance

OPINION

A few years ago, in my high school days, I had a senior who was very arrogant and seldom agreed to apologise no matter how much she owed it to a person. Once she made a rather childish statement like, “You know, I have never said sorry to anyone till date in all my life!”

God alone knows, why she said it with such an underlining tone of pride, but I, for one, felt like laughing at her, but since she was my senior I absorbed her words, just nodded to whatever she spoke. In reality, she deserved to be pitied for her

immaturity.

Another incident contrary — a few years ago, an exhibition at Lumbini that showcased pictures of a series of development in Israel, had the then ambassador of Israel as the chief guest at the event. After the closure of the programme, the ambassador and his wife started collecting the picture frames. They gently put them in a bundle, then later carried it to the vehicle where it had to be loaded. Everybody else, of course, volunteered to help and people were left with admiration for the ambassador and his wife’s down-to-earth

nature.

These two events teach us something, the crux of which, as I see is — humility. We may have achieved heights of success, earned millions or gained power as an emperor, but humility is something that we must never forget. Let others sing our praises, let humility speak for us.

— Anonymous

n It is very true that the values you have been given when you were a child stay with you forever, but at the same time after a certain age, it’s all about how you believe it.

There are so many incidents when all the awful things happen to the finest people around. Even if I try reasoning it, each time I am clueless. God forgives all without reservations but at times, it’s just so inequitable. And usually the threads are all connected, all related to our

karma.

— Shikha Bahety, Baneshwor

n Achieving something that one wishes certainly brings happiness along with a feeling of pride. However, humility plays a vital role in one’s life to become successful and to maintain it. As for people who consider themselves as superior to others after becoming successful and are unfriendly, I would possibly keep a distance from them.

In conclusion, one should work hard to be successful but should never forget one’s background and humility ever in one’s life and should respect everybody in order to gain respect from others. The betterment of humankind should be our ultimate aim no matter which field one wants to succeed in. Moreover, we should keep some measurable distance with such inhuman personalities.

— Santosh Kshetri

n Life is full of twists and turns and one should never forget that. What they have achieved in the present may not be with them for life. Being arrogant or egotistical after achieving success can actually ruin one’s life. Being humble is something that keeps a person in control. Dealing with an egoistic person is rather an intricate work but if we handle them tactfully, then it may not be that difficult. Instead of getting irritated or avoiding such persons, what we can do is handle them in their way, that is flattering them. Another way is to give examples of people who have to face failure after success and make that person realise that nothing lasts forever, not even success! As there is a saying ‘beauty doesn’t last forever’ and and in the same way, success doesn’t.

— Vineeta Jajodia

n Feeling of pride results in a pumped up heart, but being arrogant on the other hand has a swollen head. A big head gives a big headache, whereas a big heart gives humility. For people, who are arrogant, the world begins, revolves and ends around him.

Humility and success goes hand-in-hand. It is a sign of fulfilment. For instance, a tree with ripening fruits always hangs down, whereas a dry tree stands straight. Humility always pushes one to work further. It acts as a catalyst in ‘success reaction’ of life.

People who are not humble often appear irritating. I’d simply congratulate him on his success and remain quiet. I would not be a part of his celebrations.

— Avishek Shrestha

n If anyone has achieved something in his/her life that has high value, then feeling proud is obvious. If I achieve something that I’ve always wanted to, then I too would feel proud. However, there are people around me who blow their own trumpet when they achieve something. I have also met people, who in reality haven’t achieved anything, but brag about things that aren’t true, which is quite shocking. Some people are born

shameless.

Humility is very necessary in one’s life. Achieving something is good and we should treasure those moments however, we should not have an arrogant attitude about it. I also have achieved what I have wanted, but it all did not happen easily. I struggled a lot and faced hardships and finally I got what I always dreamed of. So, I know the reality and I also fear that someone will surely take my place and I’ll not have the good time

always.

These thoughts keep me alert that we should not express a lot regarding one’s achievement and also it makes people expect more from us, which I don’t like personally.

— Moin Uddin, Ghattekulo, Kathmandu

n Humility and respect are the most important aspects to run our society. If we can inculcate knowledge about humility and respect in the minds of our next generation, then they can understand how our society functions, they can respect others, and they can improve their behaviour. If we are unable to provide that, then our society will perish.

— Kishor Khadka,

Dhapakhel-3, Ganeshthan

n However big the achievement, it is never the ultimate aspect because there are always other bigger achievements ahead. So to take minor successes in life as the great achievement and boasting about it is a mere expression of one’s pride and arrogance. Such people can never progress in life.

It’s hard for me to deal with such an arrogant person. But realising that they are morally weak, I just support what they say and say no more. Though I don’t enjoy it, I often agree with what they have to say and don’t think about their arrogance.

— Civa Bhusal, Chitwan

n Every person feels proud when s/he has achieved a good thing. But there are people who achieve a small success but want others to bow down in front of them. Humility is very important in one’s life because if a person forgets humility, then the person is shameless. Such a person should be told that s/he is not superior to anyone. Being a successful person by hard work is much appreciated, but forgetting one’s duty after that is shameful. There is nothing to be proud about.

— Deepti Pokhrel, Sungava Colony, Golfutar

n I feel that being humble has to be one of the primary trait of being a human. Conceited people need to be dealt in the humblest way possible. This makes them realise the importance of being modest and perhaps will respect others too.

— Aditya Bhattarai, Janakpur, Dhanusha

n Humans are never satisfied with what they have. A poor person may ask God for wealth, a wealthy one may ask for even more wealth, but they ultimately forget from where they started, that is their roots. Those who are humble and down-to-earth, do not need to follow success, instead success will follow them. Success is like sand — if we try to hold it hard, it slips away. Success comes and goes. It is never consistent. The only consistent thing is hard work. Keep working hard and success will be yours.

However, those who are arrogant will be taught a lesson. Time will teach arrogant people to be soft and humble. After all, for how long can an arrogant person be happy?

— Anonymous

n We are not born with an attitude. It comes progressively with time. The environment including, our parents, teachers and friends circle play an important role in learning such an attitude. Feeling proud of achieving something is ordinary and a good thing. And it’s a matter of celebration. But being rude to another and not considering their feelings is a sickness.

Many people forget humility. But what they don’t know is that humility is the key to one’s success. Nobody wants to be dominated by anyone. And it is quite difficult to deal with people with an attitude. Such persons usually have a short temper, so we need to talk to them with patience and proper guidance is what they really need.

— Rajesh Shrestha, Samakhusi, Kathmandu

n While it is important to be humble, it is also necessary to be proud of yourself at times. But that’s something you show with elegance. It’s always hard to deal with an arrogant person and it always takes a lot of self-restraint to stop you from blurting out “Shut up!” But many people mistake a shy nature for arrogance. A friend of mine once thought I was very arrogant when I walked into my class on my first day of college. The truth is I was painfully shy! After coming to know about this, I always thought twice before reacting to someone’s self-praise. So I generally listen patiently when people go on and on about every little achievement of theirs. As it turns out, people can be very insecure and easily offended, but you need to have a certain level of humility in you. This is something a person should realise. Everybody admires a humble person. And let’s face it, if every human on earth starts bragging about themselves, the world would be filled with arrogant snobs. We don’t want that, do we?

— Jenesha D Kunwar,

Dhapasi, Kathmandu

n The first thing that strikes my mind is Lloyd Wright saying, “If I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility, I choose the former and have seen no reason to change it.”

Being humble to superiors is a duty, to equals is a courtesy, and to subordinates nobility. To become truly great and successful, one needs to feed in humility in his life and has to stand beside people, not above them.

But too much humility is a sign of a vague image that one is trying to portray. If a person is faking humility, it may compel me to fake my respect for him too. But if a person is genuine, I would do no justice to my soul if I didn’t appreciate him.

— Akash Rai, Gyaneshwor, Kathmandu

n It is good to be proud of one’s success, but we can also see so many people who are being arrogant about it. Arrogance is one of our greatest enemies as it has only negative results. The personality of a person also decides how humble he is. It is not necessary to show off the success one has achieved since there are so many people achieving greater successes who behave in a simple way. In this world, no one likes to bow down and it is worthless to expect others to bow down to them whatever the reason. Thus, being humble is very important in one’s life.

I would deal with an arrogant person by giving examples of the person achieving greater success than them like Einstein, Galileo and make them feel that there is still more to do.

— Rasbin Rijal, Biratnagar

n Humility is defined as a state of being humble. Humbleness is defined as having or showing awareness of one’s defects. This is not to say that we should not have any pride. We should. We should be confident about ourselves, our abilities, and our values. But we should not over do it. After all someone who has humility has confidence.

People who are humble do not feel a continual need to prove themselves. Humility makes it easier to get along with other people. Humility is important in both our personal and professional lives. Humility also shows gratitude. Well, dealing with such a person is not a difficult thing to do. We just need to be patient and calm!

— Simran Bhimsaria

n One should feel proud of something one has achieved but one should not feel so proud that he makes others ashamed. One should celebrate his/her success in such a way that others do not feel humiliated. The sense of humility in a person shows his identity.

— Anonymous

n Everyone in this era is hungry for success. Everybody wants to achieve success and to be a renowned person. When a person achieves success after struggle, s/he boasts about it. It is also his/her right to boast about it but not to be arrogant about it. However, there are so many people in our society who boast even after achieving small successes. They forget humility and they think that they are superiors and others are inferiors. Due to such types of people, many conflicts and disputes may arise in our society. So, humility is very important in life to overcome problems.

On the other hand, it is very difficult to deal with such people. They do not want to listen to other’s opinions and they expect others to respect their ego and pride. But if we ignore these traits, they automatically become grounded and they will know the importance of

humility.

— Sushant Gupta,

Kathmandu

n I agree with the saying that some people possess arrogance and some humility. But in my opinion, to achieve success in one’s life, neither of it is good. An arrogant person is filled with pride, whereas those possessing humility are taken as cowards. To be happy in every small success and sad in defeat is human nature but we shouldn’t be ecstatic in small successes that we forget our main aim and get satisfied with them, and we must not be so sad that we stop trying and let our destiny pass by.

— Garima Poudel, Pokhara, Kaski

n One needs to struggle to achieve what s/he desires. Once we achieve what we desire it’s natural to feel proud. Unfortunately, some people tend to take such an achievement seriously to an extent that they become arrogant. Cherishing what you have achieved and upgrading the level of achievement with humility is a true example of an achiever. Being a good human being, no matter how high your status, is what makes you an achiever. Hence, being decent and considerate to others does not harm one’s pride nor degrades one in front of others.

Dealing with an arrogant person is of no use. I would rather avoid them. Well, in terms of embracing humility in one’s life, I strongly believe that no matter how much high a tree grows, its leaves have to fall down.

— Subin Lumphugwa Limbu, Thames Int’l College

n I completely agree that we face many people who boast about what they have achieved. It’s their right in some way but going too far is ridiculous. I have seen a few people who used to be quiet and polite but as soon as they achieved something, they started behaving as though they were superior as compared to others, whom they considered their slaves. The way such people talk and behave get on my nerves. Hence, humility is also important as it makes them realise that their feet are still on the ground.

— Anisha Pokharel

n To achieve success is a good thing and we all should feel good for someone’s success. Sometimes people become very proud and arrogant, and behave with others differently and humiliate them. This is not good.

After achieving success people forget all their hardships. Life is a full of ups and downs; we don’t always succeed and success is not stable. Today you may succeed and behave arrogantly, but the next time you may not achieve success and may lose your position, status, relationship and friendship. So always behave well and don’t be over smart and try to humiliate others. So be happy and share your happiness and success with your friends without offending them. Everyone will thus be proud of you and appreciate you.

— Rajan Bajracharya,

Brahma Tole, Kathmandu

n Humble people move forward in life, whereas arrogant ones only fall back losing everything they have. We should never think big of ourselves. A humble person is able to impress others, but an arrogant one isn’t and by this we can know the importance of humility.

— Nischal Budhathoki

n Every human being becomes proud when their desires are fulfiled and they achieve what they always dreamt of. But it is sad to know that there are people in the world who become proud even after achieving little success. I think humility is necessary for every human being as it is a quality that makes people humble, kind and even polite. It shows that people are not rude, arrogant and cruel. If I really had to deal with such kind of an arrogant person, I would like to deal with him/her in a humane way as it will make me close to him/her and would also cast an impression in his/her mind and heart.

— Pratik Shrestha,

Buddhanagar, Baneshwor

n To dream is good and to achieve the goal of that dream is wonderful. One should be proud of what they have achieved. But being arrogant about your achievement is very bad. Being arrogant means casting a negative shadow in one’s goal or achievement. This will lead the person nowhere.

Humility is a key of happiness and satisfaction. Respect cannot be demanded, it has to be earned. Humble people are always respected by everyone. Respect should come from the inner heart not through force. Humility is the key to success. Humility creates feelings of fraternity and brotherhood. We know if you give respect you get respect in return. Arrogant attitude will only lead a person on the path of destruction.

What I know is that arrogant people are neglected in society, whereas humble people are adored. Arrogant people must be given a suggestion to improve themselves. If a person realises his mistake and acknowledges his bad attitude, then it will help him but if not, then surely he will be isolated in society.

— Anonymous

n Everyone has unique qualities and we need to respect it. Behaving modest rather than superior makes a big difference. Humility is a quality of being courteously respectful to others. It distinguishes a wise leader and arrogant power seeker. Modest people are amiable and make many friends. It’s natural to feel proud of what we achieve in life. But being arrogant about it makes people rude. Humility plays an imperative role in life because we are not alone in this world. There are so many out there with unique qualities in their own fields. So be proud of what you are but don’t be arrogant.

If I have to deal with such a person, then I would tell him about other people in this planet who are successful yet are humble to show that’s s/he is on the wrong footing.

— Rashmi Lamsal

n Humility is one of the most adorable virtues that everyone likes to be enriched with. But not all are blessed with this quality. We come across very a few people who possess this quality and implement it in the real sense. No one likes to be known as an arrogant person, but it is the ego that rules over mankind so strongly that a person feels superior to others, especially when s/he achieves something. In my perception, those who have achieved something on their own efforts are generous, humble and polite as they never forget their roots and the struggle they had to go through to achieve their goal. Moreover, they focus on how to maintain the achieved status and position.

On the contrary, people who have achieved something by fluke or through backing of others, don’t realise the difficulties and obstacles one should cross to reach that level, and are rude.

It is an individual’s choice how to behave with others. Many a times, family culture plays determinant role in such behaviour. If a person is boastful of his/her achievement, I would not mind it because I know there is no power and position that can supersede humility and its value.

— Ambika Pandey