Mother
comments upon some of the qualities enumerated in her article “What a Child
Should Always Remember” (On Education)
“To
be modest”
This is to take oneself at one’s true worth.
Generally people pass from an excessive
appreciation of their personal value to an equally excessive discouragement.
One day they say, “I am wonderful”, and the next day, “Oh! I am good for
nothing, I can do nothing.” That is like a pendulum, isn’t it?
There is nothing more difficult than knowing
exactly what one is; one must neither overrate oneself nor depreciate oneself,
but understand one’s limits and know how to advance towards the ideal set
before oneself. There are people who see in a big way and immediately imagine
they can do everything. There are petty officers, for example, who imagine
themselves capable of winning all the battles of the world, and small people
who think they surpass everybody in the world. On the other hand, I have known
some people who had abilities but who spent their time thinking, “I am good for
nothing.” Generally the two extremes are found in the same person. But to find
someone who knows exactly where he stands and exactly where he can go, is very
rare. We have avoided speaking of vanity because we expect that you won’t be
filled with vanity as soon as you score a success.
Just imagine, there are plants which are
vain! I am speaking of plants one grows for oneself. If one pays them
compliments, by words or by feelings, if one admires them, well, they hold up
their head—with vanity! It is the same with animals.
I am going to tell you a short amusing
story. In Paris there is a garden called “The Garden of Plants”: there are
animals there also, as well as plants. They had just received a magnificent
lion. It was of course in a cage. And it was furious. There was a door in the
cage behind which it could hide. And it would hide itself just when the
visitors came to see it! I saw that and one day I went up to the cage and began
speaking to it (animals are very sensitive to spoken language, they really
listen). I began speaking softly to my lion, I said to it, “Oh! How handsome
you are, what a pity that you are hiding yourself like this, how much we would
like to see you….” Well, it listened. Then, little by little, it looked at me
askance, slowly stretched its neck to see me better; later it brought out its
paw and, finally, put the tip of its nose against the bars as if saying, “At
last, here’s someone who understands me!”
“To
be generous”
I shall not speak here of material
generosity which naturally consists in giving others what one has. But even
this virtue is not very widespread, for as soon as one becomes rich one thinks
more often of keeping one’s wealth than of giving it away. The more men
possess, the less are they generous.
I want to speak of moral generosity. To feel
happy, for example, when a comrade is successful. An act of courage, of
unselfishness, a fine sacrifice have a beauty in them which gives you joy. It may
be said that moral generosity consists in being able to recognize the true
worth and superiority of others.
(CWM, Volume 4, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Puducherry)
(Image sourced
from cover page of the book “How to bring up a child”, Sri Aurobindo Society,
Puducherry)
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