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Facing Humiliation – Part 1

 

‘If anyone tells you that a certain person speaks ill of you, do not make excuses about what is said of you but answer, “He was ignorant of my other faults, else he would not have mentioned these alone.”’—Epictetus, Greek philosopher

God, being our ever well-wisher, puts us in situations where we are humiliated or ridiculed. That’s when we have a choice of practicing humility. In this world, we often face a frustrating situation and how we respond internally to that determines our humility.

A neophyte protests; he thinks the one pointing out his faults is prejudiced. His ego blinds him to his faults, and when the Lord kindly arranges for others to reveal them, he gets disturbed. On the other hand, a person striving for goodness may also get upset when humiliated, but he makes the right choice.

A mature person would see the provocation positively. He’s ever-alert to know what is keeping him away from developing a meaningful relationship with himself and God. Any suggestion or correction he faces immediately is weighed in the context of this ambition. That means no personal insult can ever be severe enough.

One of my friends, a celibate monk, was travelling in a train in Mumbai one night and was surrounded by a gang of thugs. They cracked ribald jokes at his expense and even pulled the puff of hair that hung from the back of his shaved head. It was painful to his ego that his self-respect was being attacked. He cried in pain and was faced with a choice—he could either sulk more and feel agonized or choose humility. He chose the latter. How?

He quietly considered what would please his beloved Lord Krishna. He reasoned that he had been receiving a lot of adoration over the years for his ability to teach the message of Bhagavad-Gita. He had many fans and hundreds respected him. This humiliation was needed to digest all that respect— most of which was undeserving—that was coming his way in life. As soon as he saw the incident in this light, he felt a sense of relief, and soon forgiveness was easy.

To be continued…

 

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