Humility is an amazing virtue: A true-life story

Introduction

Humility comes in different sizes and shapes. Some are naturally humble, while some get humbled by circumstances. Life is like a stage and on the beautiful stage are several actors and actresses. We get to come across some people who have achieved some measure of success in life, and you can perceive the air of arrogance and pride from a mile afar. On the other hand, some are so down to earth and simple despite their huge investment and accomplishment, that you would hardly know if they are influential or not.

This brings me back to a true-life story I read online some years back, It is a story that has some bitter lessons for everyone. It is a story about how we should imbibe the virtue of humility and never allow little achievements becloud our sense of reasoning.

True Life Story

We had not seen it for over 20 years. God had been kind to me. When I saw him at the hotel lobby, he was looking simple. He wore a faded t-shirt. I felt touched. I caught up with him and we later exchanged contact details. He called for his car. The car looked a bit old.

I thought about dropping him off in my brand new Range Rover. I invited him to lunch at my home. Part of me wanted him to see my success. Another part of me yearned to discuss business opportunities.

We drove to my home at Parkview. He looked impressed with my home. I had taken a heavy mortgage from my bank. I was heavily leveraged. We had lunch and I asked how I could help. “I am fine,” He said with a broad smile.

“Hopefully, I will be inviting you over to my home soon” His old car came for him. In my innermost thoughts, I realized there were genuine reasons for me to be grateful. All fingers are not equal. I was damn lucky. Two weeks later, we went to see him at his home in Ikeja. We saw the estate. We asked for directions to his home. They spoke his name with reference.

It was a lovely, simple, and elegant home. I saw cars parked outside, and we entered. Simply elegant with a taste of class. Lunch was well served. During lunch, he asked about my Managing Director. He said they were friends.

I saw a company gift on his table. That company owned 35% shares where I worked. I enquired, and he smiled. He told me he owned the company. He also owned the estate where his home was built.

I didn’t know when I called him Sir. I had learned a very big lesson in humility. Appearance can be deceptive. He noticed my discomfort. During my ride back home, I was quiet. “I looked at myself “. Living on Loan’s life!

…Ademola H.  Adigun 

Moral Lesson

A bitter lesson we all get to learn as we journey through life is the need to stay grounded no matter the level of success we have attained in life. Humility is key to accessing countless opportunities, and we shouldn’t allow pride to stop such opportunities. People may appear simple outwardly, but we may never know their true worth until we get to know them better. Humility keeps us from the danger of losing focus as we pursue our dreams and goals in life!