We tackled man’s knowledge of himself, its impact on his view of life and connection with his success or failure. Then, we tackled a concept relevant to this knowledge, namely, “Not being better than anybody, like anybody, or less than anybody.” Likewise, we delineated the importance of each person’s realizing that he is not better than others due to his distinction in any field: for each person has strengths and weaknesses, and manifests various aspects of creativity. At the same time, each person has his own unique traits which resemble another’s even in the same field. Such variety gives rise to integration amongst humans that enables them to achieve goals and establish communities.
You Aren’t Less Than Anybody
Man is not better than anybody. Nor is he less. Each person has his own unique talents and potential. Yet, some people suffer from seeing themselves negatively, which is the first path toward destroying any success. This negative perspective emanates, either from man’s experience during childhood, his rising in an environment that makes negative things a reality, or maybe he or others did not try to discover his strengths.
Also, man might be reluctant to try anything new, which makes him fail to understand himself, thus he feels inferior whenever compared to others. In all cases, life is a path in which man discovers his talents and capacities which presence he should believe in and ought to seek incessantly until he discovers and invests in. Thus, he can capitalize on whatever God grants him for his own and humanity’s welfare.
What if Addison’s mother did not try encourage her son and stop at the school report which stated he was the most stupid child in the world? What if young Taha Hussein, who became the dean of Arab Literature and, later, minister of Education, stopped at losing his eyesight and made life’s hardships destroy him? Likewise, John Milton, the British poet, was not hindered by his blindness, and became a distinct man of letters. What if Wright brothers gave in to not continuing their education and not acquiring a certificate, and stopped working and experimenting in mechanics which was their passion? We need a lot of time to speak of those who overcame the obstacles that could have made them mere viewers, not participants to life, and decided to know themselves through a tiresome journey toward success. So, as Dr. Taha Hussein put it, “The best knowledge is yourself to know,” and make it as God wants you to make to, maximizing your strengths, attenuating your weaknesses, and correcting your mistakes.
General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
