‘THE LESSER MORTAL’
LADY OPINE
‘The Lesser Mortal’
In an age when so much is taken for granted, the right of refusal is law and liberty is an expectation, too few bother today to give thanks and recognition for that which has been given. Few to none give pause to the thought of having been granted an alternative life; a life where fate herself has handed you the opportunities of the man who stands side by side with you, but whom you view with distaste or distain, simply because he has not. What would you do had you been given his beginnings instead of your own?
In an individuals lifetime, so much is given, so many things set aside or sacrifices made by others in order for an individual to fulfil a desire, obtain an item or objective or succeed in their chosen field; yet most of this goes unrecognised by the recipient, and usually remains unsaid by the giver.
From birth, sacrifices are made for each of us. No matter who the carer is; a parent or adoptee guardian, institute or care facility; someone, somewhere takes the time, the expense and gives enough of a care to see to it that we are at a minimum, fed, watered and sheltered.
The granting of these basic needs aren’t generally considered by the majority. Most go an entire lifetime without recognition of this basic gift of beginning; indeed it is a way of existence for most which generally stays with an individual for his entire lifetime. Never does he give thanks for the smallest of gestures shown him, for it is beyond a gift to him; it is an expectation; indeed it is his right.
An individual, throughout the course of their life will utter the words, either to others, or to themselves; ‘I did this’. Indeed… how, precisely? How many peoples effort, functionality or resources, however slight were required in order for you to fulfil this deed which you have done? How much was put in place or set aside by others, both with your knowledge and without you even knowing you had assistance in order to complete it? Consider, for a moment…
No-one, no matter how clever, how wealthy, how independently capable they may be, can succeed alone. Life is about people. People are the driving force for one another; one person exists, not only for another, but because of another, and not a single living person can refute this latter fact. Even a test-tube baby, should such ever exist, would require the hand, skill and constant monitoring and care of another human being in order to be granted life, such that it would be.
The success of an individual is equal to and co-incident with the success of the man who stands beside him; for every human being on this planet is only as great as the weakest and poorest amidst us all. It is neither great, nor are you a success because you can sprout your own strength, whilst the successes you have and have had are and were dependent upon the influence, compliance, finances or resources of others, however slight. The absence of a single nail can sink an entire ship, so too can the omission of a single persons input throughout the course of your life, no matter how infinitesimal it may have seemed at the time, completely change the course of your life. This is something which should always be borne in mind.
A man who has succeeded on his own merits and appreciates the struggle of existence never sprouts self acclaim or greatness, for he recognises, no matter how slight, the presence of and need for support, which is required in order for any great success ever to unfold and he gives thanks for this by his recognition of this fact alone.
Greatness is not something one can attain, but rather, a status which can only be recognised, not by those to whom it is granted, but by those who grant it. It is a great man indeed who does not know his own strength and rather than try to further himself, gives of himself, in his own attempt to give strength to and raise up those around him whom he sees need succour and support.
Only in our attempts to further those who stand beside us can any individual attain greatness, for it is not the man who strives to be more than he is on limited means and opportunity and fails, who is weak, but the man who stands over him in judgement whilst he himself wallows in wealth beyond his needs; this indeed is the lesser mortal of the two.
Lady Opine.
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780 words
