Every man has his own ideal of human greatness?
“Some are born great; some achieve greatness; some have greatness thrust upon them.” So wrote Shakespeare in one of his plays. One is common; everybody wants to become great. Why great ? The answer itself is obvious because the greatness has its own rewards, name and fame, ovation and applause, red carpeted welcome and wealth. There is practically no field where one cannot achieve greatness. From the great minister to a great cook in all ranks there can be greatness.
How great? There are degrees and shades of greatness as there are shades in colors. Greatness in a particular field cannot be equated with greatness in a different field. So each one in his specialized field has got his standard or ideal of greatness.
One thing common is that greatness cannot be achieved so easily. It is not made to measure or order and it is true also that it is not always the deserving that becomes great. To achieve greatness a lot of perspiration and hard work is needed. One may have the genius in him but he would have to use it. Even a diamond must be polished and faceted in order to sparkle; otherwise it would continue to be a crude lump of gem. So too in order to become great, one has to work for it. Shakespeare is not fully right in his above quoted statement. It may be true, some are made great but real greatness is the fruit of hard labor.
Now each one in his own peculiar field has his ideal of greatness. Take a politician. If he has taken politics as a career his ambition is to become a Minister one day or a Prime Minister. Whether, then, the country would gain or suffer under him is a different question. As far as the person is concerned his ideal of greatness lies in becoming a Minister.
Look at the sportsmen. Whether it is football, hockey or cricket if he can rise and represent his country in international meets he is considered great. He must wear the colors of his country and become the cynosure of the fans.
An artist wants to become great through his performance. It may be music, painting or sculpture. If he is recognized as unique and masterly then he is pleased. They hunger after recognition and a few of them want to leave behind a tradition. In the fine arts the idea of founding a ‘school’ is prominent and that is the ideal of greatness for most artists.
Greatness lies in the recognition which people bestow on the person concerned. Until the recognition is achieved the hungry soul can never rest satisfied. Some like Captain Sentry in the Spectator’s Club could never move forward though he may have the recognizable merit. Some simply spring up and fade away as quoted in Gray’s famous line ‘full many a gem of purest ray serene …’ In conclusion everyone wants to become great in his or her own way.
