Greatness

Greatness (n.) - the property possessed by something or someone of outstanding importance or eminence.

Some men are born great. Some men achieve greatness. But what truly makes a person great? Many would say diligence, perseverance, and dedication. And you know what? They’d be right. However, there are a few folks who attend the school of thought that greatness is reserved for the intelligent. This isn’t necessarily true.

A feat of greatness doesn’t have to be a monumental accomplishment. When we think of greatness in today’s society, what do we think of? An athlete breaking a record and being elected to the Hall of Fame, an actor or director winning an Academy Award, a scientist winning the Nobel Prize. That’s all well and good, but the distinguishing factor here is the prize that comes with greatness. I find it terribly amusing that we as a society only recognize a feat worthy of a prize as great. There are so many accomplishments that are (or at least should be) considered great that go unnoticed. For example, a single mother working two jobs to support her two kids because her husband died still finds a way to put food on the table and get her son to baseball practice. This may seem like an ordinary occurrence to some, but when you really think about it, how often does this happen this day and age?

As I said before, there are people in the world who believe greatness is only achieved by the intelligent. This doesn’t have to be true. An automobile mechanic doesn’t have to be terribly smart (nothing against them or their profession, for it is an honorable and very lucrative profession). He or she may not be very intelligent, but he/she could know everything there is to know about cars. Then one day, he or she finds a way to finagle a car to run on water, thereby revolutionizing the way we, as consumers, drive from point A to point B, and saving us all copious amounts of money. Now, this doesn’t make him/her smart because for all we know, cars may be the ONLY thing he/she knows about, but this revolutionary accomplishment would be considered great. And what’s worse is they might not even see this as prize-worthy. I do recall a person (whose name I cannot remember, and you’ll see why in a second) who engineered a car that runs on vegetable oil. No prize for him. If they tossed him a medal, I’d probably know that poor soul’s name.

In short, it was Mother Theresa who said, “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” In some ways, she is right. All the accomplishments we see (or don’t see) each day that are considered great can be boiled down into very small tasks, completed with great determination, perseverance and dedication. I truly believe greatness is inside each and every one of us, just in a different capacity from person to person. Hell, even Frosted Flakes are great according to Tony the Tiger. If a cereal can achieve greatness, there’s hope for every last one of us.

~ That is all