Whenever I get the opportunity to address high achievers of the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), I always stress the need to be humble at all times.
You have nothing to lose by being humble. It doesn’t cost a sen. Being arrogant leads you nowhere. You will only land yourself in hot soup sooner or later. While these students deserve to be congratulated for their achievements, they should also be reminded to be thankful to their teachers and parents.
Many a time I have read in the newspapers of students saying that they were grateful to their parents and friends for their results but their teachers were often not credited.
Parents should advise their children to be humble enough to thank their teachers too. As educators, they would have played their part in many ways.
Even the great Muhammad Ali, despite his abrasive personality in the ring, always humbled himself when interviewed after winning a match.
Distancing yourself from humility will be your pitfall when you go into the world seeking a job, or when mingling with society.
However smart you may be, if you are not humble, you will not be able to clear the hurdle at the interview itself. A less intelligent, more down-to-earth and street-smart individual would land the job instead.
The moral of the story is to be like the padi plant. As the ripened stalks of padi bend, we too must bow our heads even lower as we gain more knowledge with age.
THIAGAN MATHIAPARANAM
Klang
