Khabt e Azmat Auk Muasharti Beemari
The teacher asked the student, “How many kidneys do we have?” The student replied, “Four.” The teacher, with a sarcastic tone, said, “Listen to this! He says we have four kidneys,” and burst into laughter. This teacher was one of those who, wrapped up in the pride of their knowledge, felt a sense of superiority and took pleasure in belittling students for their mistakes. He then addressed the students sitting in the front row and said, “Bring a bundle of grass and place it in front of the donkey we have in our class.”
The same student calmly responded, “And yes, please bring me a coffee as well!” Hearing this, the teacher was infuriated and expelled him from the class. It is worth mentioning that this student, Aparicio Torelly Aporelli (1895-1971), later became a famous humorist known by his pen name “Baron de Itararé.” As he was leaving the class, the student mustered the courage to politely tell the angry teacher, “You asked me, ‘How many kidneys do *we* have?’ So, I said four—two for you, two for me. The term ‘we’ is plural, not singular.”
This story highlights the need for not only knowledge but also wit and presence of mind in life. Arrogance and delusions of grandeur can cloud one’s intellect. The sense of superiority is often a manifestation of deep-seated inferiority.
During my career at the bank, I encountered many strange events and personalities, from whom I learned a great deal and had some wonderful and bitter experiences. The role of your “boss” or supervising officer is very significant in your job, as their good or bad habits directly affect your life and career. The behaviors and approaches of those under whose influence you learn work often reflect in your own personality.
Generally, I came across good officers in the bank who valued hard work and respected those who did it. Even today, an individual’s or team’s performance in a bank is measured by the numbers and position in each sector of their branch, area, region, and circle. These figures are a testament to one’s hard work, effort, honesty, competence, and ability. How much you grow the bank’s business, earn profits, and comply with the bank’s policies and regulations, all count.
Your work in every area is what makes your performance stand out. Each year, your audit serves as proof of your good work. Above all, your politeness, attitude, and manner of communication play a crucial role. However, there were also some bitter days with a few officers that are hard to forget. It was during these times that I encountered the flaw of “delusions of grandeur” and realized its consequences. While appearances can be deceptive, people are often not what they seem.
When the bank was privatized, a new president was appointed who issued a letter stating that any manager who doubled their branch’s deposits in one year would be promoted to the next grade immediately. I was among the lucky ones who achieved this target. However, since I had been promoted just a year prior, it seemed too soon for another promotion. As a result, our regional and general managers dropped my name from the list. When I inquired, they said, “For promotion, we look at more than just performance.” Nonetheless, I wrote a letter directly to the president, who then reluctantly had to approve my promotion.
An officer visited and made a great impression in the general staff meeting with his appearance, personality, tone, and manner of speaking. However, when we had a one-on-one meeting at the branch, all my perceptions proved wrong. He asked, “How long have you been at this branch?” I replied, “Two years,” and presented my two-year performance sheet, which he picked up and set aside without looking at. He said, “We know everyone’s performance. Your achievements are because of us. If we don’t want you to perform, you can’t. You should take pride not in your work but in your boss, who gave you the opportunity to work at this excellent branch. It’s such a wonderful branch that I could assign anyone here, and they would show good performance.”
According to him, a manager’s performance scores were what their boss gave them. Without pleasing your superiors, everything else is meaningless. It all came down to how much you could keep your seniors happy. Before this, I had always been recognized for my successes, being called “Tiger” and “Golden Arm” by senior officers, and was named “Man of the Year” annually. This was the first time I had heard such remarks or encountered this mindset.
The next morning, I was transferred, and I was told, “Let’s see how you perform now.” I understood the meaning and intent behind their words, but I knew I couldn’t meet their expectations. So, I continued to show my best performance in banking and kept moving up the career ladder. But that officer eventually met his fate at the hands of another superior who, like him, was also afflicted by “delusions of grandeur.”
My late father used to say that “delusions of grandeur” are actually the highest form of “pride arrogance,” and the first victim of this in the world was Satan, who refused to bow to man despite God’s command due to his arrogance and became the first disobedient being, subject to divine wrath. He would say that pride, whether over wealth, power, status, beauty, knowledge, lineage, or even piety, always leads to disgrace.
He would also say that humility strengthens faith, while pride weakens it. A person is not great by stature, wealth, or position, but by character. Life is about facing challenges, and success is about overcoming them. As the wise Luqman once said, “A person suffering from delusions of grandeur, who is obsessed with their own greatness and power, is actually mentally ill.” Such people are commonly found around you, and you will encounter them sooner or later. This illness is more prevalent among those in high positions and their associates, and it manifests in different ways in society. Often, you hear people say, “Don’t you know who I am?” or “You’re just one phone call away from being put in your place.”
I once heard a woman arguing on the street saying, “Don’t you know whose wife I am?” Many people carry a heavy business card in their pockets or wear it around their necks, using it as a means of introduction, whether as a politician, TV anchor, journalist, landlord, or bureaucrat. Similarly, they display nameplates on their cars and homes to signify their importance and greatness. They seek to establish their status in society by portraying themselves as superior to others, intimidating others, and boasting about their authority and position to satisfy their own egos.
This is actually their inferiority complex, which is slowly becoming a part of our society. That’s why our religion, Islam, considers arrogance a major sin. Allah Almighty has said, “Do not walk arrogantly on the earth, for you cannot tear the earth apart, nor reach the height of the mountains with your stature.” Therefore, we should always appear as we truly are, for we are all made from the same dust and will ultimately become food for that dust. So, what is there to be proud of?
