SELECTION OF STUDENTS
Socrates (469-399 BC)
was a great philosopher and teacher of ancient Greece. Several young men
approached him with the request that they may be accepted as the students of
Socrates. The great teacher performed a simple test to select the suitable
students. He asked the aspirants to look into a pond and report to him what
each of them had seen in the pond. Most of them said that they had seen their
own image in the still water. Socrates sent them away as unqualified to be his
students. A few of them reported that they had seen fishes swimming around in
the still water. Socrates gladly admitted them to his school. When asked about
this test by his senior disciples, he said that those who saw their own image
in the water were in love with their own ego and so were useless as students.
An egoist or egocentric person is
preoccupied with and considers only his own interests, welfare, pleasure,
advantage and advancement. He acts with only himself and his own interests in
mind. He puts his own interests and needs first in every action without any
concern for others. He is self-centred and selfish and thinks too much about
oneself and too little about others. Egotists are boastful and think and talk too often or
too much about oneself. They have a very high sense of self-importance.
"The Lord hates everyone who is
arrogant; He will never let them escape punishment" {Proverbs 16: 5}. "Pride leads
to destruction, and arrogance to downfall" {Proverbs 16: 18}. "No one is
respected unless he is humble; arrogant people are on the way to
ruin" {Proverbs 18: 12}.
"Happy are those who are humble; they will receive what
God has promised" {Matthew 5: 5}. "For everyone who makes himself great
will be humbled, and everyone who humbles himself will be made great"
{Luke14: 11}.
St. Paul advised,
"No one should be looking to his own interests, but to the interests of
others" {1 Corinthians 10: 24}. He advised the Philippians,
"Don't do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast,
but be humble towards one another, always considering others better than
yourselves. And look out for one another's interests, not just for your own"
{Philippians 2: 3,4}.
In his farewell speech to the elders of
Ephesus, St. Paul said, "I have shown you in all things that by working
hard in this way, we must help the weak, remembering the words that the Lord
Jesus himself said, 'There is more happiness in giving than in receiving"
{Acts 20: 35}.
............................................................................................................
© By: Prof.
Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science &
Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India, Prof. Mrs. Rajamma Babu, Former Professor, St. Dominic's
College, Kanjirappally, Leo. S. John, St. Antony's Public
School, Anakkal, Kanjirappally and Neil
John, Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath, Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally,
Kottayam-686507, Kerala, India.
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