What is Greatness?

Some people have been asking me this question after reading my previous blog entry.

"What is Greatness?"

Many people might think of war heroes like Winston Churchhill, or fictitious superheroes like Superman. But I really think that "Greatness" is much more than that.

This question brings to memory a story which I have heard over the radio quite some months ago. I hope that by sharing this story, everyone can a bit understand what I meant by "Greatness".


Ripple Effect

A man took his grandson to a fish pond and told him to throw a stone into the water. The grandfather told him to watch the circles created by the stone. Then he asked the grandson to think of himself as that stone.

The grandfather said, "You may create lots of splashes in your life but the waves that come from those splashes will disturb the peace of all your fellow creatures.

"Remember that you are responsible for what you put in your circle and that circle will also touch many other circles. You will need to live in a way that allows the good that comes from your circle to send the peace of that goodness to others. The splash that comes from anger or jealousy will send those feelings to other circles. You are responsible for both."


I think that each of us do create ripples that affect the lives of the people around us. We have the power to influence (esp. our loved ones), whether we liked it or not.

When we create ripples that add value to the lives of the people around us and transform their lives for the better, I would call this "Greatness".