There is a Greek proverb that goes, “A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.” The basic interpretation of this proverb is that a society will progress when its elders are unselfish. This selflessness can be manifest in numerous ways. Like planting a tree that you know under whose shade you will not sit, a selfless elder will sacrifice and contribute for the good of the society without expecting to reap the benefits of his deeds in his lifetime. He will be long gone but his deeds will benefit those who come after him.
Humans, by nature, are selfish and being who we are, we rarely put others ahead of ourselves. Being human is a difficult job. We know that selfishness is evil yet it is so difficult for us humans to be selfless. We know that we must sacrifice for the wellbeing of the society we live in, yet, seldom do we commit selfless contribution because of our selfish nature while expecting other humans to selflessly sacrifice. That has been the case since the dawn of human civilization.
Composed more than 5000 years ago, the holy Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita says, “The ignorant work for their own profit… the wise work for the welfare of the world…” Sages have over the centuries taught about selflessness. Holy scriptures of all religions teach selflessness. In the Quran, the prophet Muhammad declares, “He who goes to bed full when his neighbor is hungry is not one of us.” Likewise, the Bible teaches selflessness in equal measure.
The tenets of Ao Sobaliba circles around selflessness, of rendering one’s service for the comfort of others. In fact, selflessness is the hallmark of true love and selfless sacrifice, the mother of all virtues. Yet, very few of us humans care! Being selfish by nature, we want everything for ourselves here and now. Blinded by our selfishness and greed, we are not ashamed to participate in all forms of corruption. We are all too occupied with earning our livelihood, so much so that we do not have time to care for the less fortunate. Bitten by the consumerism bug – where greed is the creed – all we want is more of everything.
In this sped up world we live today, where instant gratification is the norm, where everyone is trying to get rich quick, it is difficult to find someone who is selfless, someone who is willing to give till it hurts. Thus, we look up to our elders to show us the way, to guide us and to teach us to be selfless. We look up to our elders to “plant trees in whose shade they know they will never sit.” Is that too much of an ask?