The greatness of small deeds

For many of us a great person is one who has achieved enviable financial, academic or related status. A great person is one who has been involved in heroic deeds or one who has received wide acclaim and commendation for his works or achievements.Of the many significant things that Charlotte Yonge (1823-1901) said and explained […]

For many of us a great person is one who has achieved enviable financial, academic or related status. A great person is one who has been involved in heroic deeds or one who has received wide acclaim and commendation for his works or achievements.
Of the many significant things that Charlotte Yonge (1823-1901) said and explained in her book, A Book of Golden Deeds Of all Times and all Lands, her explanation of what makes a person great is very vivid and brings to reality what humanity and true love encompasses.
Yonge said, “We can be great by helping one another; We can be loved for very simple deeds; Who has the grateful mention of a brother, has really all the honor that he needs. We can be famous for our works of kindness — Fame is not born alone of strength or skill; it sometimes comes from deafness and from blindness.
“To petty words and faults, and loving still. We can be rich in gentle smiles and sunny: A jeweled soul exceeds a royal crown. The richest men sometimes have little money, And Croesus oft’s the poorest man in town.”
‘Simply giving consistent effort in the little things in day-to-day life leads to true greatness. Little deeds of kindness and tasks of service or sacrifice given for another is another true quality of greatness. The sacrifice it takes to be a loving parent, a true friend, and a faithful companion are also marks of true greatness.’
The little deeds of kinds, the little words of love, the little gestures that bring comfort to a worried heart, the little words which restore self-confidence to that dejected spirit, those little and seemingly easy deeds which we receive that help us go through life’s challenges are the ones that go unnoticed and, are the most taken for granted and abused.
It is nobody’s birthright to receive kindness from somebody else. But when you do receive it, in whatever measure that you do, you should learn to appreciate such gestures, cherish them and reciprocate by doing same to others. Also, when we extend kindness to others, we should not expect that our beneficiaries will be forever indebted to us. We should see the opportunity to add meaning to another’s life as a privilege, not as a matter of convenience. To be able to have enough for yourself so much so that you have to share is a blessing that should not be disregarded or treated as a normal occurrence.
Mrs. Christy Danbaba opines that the fulfillment in kind gestures are not dependent on the ‘thank you’ she receives but on the fact that her gestures make a difference. “I do not need to go on an ego trip or to have my egos massaged.  The real fulfillment comes in the fact that the time, ear and words I have given have brought a smile to somebody’s face and given him reason to live and forge ahead. For me it is the noble thing to do. According to Yonge, “Such noble and precious actions of which human nature is capable – the truly golden and priceless deeds that are the jewels of history, the salt of life.”
Describing factors which cause the disregard of small deeds and acclaim to bigger but invaluable acts, the writer said, “Selfishness is the dross and alloy that gives the unsound ring to many an act that has been called glorious. And, on the other hand, it is not only the valour, which meets a thousand enemies upon the battlefield, or scales the walls in a forlorn hope, that is of true gold. It may be, but often it is a mere greed of fame, fear of shame, or lust of plunder. No, it is the spirit that gives itself for others – the temper that for the sake of religion, of country, of duty, of kindred, nay, of pity even to a stranger, will dare all things, risk all things, endure all things, meet death in one moment, or wear life away in slow, persevering tendance and suffering.”
Religion is not what should teach us to appreciate the power behind small gestures. Love for humanity should be the motivating factor and in doing so, humility should be our watchword as John Ruskin advises. “I believe that the first test of a truly great man is his humility. I don’t mean by humility, doubt of his power. But really great men have a curious feeling that the greatness is not of them, but through them. And they see something divine in every other man and are endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful.”