As I watch many of our present-day politicians, company heads and other leaders, I notice that insults flow glibly from their tongue. It seems to be an effective way of bashing their opponents. But I do believe the only way to win against them is by turning those insults around, to your advantage!
This incident happened during the latter part of the 1800s, in Bengal when Sri Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar and his few friends were busy collecting donations to start Calcutta University.
One day Vidyasagar stopped at the door of the palace of Nawab of Ayodhya. The Nawab was not exactly known to be a generous person and many people tried to dissuade Vidyasagar from taking his mission to the nawab.
Vidyasagar met the Nawab and presented his cause. On hearing Vidyasagar’s plea, Nawab got up, pulled one of his shoes off and dropped it in Vidyasagar’s bag as a donation.
Vidyasagar did not say a word. He simply got up, thanked the Nawab and left.
Next day Vidyasagar organised an auction of the Nawab’s shoe in front of his palace. Lots of Nawab’s knights, Jahagirdars, court members, who wanted to impress the Nawab started bidding. By mid-afternoon the shoe was sold for Rs 1000.
The Nawab, happy to hear that his shoe fetched Rs 1000, matched the auction money. He added his own Rs. 1000 as donation.
Please remember what Rs 1000/- was two hundred years ago!
When destiny dropped a shoe in his basket, Vidyasagar could have walked out furious. He could have thrown the shoe at the Nawab as an insult. He could have got depressed and gone home and cried that nobody is willing to give him a donation and given up his efforts to raise donations for the university.
But he did nothing of that sort.
He remained focused on the main goal.
He rose above his personal feelings, ego, and insecurities and exploited the situation creatively. He rose above his insecurities and exploited that of others around him. He took that shoe and converted it into the biggest donation to the University of Calcutta. Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar converted his on-face insult and resulting disappointment into a Rs. 2000 donation plus a pleased Nawab who could be of some assistance at some point later.
Yes, when someone has insulted you, you need to look at the bigger picture.
When you look at how that same insult can be turned around, creative ideas come abounding. But first you have to control the urge to hit back. Stop feeling insulted, rise above your personal feelings, ego and insecurity, remember they are actually using weapons of assault, but here you have the choice of getting hit or not. Once you learn to take advantage of insults you will quickly realize you are the one who can make ‘money from a nawab’s shoe!’
Remember, that is the only weapon, bullies have, backed generally by lies.
Gandhi realized that, worked on himself, and won India’s freedom..!

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