Height of Humility

"Height of Humility" ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

There must have been lots of instances in your life which prove how important the theory of ‘Beauty of Soul’ is. At least one encounter which quickly comes to my mind is about a soul I had the privilege to interact with. During our L.L.M (Spring) session of 2024, the very first period was with Prof Toni Jaeger-Fine, who taught 'Introduction to the US Constitution' at Fordham Law School. Toni entered the class like a live wire. I had never seen any professor before in my life with such an enormous amount of energy. She was so charged up that she motivated each student in no time. More often than not,?she taught us for seven hours at a stretch with just a short lunch break. Such a high level of energy even after retirement cannot but?proves the philosophy ---?those with higher purpose of life are more energetic and much happier. She talked of awareness, self discipline and lively attitude to life. She talked of various?areas?of social responsibility and importance of taking good care of health. She seemed to be a strict disciplinarian as she didn't allow any one to talk during her lecture. She rightly says that talking while teaching is going on diffuses the focus of everyone. However,?she is just like a coconut, which is hard outwardly and soft inwardly. She would quite often say lovingly, "I want all of you to shine."?

One day she asked someone sitting in the last row, 'Did you have a hair cut.'? This gesture of her speaks volumes of her large heartedness and the 'beauty of her soul'. Whenever I had the chance to meet her, Toni was always?so full of energy and happiness that my admiration for him grew manifold.?

?The word 'Saint' is one of the most misunderstood words in the society. Many of us feel that saint means someone in saffron robes living in the?Himalayas, observing silence, not mixing with the world and living a life of self denial and suppression. A true saint as per various scriptures is the one who is full of love and compassion for all, doesn't have ill will or hatred against any one, is totally disciplined and is dedicated to the selfless service. I firmly believe that Toni has imbibed all the great qualities of a saint. I also feel that only such saintly leaders in every sphere of the society can subconsciously imbibe great values in young students. How can we expect some loan from an insolvent ? How can we expect our leaders to have vices like greed, lust, ego, insensitivity and dishonesty. How can we expect a person?selfishly attached to his kith and kins and greedily engrossed in power and fame to serve the society.?

Just one vice can ruin a person completely,? and if those governing a state have so many vices, the result is that millions in the world are dying of hunger, millions don’t get primary health care and education.

?Toni in her book "Becoming a Lawyer" signifies the importance of all such qualities. This book is like the 'Holy Bible'. It should be a compulsory read for not only lawyers and judges but also for the whole society.

?As a lawyer dealing with Criminal law , by force of habit, I investigated and discovered some wonderful facts about Toni. Her childhood was fairly unexceptional. She grew up in a suburb of New York City in a loving family. Her parents were very supportive in every way and gave her all the tools she needed to become the person she is today. Most importantly, her parents are probably the reason why she loves teaching so much. They were both primary school teachers, and her father was an administrator too.

Toni chose law, but teaching was always in her bones. After a few years of practicing law, she got a position as an adjunct professor at a law school, probably around 1990, and she has been teaching there ever since and she loves it too.?Academic achievement was the primary focus for her .?

She did not have hobbies or particular interests as a child or young adult, although she always loved spending time with friends.?She is very interested in fitness. She does hot yoga, climbing, boxing, cycling, and weightlifting. She loves to cook and has been a longtime vegetarian. Interestingly, she recently started to do watercolor painting because she thought that a creative outlet was somewhere missing from her life. It is a very interesting that you think of doing something that you are not good at. She finds it really relaxing to dabble.

Her advice for the young teachers has always been that they must " fully embrace their role as a teacher. Part of that (she firmly believes) is imparting information and demonstrating a professional persona that is worth emulating, and?also counselling students formally or informally. Finally, it is about being a perpetual student and learning from your students.?

Since the teachers are the makers of the society,? the expectations of the society from them are much higher, and every one wants them to be wise and honest. Mahatma Gandhi beautifully said, "Use your profession as a tool to serve the society". I think that the real thing to be imbibed by the youth today is the? combination of courage, wisdom and large heartedness, which I have found in abundance in this great human being, Toni. Such teachers can be great mentors, motivators and guides to many students.

The best is yet to come. Having said so much about this beautiful soul, I must take you to the climax now. I was so much enamoured even during the first few minutes that I made a comment about her 'Beauty of Soul''. Toni, a wonderful soul, was moved so much that with a reflex action she kneeled down on the floor and conveyed her gratitude to the whole class with both his hands up in a prayer posture. This was surely a great example of *the 'Height of Humility'. She is quite famous for her knowledge of law and commitment to teaching students, but this side of her personality, i.e 'Height of Humility' is not known to many so I thought of conveying my gratitude to this wonderful soul. "Fragrance of a flower spreads only in the direction of the wind, but the goodness of the person spreads in all directions ; keep spreading it forever, Toni".? Wish you best of health and many many more years of happiness and fulfilment.?

Yours Truly, Ashok, which means, Always happy, always smiling.

Ashok Arora, LL.M Student (US Laws-Spring 2024)

Former Secretary Supreme Court Bar Association (India)

Motivational Speaker, Law Teacher, Author, Mediator

Email [email protected]

WhatsApp +919810062089

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