Pursuing greatness is an instinctive urge that sets apart thinking man from the rest of creation. The urge to excel is as strong as the urge to procreate. And both are double-edged swords that can propel you to greatness if rightly steered or sink you into infamy if given a free run. They burst out in you simultaneously as you enter your teens and place you in the thick of the battle between good and evil.
It was this urge to pursue greatness that the devil used to tempt Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. “The snake replied, ‘That’s not true; you will not die. God said that, because He knows that when you eat it you will be like God and know what is good and what is evil” (Gen. 3:4,5). Eve fell into the devil’s trap. In a bid to become as great as God, she ate the forbidden fruit. And we all know what that led to. But Jesus also gave us an exhortation that is identical to the devil’s temptation. He said, “Be you perfect even as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt. 5:48). What then is the difference between the devil’s temptation and Jesus’ exhortation? The difference is this: The devil offered an easy and instant solution for becoming like God; Jesus, on the other hand, asks each one to carry her/his cross and follow Him to achieve it. Great we all must become, but by striving to become like God, which is an arduous and lifelong task.

The kings and emperors of old sought greatness in expanding their kingdoms through conquest. That ended with Hitler’s death and the gradual break up of the British empire. Later, ideological conquest replaced territorial conquest. We thus had the long drawn out Cold War between democracy and communism, which was also a war between laissez-faire capitalism and authoritarian socialism. But that too practically ended with the break up of the communist Soviet Union and the embrace of capitalism by communist China. Nations and rulers now pursue greatness through economic and technological conquests, which are in fact conjoined twins, because technology has become the driving force behind economic progress.

Greatness has become currently the hottest subject, thanks to President Donald Trump, who is working sleeplessly to make America great again. Let’s forget for the moment the inanity in making great again a country which he continuously reminds is the greatest nation on earth ever and, instead, dwell on how he has been trying to achieve it. He is galloping to greatness on a path that is intended to prove rulers of all times wrong: While they sought to expand their territory or moral influence, he will shut America away from the rest of the world to make it the richest and most powerful nation (militarily and technologically) in the world, which it has been since World War II. Under him, we have a selfish and insular America for which the world does not matter and which the world will not look up to as a beacon of hope. And think of it, Trump is going about it armed with the Bible! What a fall, beloved America!
In his pursuit of greatness, Trump’s chum Modi is more akin to the rulers of old who used the riches they looted from captured lands to build huge monuments that would guarantee them ageless fame – the pyramids, the Taj Mahal, Colosseum, Christ the Redeemer (statue)… Modi seeks everlasting greatness in Patel Statue, Central Vista project, Ram Temple… Little does he realise that greatness is attached as title to people like Asoka, Alexander and Akbar who built no great monuments. They were called ‘the Great’ for a better reason than for being just great conquerors or builders of colossal structures. They were all men of great character. Alexander was mentored by the all time great Aristotle; Asoka led India into a new realm of spiritual greatness; and under Akbar India achieved all round prosperity, administrative excellence and artistic heights.

We are now more envied and disliked than loved and respected. Let us face it: We have chosen the easy path to greatness, shunning the one strewn with thorns, and in the process moved far away from Jesus of the gospels. We no more seek to be “perfect even as our heavenly Father is perfect.” The devil took us to a very high mountain and showed us all the kingdoms in all their greatness. “All this I will give you,” the devil said. “If you kneel down and worship me.” Like Jesus, we did not say, “Go away, Satan! The scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and worship Him only.’” Instead, we succumbed to the temptation. None should be surprised if the first two decades of the 21st century goes down as the blackest period in the history of the Indian Church. Corona presents a great opportunity to do course correction.

Ponmala