Meetings with Remarkable People - Part 5
March 15, 2025
Meetings with Remarkable People Part 5
Sometimes, the truth is very simple. But it takes just the right person to get it across.
Dr. Roland Bainton was a true scholar, author of classics, and an authority in his field. World-renowned, he was esteemed by all the students and faculty. In his early eighties, he was still teaching as Professor Emeritus. As a student, I was to meet with Dr. Bainton, and I felt intimidated because he was such a great man. I asked myself what it would be like to meet with such a great man. Would I feel like a nothing next to him?
In our meeting, he was warm and hospitable. I had no reason to be intimidated; after all — he was just a regular guy who put me at ease immediately. I felt so comfortable that I asked about his wife, children, and grandchildren, the pictures of whom I had seen all around him. He focused on his wife and said she had died a couple of years before.
He said, “She had cancer and was in pain.” His eyes filled with tears. He picked up her picture, held it in his hands, and said, “At night, when we were in bed, she winced with pain and would check to see if she had disturbed me.” With that last comment, this great man broke down and wept like a child and then he recovered from his low point. Deep in my heart I realized that I had witnessed true greatness.
There he was — a person who’d reached the pinnacle of his profession, was the top authority in his field and was experiencing a profoundly spiritual memory, and I was honored to witness it. What did I learn from this remarkable person? I learned humility, vulnerability, inclusion, and authenticity make true greatness.
Spiritual practice: Reflect on a memorable conversation with a remarkable person. What are some of the things they taught you?
Self-inquiry: Why do you suppose that many great truths are simple?
Dear God,
I thank you for being with an unobscured soul. In your name, Amen
