Griffin Speaks

DON’T GET THE BIG HEAD

When I served as Associate General Counsel for the late Birmingham Millionaire, Dr. A. G. Gaston in 1984 and 1985, he would often tell me “don’t get the big head”. “You know you are about to fall when you get the big head.” To be truthful I really did not fully understand what he meant until later.

As I reflect on my past I can fully understand what Dr. Gaston meant. He was simply saying you must remain humble. Humility means living with the reality that nothing matters except doing what is right. A humble person is dedicated to the pursuit of truth.

A humble person’s self-esteem is not dependent on what other people think about him. He can choose to do the right thing even when it is not the most popular thing to do. Federal Judge Frank Johnson was a humble man.

People that are not humble are usually concerned with their own egos, their own pride and their own personal wealth. So even though they may appear friendly, they are really manipulating things to satisfy their own self -centered needs.

My first year of law school I was very humble. I was not ashamed to tell my fellow classmates that I had the lowest LSAT score in the class. I would often joke that I did not get admitted by affirmative action, but by accident. In fact only one other student at Morehouse had a lower LSAT score than my own and that was Martin Luther King III.

Our law school first year classes were divided into three sections. Section A, B and C. I was one of seven blacks in section B. Since I had made it known that I did not have a high LSAT score none of the other black law students in my section would study with me. I found one student in the entire law school that was willing to be my study partner. He was Vincent Day a black student in section C. He was a graduate of Yale University and a few years older than me. Vince had also taught at a private Prep school in New England prior to starting law school. We are still close friends today.

We had three mini exams at the end of our first semester. I did not do well. In fact I had done so poorly that one of my professors, John Burkoff called me into his office and said: “GREG YOU ARE TOO SMART TO MAKE A “D” IN MY CLASS, LET ME SHOW YOU HOW TO DO THIS THING”.

I began to write practice exams for Professor Burkoff. He critiqued my work and showed me how to write better exam answers. He trained me so well that I never had another problem in law school. In fact I went on to earn a second law degree and made law review at Boston University School of Law. I also would be admitted to three state bars. I owe a great deal to this Jewish Harvard trained law professor who took me by the hand and showed me the way. I still keep in touch with Professor Burkoff.

Ironically, the six black students in my first year law school section failed. They all came to me and wanted me to join them in protest. They believed that they were flunked out because of their race. I refused to join in any protest with this group of arrogant folks that would not study with me. They all studied together and obviously studied wrong. The law school did not allow them to return. I was the only black student in my section to pass on to second year. My friend Vince was one of the few blacks in his section to make it to second year.

If I had not been humble I would not be an attorney today. I would have ended up studying with the folks that failed. I can see now how my humility paid off.

You don’t need the approval of others. Develop your sense of self-esteem. If you believe in yourself and remain humble the sky will be the limit. Humility deepens your relationship with the Creator.

Greg Griffin is a free lance writer. You can read his previous articles at www.greggriffin.com