Let others elevate you

Such an honor to present the '30 Days' book and journal today to Pakistani Charge d'Affaires/Acting Ambassador in France Muhammad Amjad Aziz Qazi. He mentioned there's a book case at the Embassy with books of Pakistani writers and intellectuals who have visited; the 30 days book will join distinguished company.

I asked Amb Qazi sahab if there's a particular wisdom from an elder that he cherishes. He shares one from his father's friend. "He used to say many wise things when I was growing up, and many I've forgotten, but there's one that stays with me and I apply it to my life even today. He said, “when you're at a gathering don't ever sit in a place where someone will ask you to get up and move somewhere else.” In other words, don’t assume the best seat in the house. He repeated it in Urdu: "Jab aap mehfil main jaingai ..."

It's about humility and knowing your place, Qazi sahab said. "Let others elevate you, don't take that role on yourself. Let someone else say for example, please come and sit here or there, don't make that presumption yourself. It's a wisdom you can apply to every aspect of your life, and I still think about it today, even though I was about 14 when my father's friend said it."

Until that moment, we had been having a formal conversation, about the book, the importance of stortyelling, about Pakistanis in Paris, etc -- but sharing personal stories about wisdoms that we each treasure turned a formal meeting into a more familiar one. I - and now you - have a much more human connection to Amb Qazi; the wisdom he shared is so telling about his character.

Revealing a person's humanity and connecting with them in a sensitive, respectful way — isn't that the true essence of diplomacy.