Grow up

By Tim Middleton | Jun. 15, 2025

Here are two people in very different fields who are both doing extremely well, it would seem.

On the pages of Celebrity Net Worth, we find that Shaquille O’Neal, the retired American basketball player, entrepreneur, television host, and product endorser, has a net worth of US$500 million while we also note that Kevin Hart, an American comedian, producer, spokesman, and actor, has a net worth of US$450 million. Here are two people in very different fields who are both doing extremely well, it would seem. Where they differ is in their height! Shaquille O’Neal measures 7 foot 1 inch (or 2.16 metres) while Kevin Hart reaches up to 5 foot 2 inches (or 1.58 metres) – now that is a significant, indeed massive difference! Clearly, then, our height does not determine our wealth!

Interestingly, many people complain about their height. The tall people feel they stand out awkwardly in a crowd, they can never find suitable clothes to fit, beds are too short, doorways are too low and so on. However, they can look on the bright side; they can see over the top of a crowd, get a good view of the action in front of them. Small people in turn often are not happy as in a crowd they cannot see much; people often do not see them; they may try to look taller by wearing high heels (or even the legendary ‘platform shoes’ of old!) but it does not fool anyone, plus it is actually quite dangerous - and maybe we should argue that they are cheating!

The fact is there is not much we can do to shrink the tall people nor is there much we can do to increase the height of the small ones – we do not put the small ones on a rack, tie their hands and legs and then stretch them. It does not work like that. We cannot pay huge sums of money and bring people in for extra time to enable them to grow. We do not punish people for being small, suggesting they are not trying hard enough and must do better in future. Do we harangue small people and tell them that they must grow? Do we write them off as losers because they are small? Do we tell, even demand, people they must all be tall? Are those who are small less significant, less able, less important? Do we give prizes to people who are tall, just for being tall. Come on, give them a break!

The simple fact is that some are tall and some are small. Nothing that they have done or will do will change their height. Additionally, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being small or tall, either. There is no disgrace in being small nor is there any special privilege or kudos in being tall. Indeed, children grow at different paces; some shoot up earlier than others, others slide up the scale slowly.

There is nothing particularly new or clever or indeed educational about all of this so we will be quite within our rights and senses to wonder where on earth we are going with it. The simple fact is this: some people are naturally small and some are naturally tall and nothing that we can do will change that. In the same manner, therefore, some people are naturally bright and some are academically challenged. There is nothing wrong with that. We do not look down on people who are small (well, we do literally, obviously, but not metaphorically) so why would we ever look down on someone who is low in intellectual ability?

It is equally unfair therefore to be giving prizes and awards or special treatment or recognition for someone who is just naturally gifted, when they did not do much to deserve it. If Shaquille and Kevin were to stand beside each other and the prize was to go to the one who could reach the highest, would we not wonder, complain and point out the absurdity of such a challenge? After all, what is the big deal about being able to reach high? What then is the big deal of someone reaching higher than others in academics? Some are naturally bright, some are naturally tall. Tall ones do not need to try hard to reach higher, just as bright children often do not need to try hard to gain higher marks.

We need to grow up and stop thinking that academic ability is any better or greater than other abilities. When children grow up, physically or timeously, whether that is to be over 2 metres or under 1 metre, they can all do well. We must not expect or demand our child to get A*s just because others do; they can all do well. Whether we are the height of Shaquille O’Neale or Kevin Hart, we can all do really well in life, albeit in different fields. They did nothing to be the height that they are. And they are both doing well – naturally.