God-ification, a praise or a lazy dismissal?

Jo raate neend se ladi, wo kismat nhi thi,

Jo hath kaanpe thak-kar, wo dua nhi thi.

Ise kismat kehkar mat chota kar mere safar ko,

Ye pasine ki kamai hai - koi meherbaani nhi thi.

Whether it's a historical leader or the JEE topper next door, labeling them a "divine gift" or "born talented" for their accomplishments isn't praise; it's a lazy way to dismiss the messy human effort they actually put in.

God-ification, a praise or a lazy dismissal?

Let's take an example of "Maharani Lakshmi Bai". The Queen of Jhansi, the nightmare of the British Empire and the East India Company, is known for her exceptional bravery, grit, and sheer willpower. She's easily one of the most important historical leaders in India's history. In literature, she's often reffered as an incarnation of Goddess Durga, Shakti, or Goddess Kali, in a way to express her greatness. But if we look closely, we will see that this does nothing but diminish their humanity and hard work.

She was not born with this greatness. She was not born with her status. She was born just like any other normal girl. She was not Laxmi Bai from birth; she was Manikarnika Tambe, aka "Manu." She trained under the guidance of Tatya Tope in Bithur. Her life was full of tragedies. She lost her mother when she was just 4. She was born under collonised India. She later married the King of Jhansi, Gangadhar Rao, and she was given the name Laxmi Bai. Her first son died within four months of birth. After her husband's death, her adopted son, Damodar Rao, was denied the throne by the East India company leading to a life of battles, resistance, and suffering for Rani. According to most sources, on June 18, 1858, she died at a young age of 29; some even mention it to be even younger, around 22-23.

In what part of her story did we find divine will? In what part did we see god-gift?

Chhatrapati Shivaji didn't build an empire through "blessed" rain or lucky stars—he mapped terrains, built spy networks, starved in forts, and outsmarted bigger armies with strategy and sacrifice. He mastered Guerrilla Warfare. Yet popular tales add layers of destiny. Same with Emperor Ashoka's massive policy shift after war's horrors—it was reflection, guilt, and decades of work, not a sudden divine spark.

Now fast forward to 2026, modern day. A JEE topper ranks AIR 1, and what does society say? "God-gifted, Born Genius." What we neglect is the 16 hours of study per day for years continuously, skipped family time, and the failed mocktests that crushed their souls. We reduce their struggles and discipline into a miracle. And that's disrespect.

Same for the artists who scribbled on papers till they started doubting themselves, but continued anyway. They didn't wake up one day and outmatch Picasso. They mastered each stroke. The athlete who aced the race wasn't born with that speed; they achieved it through broken bones, gallons of sweat, crashouts, and years of willpower.

Calling these human struggles and achievements a divine blessing is nothing but a disrespect to their human efforts.

Why do we keep doing this?

We do this because if Laxmi Bai were just a normal human like us, then we would be left with no excuse for our own laziness or fragile will.

If the topper is not god-gifted with talent, then we have no way to justify our own indiscipline.

If success is something earned by sweat-and-blood than we can't hide behind "I'm not gifted."

We have to admit: most of us just didn't grind hard enough.

This god-ification, whether of warriors, toppers, or creators, isn't harmless praise.

It kills ambition. It breeds excuses. It disrespects every human who actually earned their place.

So next time someone calls an achiever "god-gifted" or "naturally talented," push back.

Honor the real story: the sleepless nights, trembling hands, failures, comebacks.

The sweat. The struggle. The human.

Because calling hard work "luck" or "talent" isn't admiration.

It's erasure.

What about you? Have you ever had your effort dismissed as "natural"? Or seen someone else's grind get mythologized?

Post written by - @lairs.bug

find me on Github, or mail me @lairs.bug@gmail.com