to bend

i had an awesome professor who once said - i have been here so long that i know how to break the rules without even bending them.
this post is definitely not about bending rules or breaking rules.
in Indian culture, why do we prostrate in front of our elders, gods or doctrines ? its actually a way to show respect, our submissiveness.
the seer of siddaganga mutt, sri shivakumar swamiji is very learned and is very old too. he has a hunch back. In a kannada movie by name - matha - the protagonist rightly says - his hunch back indicates that, whatever heights the person may reach, one should always remain humble.
generally, coconut trees grow straight up. but, on sea shores, they are bent. to resist the gale they face.
now that why should a person bend is known, how much can a person bend ?