I love the word humility and all it stands for, yet others almost fear it
and interpret it synonymously with lack of self-confidence or timidity. The dictionary defines humility as modesty,
lacking pretence, not believing that you are superior to others. It has also
been defined as having a clear perspective and respect for one's place in
context.
I certainly don't
adopt the meaning of humility as "meek" but there are those that
confuse humility with timidity. In Bruna
Martinuzzi’s book: The Leader as a Mensch: Become the Kind of Person Others
Want to Follow she poses that “humility
is all about maintaining our pride about who we are, about our achievements,
about our worth – but without arrogance – it is the antithesis of hubris, that
excessive, arrogant pride which often leads to the derailment of some corporate
heroes, as it does with the downfall of the tragic hero in Greek drama. It's
about a quiet confidence without the need for a meretricious selling of our
wares. It's about being content to let others discover the layers of our
talents without having to boast about them. It's a lack of arrogance, not a
lack of aggressiveness in the pursuit of achievement”.
Bruna also
observes that, often, the higher people rise, the more they have accomplished,
the more humble they are -- those who achieve the most brag the least. "True
merit, like a river, the deeper it is, the less noise it makes". (Edward
Frederick Halifax). We have all come across people like that and feel
admiration for them.
I am reading and listening on Youtube to the teaching of Eckhart Tolle,
author of The Power of Now and A New Earth.
His teaching of how to be present, and the fact that presence is the
only reality resonates well with me and I will continue to enjoy being a
student of Eckhart’s teachings. Of
humility, Eckhart says:
“In essence, you
are neither inferior nor superior to anyone. True self-esteem and true humility
arise out of that realization. In the eyes of the ego, self-esteem and humility
are contradictory. In truth, they are one and the same.”
Being humble and
being in a place where I am comfortable to be myself and not have to pretend to
be anyone else, or act a certain way enhances my self-confidence, and opens a
door to my higher self. It’s a quality
worth encouraging in ourselves and in others.
In a very
unlikely place – it was in a book about hunting for shabby chic treasures in
flea markets – I recently came across this wonderful piece on humility:
Humility is
perpetual quietness of heart. It is to
never be fretted or vexed, irritable or sore, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done
against me. It is to be at rest when
nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised it is to have a blessed
home in myself where I can go in and shut the door, and kneel to my Father in
secret and be at peace, as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and about
is trouble.
Do you value the
attribute of humility? I’d love you to
share your thoughts, so send me a post or comment or you can email me at livewelllivesmart@gmail.com .
