Sunday, 8 February 2015

Humility


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 thathumility 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 .