Humility
as a Virtue
“For
many Americans, humility is not only undesirable, it is virtually
incomprehensible. Those who don't know its true nature view humility
as weakness. But humility of heart is not about bowing and scraping
before others, it is about honesty and self-truth. It includes
modesty about oneself but is essentially a virtue related to what is,
rather than what seems to be.”
Wayne
Teasdale (The Mystic Heart)
I'm
not sure when we began to have disdain for the virtue of humility.
When I look back, the first person who comes to mind to spout bold
and unashamed self-promotion was Muhammad Ali, with his 'float like a
butterfly, sting like a bee'. Or, Mr. T. who 'pitied the fool'. Or
perhaps it was the swaggering Henry Winkler as Fonzie on Happy Days,
or even further back into the beatnik era, Edd Burns as Kookie on 77
Sunset Strip. Somewhere back there, our ideal went from the gentle,
unpretentious wisdom of Father Knows Best, to street-smart with a
biting edge. Now, we see someone who is not blowing smoke as
weak-kneed. It is an unfortunate turn for the worst.
Humility
is not about weakness. It is about authenticity. Humility gives one
the courage to say what is—the good and the not-so-good—and to
take responsibility for one's own role in both. A person who is
humble of heart, does not brag about his/her own expertise or place
themselves above another person. Instead, he/she builds up others and
speaks to all people as equals. Our ideal of self-promotion and
egotism is both dangerous and juvenile. At least in the days of
Kookie and Fonzie, Ali and Mr. T., we knew that their characters provided comic relief and were not to be taken seriously.
I
have the great, good fortune to know a few people of exceptional
ability and intelligence who have no need to be cocky or egotistical.
They have learned that over-confidence is the stumbling block of the
proud and that succumbing to egotism is the crutch of the deeply
insecure. They don't see themselves as better than anyone else, and
they are genuinely embarrassed when they are characterized as
brilliant or genius.
Humility
is still a virtue, whether we subscribe to it or not. It should be an
ideal we strive for in ourselves and expect in our leaders. Think of
the people you have the most respect for and try to remember when you
last heard them boast. Wouldn't you choose that person to mentor you
and not a little Napoleon like, say, Donald Trump? Me too.
In
the spirit,
Jane
No comments:
Post a Comment