Being happy for others for their accomplishments without jealousy. An attitude, that u have no great importance that makes you better than others. Humility has nothing to do with meekness or weakness and neither does it mean being self-effacing or submissive. It entails engaging in prosocial behaviour, and not taking our desires, success or failings too seriously.
The humble circumstance of Jesus Christ’s birth occurred in a barn surrounded by animals. The humbleness was only accentuated by the wise men who thought such a humble birth was a threat to his vaunted position meaning the most strenuous and constant endeavour directed towards the service of humanity
The Bible defines humility as fear of the Lord (proverbs 22-4), to be humble is submitting to the authority of the other without personal pride. Being happy for others for their accomplishments without jealousy. Our cultures however often place so much value on external accomplishments and self-aggrandizement and things that are ephemeral -that even a small display of this quiet virtue can make one feel like a drowning man coming out for air.
The Confucian form of humility for example, is profoundly other oriented in spirit consistently valuing social good over the satisfaction of individual aspirations.
This kind of self-acceptance emerges from grounding one’s worth in our intrinsic value as Human beings. Rather than things such as the number of followers on Facebook, Youtube, a six-figure salary, a body of a movie star, and a fleet of luxurious cars and houses. Humble people place more value on meaningful things that benefit others like noble qualities.
To understand the dark side of humility we need to understand the existential realities that come with being humans, for example for us to make decisions from countless options and live with the ramifications of those decisions. Learning our imperfections, when we do, we no longer have to waste our energies hiding them from others but instead seek to learn to live with them productively.
Saying ”Thank you”, for example, means that we recognise the gifts that come into our lives, and as a result, acknowledge the value of other people. Gratitude can make us less focused and more focused on those around us,..a hallmark of humble people. In reality, humility is a type of modesty that will get u far in your life. It’s intricately related to learning and teachability.
Gandhi was an epitome in embracing humility, spending his entire life serving the poorest of the poor, he noted that, one must be humble as the dust before he can discover the truth. He heroically dedicated his energies in working to improve living conditions of others and remained modest about his astounding achievements. ”service without humility is selfishness and egotism ”
” Pride divides the men, humility joins them”. Socrates defines humility as an act of spiritual modesty that comes from understanding our place in the larger order of things. Socrates believed that humility must be self-actual knowledge and generous acknowledgement of the qualities of others that avoids distortion and extremism.
Humility however comes with devastating outcomes, for example, being scammed, being taken advantage of, having insincere friends, difficulty saying no and having your boundaries crossed. However such shouldn’t deter anyone in pursuit of humility since the utilitarian benefits outweigh.
Joffrey Baratheon, for example from the Game of Thrones whose character is known for his narcissistic entitlement, vastly inflated sense of his talents and desires to dominate, correlated with humility..its little wonder that audiences around the world celebrated his death due to poisoning bringing an end to his tyranny, a clear reflection of the negatives of acting to be supreme in regards to humility.
How to stay humble,
Let others speak. Do not pry. Accept being disappointed. Always be polite. You respect the views of others. You accept defeat and make plans to be better. You know when to ask for help. You understand that you can not control everything. You apologise if you are in the wrong.
We must therefore stay curious and open to learning. We can learn from everyone and everything at all times. A humble mindset has a significant positive effect on our cognitive, interpersonal and decision-making skills.
Do you have a story or an opinion to share? Email us on: dailyexpressug@gmail.com Or follow the Daily Express on X Platform or WhatsApp for the latest updates.
