LIFE WITH HUMILITY

“Humility oftentimes conjures up images of weakness, submissiveness, and fear. -But this is a false idea of humility. Real humility is a sign of strength, authentic confidence, and courage. It is the mark of a true man.”

This comment by an author whose identity is unknown perfectly encapsulates, in my opinion, the true meaning of Humility. It is one that I have passed on to my children, and strongly believe that we all should do well to take it to heart.

As the quotation indicates humility is often mistakenly used to refer to a state of inferiority, of being afraid or having a low esteem of oneself or tending to accept and project an image of unworthiness. This behavior is associated with a feeling of being less important than others and not deserving to be at the same level. This state must never be mistaken for Humility but rather refers to a condition of Meekness which must not be confused with the more positive state of Humility. 

Humility is a position of strength and confidence, a virtue without a need to advertise, to be pretentious or to be afraid or make excuses. Throughout history people who have had the courage to display this behavior have earned the respect and admiration of their peers and communities. Both Confucius, the ancient Chinese philosopher, and St. Augustine, whose life was a study in humility, described it as “the foundation of all other virtues”. In fact, throughout the ages and in every civilization, the one most constant characteristic of many of the prominent and successful leaders, thinkers, scientists and teachers is that of humility. It was viewed as the most respected and most admired behavior.

All the major religions emphasize repeatedly the importance of humility in the lives of their followers;

In Christianity; consider the life of Jesus, the Son of God. He chose to be born into the family of a poor carpenter, in a stable among animals, and live for most of his life on earth in poverty. And when he began to preach the Doctrine of Heaven he was ridiculed, accused of blasphemy and ignored by the establishment. In the end he was treated like a criminal, tortured and crucified between two thieves. He endured all of this with humility and forgiveness in his heart. His message was clear and indelibly imprinted in all who believe, that entry into the kingdom can be achieved only by humility and forgiveness. The constant theme in the Bible and all Christian literature attests to the overriding emphasis of humility among the disciples, prophets, saints, leaders and teachers in their lives and thought, so much so that the Christianity is often called the Doctrine of Humility.

In Judaism, humility is considered an indispensable ingredient in the religious and social perspective. The Torah, the sacred writings of Judaism, contains many references to humility as being deeply associated with the complex system of Jewish ethics. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi for Great Britain and the Commonwealth, in his excellent essay entitled On Humility, expressed his religion’s profound sentiments in the following manner:

“Humility, true Humility, is one of the most expansive and life-enhancing of all virtues. It does not mean undervaluing yourself. It means valuing other people. It signals a certain openness to life's grandeur and the willingness to be surprised and uplifted by goodness wherever one finds it.”

In Islam, Muslims are encouraged to practice the daily Islamic virtues of modesty, submission and respect, and to reject pride and arrogance. The act of prostration at pray five times a day is meant to acknowledge the person’s humility and lowliness before the world. The Holy Quran advises the practitioner to “Call Allah in humility” to prevent suffering and adversity.

In Buddhism, Humility leads to being liberated from the sufferings of life and all illusions of stress and self-deception by achieving the freedom of Nirvana. They believe that enlightenment can come only when humility is achieved, and only after, can it ultimately lead to wisdom.

I have no doubt that each one of us can readily think of many examples of people with true humility with whom we have come in contact or about whom we have read or heard. For my own self, of the many people who have crossed my path or about whom I have acquired knowledge, I will identify two persons whose life has been spent in total humility despite having to deal with enormous obstacles.

The first is His Holiness the Dalai Lama XIV, who has been forced to live in exile since 1959 when the Chinese invaded Tibet. Despite profound deprivations suffered by him and his followers, he continues to preach peace, love and forgiveness to all. Although he has met leaders of most of the nations of the world, this has in no way affected his self-image and he continues to shine with the aura of humility. The following quotation speaks volumes on his views on life:

"Every day, think as you wake up; today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life. I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; I will achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get

angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can."

The second is Saint Teresa of Kolkata, the Romanian-born Roman Catholic nun who spent all her life caring for the sick, the poor and the needy of India and of the world. She was recognized and honored by leaders of many countries for her contributions to improving the suffering of the people, but never ever lost sight of the paramount value of humility. She expressed her concept of humility in the following terms:

“Humility is the mother of all virtues; purity, charity and obedience. It is in being humble that our love becomes real, devoted and ardent. If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. If you are blamed you will not be discouraged. If they call you a saint you will not put yourself on a pedestal.”

In 1985, Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie co-wrote a song entitled “We are the World” that was performed on stage by a large group of the most prominent and successful entertainers alive as part of international aid program for Africa. It began with the following words:

“There comes a time when we must heed a certain call; when the world must come together as one.”

Sometimes I find myself wondering how beautiful this world of ours will become if all the leaders and the people of the world could somehow transcend the bitterness and the conflicts that consume us all, and instead acquire the humility and the courage to truly heed the advice of these gifted and talented people. To replace the inherent envy, suspicion, greed, selfishness and inhumanity that has dominated us, our religions and our societies, by a true sense of humility and the courage to live by it.

 --- But then I wake up and realize that this was only a dream that will never see the light of day. What a shame, that we all lack the humility of character and the courage of conviction to do the right thing!

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