Humility is the virtue that we should possess but not lay claim to or boast about. As soon as you boast about it, you lose it.
“Be mindful of humility: the gale that breaks the pine does not bruise the violet.” Austin O’Malley
Humility has been described by some scholars as the bedrock of all the other virtues. It is Augustine of Hippo who said “Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues: hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance.” For us to live an inspired harmonious life, we should embrace humility, which will enable us to assess our capabilities rightly without conceit, so that we can utilize the gifts or talents we have and mitigate the weaknesses we have. Humility also enables us to perceive others correctly and understand them thus fostering harmony.
According to the Greater Good Magazine article How Humility Will Make You the Greatest Person Ever, humble people “see life as a school, recognizing that while none of us is perfect, we can, without negatively impacting our self-esteem, work on our limitations by being open to new ideas, advice, and criticism.” The article adds that “Nascent research suggests that this lovely quality is good for us individually and for our relationships. For example, humble people handle stress more effectively and report higher levels of physical and mental well-being. They also show greater generosity, helpfulness, and gratitude—all things that can only serve to draw us closer to others.”
Humility means we are aware of our strengths and weaknesses. It enables us to also realize that others have their own strengths and weaknesses, therefore we should not look down on them. This is the ability to make a good judgment about our abilities and those of others without being conceited. As Charles Spurgeon said, “humility is to make a right estimate of one’s self.” A fable is told of a boastful oak tree that looked down on reeds. On the bank of a river, there stood a tall and strong oak tree near to some reeds. The oak tree was very proud of its strength and size. He often used to make fun of the weak and slender reeds.
One day, as a wind started blowing, the oak tree, as usual, said mockingly “Oh! Reeds you move to and fro even with the slightest breeze.” The reeds kept quiet and continued to sway back and forth. “Look at me. I am so strong and mighty. Nothing can uproot me or bend me” boasted the oak tree.
The wind got furious and turned into a hurricane. The little reeds prevented themselves from getting uprooted by bowing their heads and swaying with the rhythm of the wind. But the oak tree which stood straight and tried fighting the hurricane wind was soon uprooted and thrown into the river.
Humility is one of the virtues that has a double edged promise tied to it. The promise is that he who humbles himself or herself will be exalted but whoever exalts himself or herself, will be humbled. This was said by Jesus when he told the story of guests choosing seats of honour and he advised them otherwise. In Luke 14:7-11 it is written:
“When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!
“Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests.For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
We have a choice to make regarding humility at any given moment. The choice is either to humble ourselves or to wait until we are humbled. One of the stories that stand out in the Bible about humility and pride is the story of Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon. He was the most powerful ruler of the world during his time, his Kingdom was vast and prosperous. One night he had a dream that both puzzled and terrified him. He wanted to know the meaning of the dream. So he called all the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and fortune-tellers in his Kingdom to interpret it, but none of them could tell him what it meant. At last he called upon Daniel, one of the captives from Judah who had successfully interpreted another of his dreams. He told Daniel also known as Belteshazzar the dream and Daniel interpreted it as follows:
“‘I wish the events foreshadowed in this dream would happen to your enemies, my lord, and not to you! The tree you saw was growing very tall and strong, reaching high into the heavens for all the world to see. It had fresh green leaves and was loaded with fruit for all to eat. Wild animals lived in its shade, and birds nested in its branches. That tree, Your Majesty, is you. For you have grown strong and great; your greatness reaches up to heaven, and your rule to the ends of the earth.
“‘Then you saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, “Cut down the tree and destroy it. But leave the stump and the roots in the ground, bound with a band of iron and bronze and surrounded by tender grass. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven. Let him live with the animals of the field for seven periods of time.”
“‘This is what the dream means, Your Majesty, and what the Most High has declared will happen to my lord the king. You will be driven from human society, and you will live in the fields with the wild animals. You will eat grass like a cow, and you will be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses. But the stump and roots of the tree were left in the ground. This means that you will receive your kingdom back again when you have learned that heaven rules.
“‘King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper.’
“But all these things did happen to King Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve months later he was taking a walk on the flat roof of the royal palace in Babylon. As he looked out across the city, he said, ‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.’
“While these words were still in his mouth, a voice called down from heaven, ‘O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom. You will be driven from human society. You will live in the fields with the wild animals, and you will eat grass like a cow. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses.’
“That same hour the judgment was fulfilled, and Nebuchadnezzar was driven from human society. He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven. He lived this way until his hair was as long as eagles’ feathers and his nails were like birds’ claws.
Afterwards, Nebuchadnezzar gave this perspective of his experience:
“After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever.
His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal.
All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him.
He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth.
No one can stop him or say to him, ‘What do you mean by doing these things?’
“When my sanity returned to me, so did my honor and glory and kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored as head of my kingdom, with even greater honor than before. “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud.”
On a serious lighter note, our sense of humility or lack thereof can be revealed by a sudden occurrence that catapults us to opulence. I saw recently on YouTube a news clip by a comedian where a person who allegedly won a jackpot in a lottery decided to pee on the floor and defecate on his boss’ desk. However, when he went to collect his prize, he discovered that he had not actually won. Not certain whether this did actually occur, since there have been many such fake stories, however, it illustrates what can spin us out of our wheels and make us do despicable things that are the very opposite of humility.
So for us to live inspired harmonious lives, we need to embrace humility. This is the virtue that is the bedrock of all the others. Without it, whatever life we are building is in danger of crashing by the weight of pride and then we descend into disharmony. As Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie said “Humility leads to the highest distinction, because it leads to self-improvement. In conclusion, listen to what Washington Allston said “humility is also a healing virtue; it will cicatrize a thousand wounds, which pride would keep forever open.”
