Humility
Humility
Humility: To know that however great you or your accomplishments are, there is always more to know and greater to be. To accept one’s paradoxical position completely.
The practice of humility is often misunderstood and in my opinion falsely applied. There is the concept of the ego as bad and the efforts to get rid of this bad ego. There is the idea that no matter what injustices are done to a person they should have the ability to turn the other cheek. And, there is the belief that to be proud of one’s accomplishments, or to toot one’s own horn is conceited or arrogant. A risk that comes with the practice of Humility is the lost of a dynamic quality that affirms life through its sense of survival and creativity. However, that is not a reason not to practice being humble as it remains important to our personal growth.
The Humility to learn: In order to grow, we must recognize that there is more for us to learn. To learn we must be willing to be taught. Being taught requires the willingness to question our own opinions when confronted with the opinions of a teacher. While humility does not require us to blindly swallow anything we are told, it does require that we are willing to put our cherished beliefs on the line. Sometimes this is easy, for example, if we are practicing a new skill like welding. We may need to put aside the idea that we know how to do it without help or that we see ourselves as handy. But, other times it is more challenging, like when a teacher is questioning a fundamental way that we look at the world. The practice here is to be willing to take in the message that is being communicated and to recognize that it might have validity and importance. It is best to be conscious about whom one is choosing for a teacher –whether it is for a moment or for longer. Then one practices, not knowing.
The Humility to be wrong: We are human and we make many, many mistakes. This is the way of things. Sometimes our pride is on the line. We do not want to be the person who made “that” mistake. Depending the size and impact of the mistake and the size of our pride we may really not want to be wrong. The practice here is to simply admit that we are in fact wrong. Perhaps, that seems quite simple; however the unwillingness to be wrong destroys relationships, communities, and our environment. To come to terms with our oversights, mistakes, and wrong doings and to admit these wrong doings is a huge piece of work that has far-reaching impact.
The Humility to be right sized: We are important and powerful; we are also quite insignificant in the larger scheme of the universe. Ironically to act completely insignificant often has some of the same arrogance that thinking we are supremely important does. It acts like a mask. It says. I know I am great but I will act like I am humble. True humility knows its strength and power and its insignificance and holds them both without a need for attachment. To practice this one needs to pay attention to when they feel too larger or falsely small. Then one needs to bring themselves into the truth of their own duality.
Personal growth and mental health
