Sometimes I carelessly think of humility as something near to self-hatred, or (more mildly) at least something like self-forgetfulness. I suppose "self-forgetfulness" is closer to the mark, but whenever I define humility in terms of its relation to myself, I am sure that I have missed the point: humility is about a frame of reference that does not define everything by referring back to ourselves.
Humility affirms our own lovability in the same breath that it affirms others' lovability. Humility makes room for others by a generous spirit:
- generosity in our thoughts about them, consideration and attention and thoughtfulness
- generosity in listening to them, rather than biding our time to talk
- generosity in recognizing their best actions
- generosity in recognizing their contributions
- generosity in focus on others, and including them in my thoughts
- generosity in making sure they are heard and understood
- a willingness to delight in someone else's accomplishments
Humility is also lived out in compassion for their failures, as I've had my own too.
For me, that's often a struggle. It takes deliberate effort: Loving the world, one kind thought at a time.
2 comments:
"... humility is about a frame of reference that does not define everything by referring back to ourselves." True, but hard to achieve.
:)
We see things from inside our own heads. It's not like we could start anywhere else besides where we are, but there's the struggle.
Take care & God bless
Anne / WF
Post a Comment