Be humble, and proudly
“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less.” - Rick Warren
When we think of a virtuous person, what comes to mind? Perhaps someone who is self-giving, well-tempered, loving, caring... but what about humble? Humility is one of those qualities that is often harder to see in others as it is more of an interior disposition than anything else. I have been thinking a lot lately about this idea of virtue, those traits of good character we know to be important in living a morally sound life. It is funny how sometimes as children we can be assigned labels by our parents or close relatives as if to say that a certain character trait we possess is set in stone, unchangeable - ‘the overly sensitive one’, ‘the generous one’, ‘the greedy one’. Oftentimes, I feel like we can carry these labels into adulthood, convinced of our powerlessness to rid ourselves of a particular vice or to increase in virtue. Yet, this is not the case. Given it is the month of May, I thought it apt to delve into the virtue of humility, one of many associated with Our Lady. St. Augustine has said:
"Humility is the foundation of all the virtues; therefore, in a soul where it does not exist there can be no true virtue, but the mere appearance only. In like manner, it is the most proper disposition for all celestial gifts. And, finally, it is so necessary to perfection, that of all the ways to reach it, the first is humility; the second, humility; the third, humility. And if the question were repeated a hundred times, I should always give the same answer.
If humility, therefore, is the basis of all other virtues, it is worth looking at it more closely. Perhaps in order to understand it a bit better, it helps to clarify what it is not. Humility is not about having low-esteem, putting yourself down at every opportunity or making yourself inferior to others. Nor is it equal to false modesty. That is, when we achieve something big that we’ve been working hard at or get recognised for a huge accomplishment only to turnaround and act as if it were nothing. I would say most of us have been guilty of this at some point in our lives! We do super well in an exam we studied for all semester or get that dream job after preparing for an excruciatingly hard interview, only to respond with ‘Oh, it was nothing!’ Well, we know that isn’t the case. However, I do believe this comes from a good place, an honest and sincere desire to avoid sounding prideful or arrogant.
St. Thomas Aquinas explains that:
Humility removes pride, whereby a man refuses to submit himself to the truth of faith.
With this in mind, humility by contrast to pride is about living and speaking the truth. It is about authenticity but also vulnerability and courage. It is reflected in how we react, view and talk about our own character traits and achievements.
Humility is cultivated through the recognition of both our failures, aswell as accomplishments. Firstly, we must not steer away from acknowledging our setbacks and failures. Granted, at times this is easier said than done, in a world where comparison and the appearance of perfection in other people’s lives can feel suffocating. Yet, there is power in owning our failures, as it is only through facing them can we grow and learn, pushing us in directions we might have previously thought unimaginable. Our setbacks are what make us human, allowing us to sympathise with others and in this way connect in a more meaningful way.
And finally, humility also involves celebrating the wins that life brings us. For without this, why try? The reality is we only have a finite sum of energy to give, a lot of which goes to our daily work, study, future plans and goals. With this, shining light on our efforts gives us a chance to recognise our accomplishments for what they are. It also provides us with a chance to thank those who helped us along the way.
