Humility; a desireable virtue

 

Humility...Humbleness...not Prideful.

noun: 

the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc  Dictionary.com

I write another blog besides this one. Not many people follow it, but several months ago, before we moved to Honduras I wrote the following post on the virtue of humility. Living here these past five months, my need to pursue this virtue of humility further in my own life has become even clearer and more important to me. Although humility is often tied to a religious sentiment, it should not be seen as exclusively so. To me, there is nothing more desirable in any individual than this virtue of humility. Here, where all Americans are in the top 10% of the wealthy...even if only by perception, true humility of character makes a difference.

Below is my original post, with a few corrections and additions.

In my lifetime I have met many very successful men. Men who have accomplished great things. Men who have accumulated vast amounts of wealth and power. The ones who have made the greatest impression on me are the ones who have been down to earth, regular guys. Those who have not been overly impressed by themselves, their wealth, intelligence or success. The ones who have taken a genuine interest in me and my life. In other words, the ones for whom humility was a character quality. As John Ruskin put it, "I believe the first test of a truly great man is in his humility." I couldn't agree more.

This character trait of humility is one of the most desirable qualities a Christian, or anyone for that matter, can posses. It is one which, sadly, I often fail to exhibit. Think on this quote from St. Augustine for a few moments or a few days...or maybe a lifetime.

"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." Saint Augustine   

 In A Book of Psalms,  Steven Mitchell beautifully adapts from Hebrew the 15th Psalm in this way.

"Lord, who can be trusted with power,
    And who may act in your place?
Those with a passion for justice,
    who speak the truth from their hearts;
who have let go of selfish interests
    and grown beyond their lives;
who see the wretched as their family
    and the poor as flesh and blood.
They alone are impartial
   and worthy of people's trust.
Their compassion lights up the whole earth,
   and their kindness endures forever."

I want to be that kind of man. A man who can be trusted with power, who considers the poor as flesh and blood, who has a passion for justice and has let go of selfish interest. I want my compassion to light the world around me. From the very bottom of my heart, that's who I want to be.