Many times we do not have the right answers but asking the right questions can ignite our minds. Is humility a refuge for the weak or a resource for the strong?
Humility treads the fine line between arrogance and self-deprecation. Oftentimes digging into the roots of words leads to them divulging their inner meanings. The dictionary meaning of humility is the quality of having a modest or low view of one's importance. Humility, Modesty and Down-to-earth are synonyms. Humility derives from the Latin, humus translatable as grounded or from the earth. So what makes someone “humble”? Is it meekness? Does it mean psychological feebleness, having low self esteem, being introverted, evading oneself from success? These questions run through one’s mind, when one confronts this very pervasive yet less understood human quality.
In today’s stressful world where we are greatly concerned with the pursuit of happiness, a bit of humility can actually deliver great reserves of inner strength. All spiritual traditions greatly value humility and make it sine qua non for a person to humble to be able receive divine benediction. No wonder the Bhagavad Gita, in chapter 13, verse 8 lists humility as the first of the twenty qualities that comprise wisdom. Significantly, the Gita mentions the idea of humility by a negative definition to convey its subtlety: amanitvam, absence of the craving for respect or absence of ego. Surprisingly it is difficult to find Indian equivalents to the word humility in daily usage, while references of the concept are abundant in our scriptures. Many terms, use 'neti' which means ‘No Me’ or ‘I am not' and give rise to words such as viniti and samniti. Not surprisingly the Sanskrit word Ahamkara literally translates into ‘The-sound-of-I’, or quite simply the sense of the self or ego. Interpretations of the concept of amanitvam convey that one should not be anxious to have the satisfaction of being honored by others. As the Gita deals with the war within, the struggle for self-mastery can only be won with humility. To get in touch with our true self one has to let go of the ego.
Many great thinkers have recognized the significance of humility. Gandhiji felt that humility is an essential virtue that must exist in a person for other virtues to emerge. To Swami Vivekananda, humility did not mean crawling on all fours and calling oneself a sinner. Instead, it meant, recognizing and feeling oneness with everyone and everything else in the universe, without inferiority or superiority or any other bias. Dr. S. Radhakrishna was of the view that humility is the non-judgmental state of mind when we are best able to learn, contemplate and understand everyone and everything else.
Although humility is deeply revered in most spiritual traditions, in interpersonal narrative or management lingua, it hasn’t found much salience. Amongst qualities of leaders, humility finds hardly any mention although most of the world’s great leaders are themselves lessons in the art of it. It seems as though over time, the importance of humility as a moral character virtue has diminished. Some feel that it is a quality that is not characteristic of strong leaders, however I feel that nothing can be farther from the truth. Fortunately, some scholars have once again taken a strong interest in the study of this character trait. A great deal of management and psychological research is devoted to the role of humility in character building and leadership. As work places tend to be aggressive arenas and breeding grounds for misogyny and other abuse, humble co-workers are valued.
There is now a greater realisation that humble people are winners. They make their interlocutors at ease, and it takes fear and trepidation out of social intercourse.
From the interpersonal perspective being humble facilitates trust, builds relationships. It is not that humble people do not lack accomplishments. They may be more talented, gifted or skilled than anyone else and above all better learners and problem solvers. In fact, studies show that humility is more important as a predictive performance indicator than IQ. It is just that with humbleness comes a self-acceptance from grounding one’s worth in one’s intrinsic value as human beings rather than other trappings of power and wealth. Gandhiji is an inspiring example of a humble yet powerful leader who famously said “I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.” Being conscious of humility allows us to keep our ego in check and energises the yang in our characters.
So, is it possible to work on our humility and develop it? Of course! And to do so, we must first embrace our humanness. We have to have an accurate understanding of our strengths and weaknesses. As humans we are subject to failure and criticism. We need to know to take it in our stride. Secondly, expressing gratitude can induce humility in us, and humble people have a greater capacity for conveying gratitude. Increased awareness and pursuit of appreciation develops a more positive mindset, looking out for what went well rather than what didn’t. Holding nature in high esteem, recognising it is an overwhelming and awe-inspiring force reminds us of our own insignificance in the cosmic scale. Being curious and open to learning fosters humility. Emulating great people and imbibing from them what we lack in our own understanding can build our own reserves of humility. After all, as Socrates said, wisdom is, above all, knowing what we don’t know.
