If our goal is to learn about ourselves and the world in which we live, it’s helpful for us to understand a little more about the process itself. To be in a position to learn something, our mind needs to be in a passive state as opposed to an active state. Being humble creates for us that necessary receptive quality within our mind. It is required of us to recognize first of all that we do not know something, and with that realization, we place ourselves in a position to gain knowledge. This is the underlying theme of humility and is in fact a skill we can develop. Being humble is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves because it reminds us that we’re here to learn. Humility does not imply a state of weakness, but a position of strength. If we simply allow humility to be our friend, we will find it’s also our best teacher. Let’s take a closer look.
Take the time to appreciate a beautiful view or look up at the stars at night, and you will feel what humility is. Our goal is to apply that feeling or state of mind to ourselves and bring it down to humanity as we view others and our world. The difficult part is to learn how to respect all of this without needing to understand the purpose. This is humility. We do not have to figure everything out at once. We can calm our anxiety by taking that deep breath and bringing our attention back to ourselves. As we begin to understand our own purpose and become more comfortable with ourselves, we will see in time that this purpose we discover within us is the same for all. Let’s consider three challenges we all face and see how humility can help us gain the proper perspective.
Being Right
Needing to be right is the most important area of our lives where we need to be humble. The very idea that we need to be right is an indication that we are not right. There is something missing, and we need to recognize that our goal is to learn what that is. If we allow ourselves the opportunity to back down, we have engaged with humility. What we fear is the vulnerability that is created when we do so. If we practice going ahead anyway, the fear will subside, and then we get to learn what was missing. Do we really want the responsibility of knowing everything anyway? The honest answer is no. In our willingness to let go and back down, we create wisdom within our experience. Peace and love cannot be found without vulnerability. This is the development of the heart.
Fear of Others
We all fear the differences in others to varying degrees. If we acknowledge the beauty in the landscape and the beauty of the stars, we can begin to appreciate the glory of diversity within humanity. We cannot expect to know the plan and purpose of God or the universe. If we fight and attack others out of fear, we will never confront the fear we have within us. At the very least, we can back down until we do understand. This is humility. To be humble is not to judge the choices and mistakes of others. We achieve this by recognizing the judgment we have about our own choices and mistakes. We’re all in this together. We’re not alone.
Helping Others
There are many of us who have a big heart and so want to help. One of the most painful realizations we have as human beings is that there are often times we cannot help. Our compassion is presented to us by an understanding that we must ultimately let others find their own way. This is humility. It is easier for us to “stay out of things” by noticing that we learn more and gain understanding more quickly when we are left alone. Sometimes the best expression of love is to do nothing at all. Once again, we experience vulnerability. My general rule of thumb is to not help unless it is asked for. We must always be realistic and know, however, that there will be times that we need to step in anyway, but these times are not as frequent as we might assume. Reaching out for help is a very important part of our process. Allow others to come to us, at least occasionally! This is humility.
Thanks for tuning in, you guys. We’re doing very well, believe it or not! My advice today – “Put your head down and go!”
All my love and support, stay safe and be well