Understanding Humility

Humility: The Mark of True Greatness

The title of this piece is deliberately designed so that each one of us can approach it from a personal point of view and test our relevant previous knowledge against the thesis proposed herein. For many people, to say ‘humility is the mark of greatness’ is counter-intuitive. How is it possible for someone who is truly great and powerful to be humble? Is it probable for someone who has made it to the very top to remain down to earth?

Our answers to these questions, whether yeses or nos, depend on how we ourselves define humility.

Humility does not mean humiliation even though the two words share the same Latin root ‘humilitas’. Humility does not mean allowing yourself to be used and abused. It does not mean making yourself a doormat. C.S. Lewis, the famed British novelist, summarized it to the point when he said “humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.” Thus, to be humble doesn’t imply degrading oneself for popular acceptance or favour. Instead, it is the capacity to value and respect the other person in spite of ourselves and the power we possess.

To assert that humility is the mark of true greatness is not to suggest that when one is humble he or she will automatically become great. Neither is it to say one cannot be great without humility. Surely, we all know, either closely or remotely, many great and influential people who are not humble.

The crux of the matter is that humility paves the way to greatness and makes the great even greater.

From a private standpoint, I believe beyond everything else that humility is not only a mark of greatness but a virtue that makes sense. How so? Because nobody is an expert at everything.  Mark Twain got it right when he said we are all ignorant; just about different things. Expertise in one field usually counts for little in another area. There are renowned playwrights who are terrible actors. The successful footballer is not a successful coach by default. The army general is likely to be completely disorientated by the vocabulary of the courtroom just as the legal luminary will be perplexed by the jargons at a military parade. It is therefore crucial that each person approaches the other humbly in order to learn that which he or she lacks.

A story is told of four people travelling on a plane that lost power to its engines. Upon realizing the danger, the pilot told the three passengers “unfortunately, I have only three parachutes and since they are all mine, I have to take one.” The passengers agreed so he took one and jumped off to safety.

Left on the plane; a professor, a priest and a backpacker touring the world. The professor then jumps up and says “look, I am one of the brightest minds in the world and I have to survive. It will be a loss to the entire world if I were to die with my wealth of knowledge.” Before the other two could say jack, he grabbed one parachute and jumped off the plane.

At this point, the priest turned to the backpacker and said, “Son, I’ve lived a long life and I know where I’m going when I die. How about you take the last parachute?”

The backpacker interrupted him saying, “No, it’s okay. That brilliant professor just jumped out of the plane with my backpack strapped on.” 

The brilliant professor jumping out of the airplane with a PhD and a backpack.

Although this story is untrue, it confirms that whatever knowledge, capabilities and strengths we possess may be of little or no importance in other areas. It is therefore necessary to be humble towards others so that we can learn more and equip ourselves adequately en route to greater greatness.

Share your tots of thought with me.

Peace.