The Importance of Being Humble

The Importance of Being Humble

By Hazel Elaine Wilcox

If inside me,

you cannot find yourself

you are not humbled enough.

     ---- By Hazel E.Wilcox, 2006

I cannot explain the importance of humility.  It is more an action than a definition.  It is where pride is put away and we learn to place ourselves in someone else's shoes, without judgment or expectations; simply allowing everyone to be equal, no greater than, no disclosures, just an understanding of what it means to survive.

If you have ever been in the market for a new home, you will remember how all corners of the house was pawned over, nit-picked; all the flaws brought into the open.  If paint was peeling or the ceiling scarred from leaks, or the roof needed shingles, you noticed. Moreover, you brought it to the attention of the realtor or the person attempting to sell you the home. Because in doing so, you received a sweeter deal.  You had something to negotiate.

The same theory holds in our perception of others.  We tend to treat them like that house, scouring over every aspect of their being, pointing out each flaw.  It is human nature for us to realize the differences in ourselves verses another.  Yet, when we use these realizations to form opinions of a person whom we have never met, or have met but not taken time to know, we disown the right to negotiate.  For if we have not humbled ourselves enough to learn their shadows or become their vices or grievances, then we cannot justify being their judge. 

We must always try to be unassuming.  When you see a person walking down the street in tattered clothing or dirty-bodied, instead of letting words fall from your mouth, it is wisest to speak nothing at all, but lend yourself a dose of humility instead.

We live in a moment.  What is today might not be tomorrow. Therefore, it should not be too difficult to imagine ourselves in another's circumstances. In doing so, we create equality. Once we fathom the idea that we are no better than anyone, we set free all discriminations; We set free all discretions.  It is then we learn who we are, as a person and not as a mold set forth by society's unspoken agendas. 

Hazel E. Wilcox, 2006