Humility: A Weapon or an Albatross?
Does the world really reward humility? Is humbleness really a tenant of faith? When is it good to be humble and when does it weigh us down?
(I know, I sound like Jonathan Frakes right now)
Growing up, a particular Bible verse, Mathew 5:5, stood out to me, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.”
I interpreted this to mean that being humble was one of the highest ideals to strive toward. But how you define humility can greatly change how you approach your life.
Some define humility as being self-deprecating and avoiding anything that could in any way be considered self-promotional. As I have gotten older, I have realized that defining humility in that way made it an albatross for me in my youth.
You become afraid to do something great for fear that you might actually get credit for it or be forced to talk to others about it.
It was another passage that completely upended my understanding of humility that made the difference. It’s the famous lines from Marianne Williamson in her book A Return to Love that says,
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.
We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us;
It's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we're liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.
After internalizing this passage, I came to understand humility in a new way, a way that made humility a weapon versus a burden.
Humility is the taming of the ego, the dampening of pride.
When you keep your ego in check and reduce your pride, you become powerful beyond measure. It’s a call to do great things, not for yourself, but because they need to be done. You liberate yourself from the fear of having to take credit or talk in public about a thing. You just do the thing.
With the new understanding brought about from reading Marianne Williamson, I began to view Mathew 5:5 differently. It spoke to how those who remove ego and dampen their pride will inherit the earth. Self-deprecation neither serves you or others well.
Removing your ego, or being humble, is what allows you to consistently be a new learner. It gives you the power to try new things and attack hard problems. You don’t fear failure nor do you fear praise.
You drive toward what needs to be done because what needs to be done is what is important.
That is how you can turn humility into your greatest weapon.