What Does Humility Mean?

Because it is the lesson my soul must learn, I am interested in humility. I think about it everyday. As I walk or shop or talk  - whatever I do, wherever I am, I ask myself: Am I being humble? But what does it mean to be humble? I've read some essays on the subject. Different authors have approached humility from various viewpoints. Some have called it a mental disposition; some, an attitude, and a few have said it is manifest behavior. Perhaps it is all these things. I want to develop my own philosophy of humility. I want to think about it from the bottom up, so that whatever I learn will be impossible to forget. I want experience and thought to teach me what humility is, and I want to teach others what I have learnt, progressively populating the world with humble individuals. "Anyone who obeys God's laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matt 5:19).

The starting point of humility is respect for God. "O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what is required of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8). Walking humbly with God means that we realize the divine will is greater than our own wills. We humbly depend on God for our sustenance, and we acknowledge our neediness of the divine providence. In short, we love God. "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one, and you shall love the Lord with all your heart, soul and strength" (Deut 6:4-5). When we put God first in our lives, we have begun to choose humility. On the contrary, if we put ourselves first, we have let go of basic humility.

Putting God first in our lives means that we strive to obey the divine will. In every situation, we ponder what that will is. "God's commandments that I give you today are to be in your hearts. Impress them on your family. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and wear them on your foreheads. Write them on the door-frames of your houses and on your gates" (Deut 6:6-9). Perpetual vigilance and introspection are indispensable to the humble soul. A thirst for the commandments of God and a constant examination of conscience are also invaluable. Humility searches the heart to find it submissive to God.

In the book of Samuel, chapter 12, God sent the prophet Nathan to King David to accuse the king of having committed a grave evil concerning Uriah. Nathan told David of the king's injustice, and David immediately repented. He humbled himself before the Lord. He did not begin to defend himself or make excuses for his behavior. He swiftly acknowledged his guilt and sought to make amends, and God forgave his sin. In Psalm 51, verses 16 and 17, David says: "For in oblations you take no delight; burnt offerings from me you would refuse. My sacrifice is a contrite spirit; you will not spurn a humble and penitent heart."

In the Magnificat contained in Luke Chapter 2, Maria Mater Dulcis praises God for exalting the humble and sending the proud away empty. Again, "God resists the proud, but favors the humble" (James 4:6; Prov 3:34). The bible is replete with instances of God's favor to humble folk. In contrast, the proud have always been brought low. Jesus himself told many stories about the value of humility. In one particular allegory, he asked his disciples to imagine that they were at a dinner party and, without being invited to do so, went to sit at the places of honor only to be subsequently asked to sit at the lower seats, thus humiliated in the sight of everyone. Whereas, if they had initially sat at the lower places and were then asked to move on up, they would be elevated in front of everyone (Lk 14:8-10). Jesus ended the story with the maxim: "Everyone who exalts himself or herself will be humbled, and everyone who humbles himself or herself will be exalted" (v11).

Humility begins with honesty with oneself, with acceptance of the self for who and what it is. Humility does not take on airs. It does not parade its deeds in the open for all to observe. Remember what Jesus said concerning the Pharisees and their insincerity. Humility acknowledges its limitations, and is content. Psalm 131 says: "My heart is not proud, Lord; my eyes are not haughty. I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. Rather I have calmed and quieted myself. I am like a weaned child with its mother, and so I am content. Israel, put your hope in the Lord now and forever." Humility is not pretentious, and does not impose. It is not vain.

Humility puts the other before the self. It is modest and conciliatory. It receives praise with deference, and does not unnecessarily challenge others. Humility relates to the root word, humus, or soil. On Ash Wednesday, the minister tells the congregation: "You are but soil, and unto soil you will return." In such fashion, humility reminds us that we will die someday, and so we must be careful. We should not undertake daredevilry or prattle about without restraint. Humility implies prudence in all our activities. Aristotle calls prudence practical wisdom or phronensis. It is evident in simple acts like not putting one's hand in the fire because of the awareness that our flesh is combustible, or not jaywalking because of the awareness that we can be knocked down and die. 

Aristotle is of the view that phronensis, unlike theoretical wisdom, need not be learnt in school. We can develop it by regular practice. This is why I said earlier that I am striving to learn from experience and thought what humility means, and build a practical philosophy of it for myself. Phronensis is available to everyone. We don't need a triple-digit IQ to perform simple acts like brushing our teeth, licensed driving and eating our dinner. Once we begin to do them, we ordinarily never forget how. This is unlike rocket science or quantum mechanics, both of which are speculative sciences and both of which need to be studied in school and revised periodically so that their practitioners never forget. This is why for example a janitor can clean a room perfectly, even though he may not pass a calculus exam.

Humility like phronensis is therefore habitual and practical and universally attainable. In the Prayer, we ask the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the entire earth, to continually be available to all people and not just some. In reading this, you will find that you can implement the ideas contained here, regardless of your IQ, because they are not theoretical ideas, but practical ones. From experience and thought, I have come to the realization that humility consists of four aspects: simplicity, sensitivity, selflessness and sanctity. In this sense, it is all the things that scholars have said: a mental disposition, an attitude, and behavior. It is evident in the way we think, our worldview, our standards of morality and esthetics, and in our ethics. People around us can usually tell if we are humble or not. By our words and our actions, what is in our heart comes forth. "For a good tree does not produce bad fruit; neither does a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree is known by its fruit. People do not gather thorns from figs, nor grapes from bramble bushes. A good person out of the good treasure of their heart brings forth that which is good; and an evil person out of the evil treasure of their heart brings forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Lk 6:43-45).

Let us examine the four aspects of humility, beginning with simplicity. Simplicity means that a person is not ostentatious or boastful; they do not attempt to show off or intimidate. Humility "cuts one's coat according to one's cloth." Simplicity has an economic ring to it. It implies frugality in spending. It does not necessarily mean poverty, but only prudence with regard to material resources. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 5:3). The call here is to detachment. We are to put money and material possessions in proper perspective. We are not to attach ourselves to them or idolize them, but only use them to satisfy our needs, and to help the less fortunate. Recall here the parable of the dishonest steward - I'll take a post to explain this parable very soon; it is pretty much one of my favorite of the stories Jesus told. 

Simplicity is a grace. Imagine if everyone in the world were simple! No person would be living in poverty. People with plenty would share generously with those that were poor. Lazarus would not have to sit begging at the gate while the Rich Man dined sumptuously at table. There would be fewer people on welfare and more with jobs and living wages. There would be no people with a hundred pairs of shoes, while some had only two. There would be no starvation in parts of the developing world, while rich countries consumed vast amounts of resources. I try in my own life to be as simple as I can. Here is a personal principle: I never buy anything I do not need. Before I buy a new pair of shoes, I must be sure that my old one is unwearable or, if still wearable, that I give it to charity. So, for every new thing I acquire, I dispose of something. This is why my dorm room is as scanty as it was when I moved in a year ago. I always grin happily when any of my seminarian brothers comes into my room and exclaims: My, what a simple room! I fancy as well that when I move out, my luggage will be light.

What this means as well is that I do not live above my means. This, at a time when more than 70% of our population is living with credit-card and other debts. I know some people who at 25-33 years-old have amassed close to 100,000 dollars in debt, and counting. I personally have never taken out a loan or owned a credit card since the day I was born. I always live within my means, buying only what I need. In my world of footware, I have only one pair of formal shoes - which I wear to chapel and anything church-related. Then I have a pair of sneakers, which I wear to casual events; a pair of boots for the winter, and a pair of slippers for sauntering about the house: to the kitchen, the bathroom and along the hallway. Just four, and all needed. This simplicity or economy does not just show itself in my possessions or lack thereof, but also in my speech and writing; I like to think that I show an economy of words, saying what I mean and just that. It isn't just because I am poor that I am simple. I like to think that even if I were rich I would still be simple. I remember one man from my Kantin-Kwari work days. He was a very wealthy merchant, but when you entered his house, all the furniture he had in his parlor were recliner puffs and a rug. A disclaimer is here required. Jesus has said that what the right hand is doing the left should know nothing about (Matt 6:3), and in the story of the Pharisee and the Publican, the Pharisee was condemned for boasting. Also, Jesus repeatedly criticized the Pharisees for outward show of religiosity. In view of the foregoing, in showing how I apply simplicity in my own life, my intention is not to boast but to teach.

A second aspect of humility is sensitivity. This means that you realize there are other people in the world. When you play music in your room, you don't blast it at the highest volume. It would disturb other members of the household. Also, if others are working in the yard, you should join them. You should try not to scandalize others. "If you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea" (Matt 18:6). Also, "If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell" (Matt 5:29). Sensitivity means that one is attentive to others and not egocentric. Recall what we said about optimal interpersonal perception or ihunaya when we explained the parable of the Good Samaritan. Also, in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, the wealthy fellow's sin was his insensitivity to Lazarus. 

A third aspect of humility is selflessness. It is replacing "What's in it for me?" with "What's in it for others and me?" We are enjoined to put others first. When we speak or act, we are supposed to do it for the universal population, including ourselves. Kant's categorical imperative in his philosophy of virtue, or ethics, is to imagine that every person did what we were doing - how would the world look like then? Also the Golden Rule states: Do unto others what you would have them do to you. Altruism is highly encouraged. From the simple courtesy of holding the door open for an old person to volunteering with the Peace Corps, selfless service is a constant channel for humility.

The fourth aspect of humility is sanctity, consequent on repentance and examination of conscience. Socrates says that an unreflected life is not worth living. Humility seeks to acknowledge shortcomings and make amends. In church we ask God for forgiveness of sins that we have committed through our most grievous fault, maxima culpa; faults which have made us fall short of the divine glory (Romans 3:23). Reading the lives of the saints, one constant theme to be found is humility. All the saints were humble: Teresa, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia - all of them "walked humbly with God," while they were on earth. Humility and sanctity go together like two sides of the same coin: we cannot be truly humble without being saintly, and we cannot be truly saintly without being truly humble. Conversely, the devil, father of all that is unholy, is said to be proud, and it was pride that forced him out of heaven in the first place (Isaiah 14:12-14). All in all, humility is an important virtue. We all are encouraged to practice it. It is not taught in schools, but like Aristotle's phronensis is available to all and is mastered by constant practice. It is a mental disposition, a manifest attitude and a code of behavior. It consists in obedience and respect for God, as well as in simplicity, sensitivity, selflessness and sanctity.