Humility is a Skill

Humility is a skill. It takes time to build and it's far more rewarding than it receives acknowledgement for.

There are many forms of humility, but one I find particularly awesome is in relation to the errors of others. When we observe another making an "error," our immediate reaction is often judgment, followed by a slight sense of superiority, but that is the opposite of humility. That is hubris and hubris can get us into trouble. Hubris contains within it ignorance, just as humility contains within it insight.

Hubris is the blind eye. Humility, is the pause, the observation, the understanding. The understanding that follows humility is transformative. With it comes compassion, but also intelligence of the human condition, our own condition, our capacity for fault, and the possibility to avoid it in our own lives.

Humility is a virtue. But, it's also survival, growth, and success. It's a winning strategy regardless of the game. It's not an easy skill to build, but it's a worthwhile and unavoidable one. Life teaches humility whether we lean into its lessons or not. The lessons are certainly less painful when we do.

For me the greatest source of developing my humility has been through the self-understanding gained from Vipassana meditation. It's not the only way, but I'd be remiss to not mention the value it's brought me in this and many other regards.

Wishing us all more pause and humility.

Naser