Humility # 1Humility is a virtue based on the way we see ourselves.“Ocean is where water comes together from all over the places.It must have lower elevation than the source of the water.Likewise, the person who wants to inherit the goodness from others must be humble.”What is humility?Humility means be modest, not having pride, not being snobbish, not looking down on other people and not being arrogant.The difference between respect and humilityRespect is virtue based ion the way we see others. A respectful person is someone who actively looks for the good virtues in other people instead of finding fault in them. A respectful person is also someone who is able to estimate peoples’ worth according to reality and someone who expresses respect in his deed, word and thought.Humility is a virtue based on the way we see ourselves. To be a humble person is to reflect on one’s own weakness, finding fault in oneself and to estimate one’s own worth according to reality. A humble person is not someone to boast, but one who is able to show deference to others in order to maximize the amount of goodness absorbed from them.A respectful person is not necessarily a humble person. For example, a person may realize the virtue in others. He has the quality of respect. However, the same person may not be able to show any deference to another virtuous person. More, he likes to compare himself with others. Saying to him self: “Even though you’ re the best at this, I’m the best at that –so I’m as good as you!”Some tend to think they belong to influential familieswho have connections to high level people and become proud.Superiority ComplexSome people, instead of being humble tend to think that they are superior. They often consider themselves as superior on the basis of :1. The family background:Some tend to think they belong to influential families who have connections to high level people and become proud.2. Wealth:Some tend to think that they are superior to others because they are extremely wealthy.3. Beauty and physical appearance:Some tend to think, “I am more attractive than anyone else. My skin is as fine. My eyes are beautiful. Even Miss Universe should try comparing with me. Never know who might be prettier.4. Their knowledge and experience:Some take their education into account to be superior and proud. Some of them look down upon uneducated people.5. Their rank or position:In any society there are certain ranks and positions that are considered higher than others. In some instances those who hold such positions become proud and arrogant.6. The number of followers:Some tend to become proud and arrogant because they have many friends and followers. Some may think, “I have so many friends and followers in my gang that no-one would dare to mess with me.”Some tend to think that they are superior to others because they are extremely wealthy.Although people get carried away by the above mentioned factors, they do not realize that those things could change at any time. Good looking people are no longer good at the age of 60 or 70. Rich people can get poor. Wealthy men may make mistake in their business that they are wealthy all their life, they cannot take the wealth with them to the after life destination. No matter how much money they have, if they do not make enough merits, they cannot escape sufferings. The richer they get the more worries they have. They worry about making money and keeping money. The ranking and the number of followers cannot stay with us forever either. Everything is uncertain. It does not truly belong to us. The only thing that stays with us for sure and is able to help us escape from suffering is the goodness in ourselves.Does being arrogant make you better? It does not even make people respect you. Actually, it makes people dislike you.In fact, great people who receive respe3ct from others must be humble. Therefore, wise persons should not measure their worth from these factors and hence become arrogant.Consequences of Arrogance1. Damage to yourself:By becoming arrogant, you lose kindness and respect from others. If you think you are better than others and become arrogant no body would like to advise you even if you are doing something wrong. Sometimes others may not like to be friendly with you.2. Damage to society at large:Arrogant people can hurt other people by their words and deeds. Their lives achievements will never reach a high because they will not proceed far in teamwork like a pagoda with a narrow base which cannot be built very tall without toppling.3. Damage to society at large:Some times arrogant people break law and order and social stability and create problems for the whole society.Beauty and physical appearanceIf humility prevails among the people in the society, conflicts are less likely to occur. Even if conflicts arise people will be able to resolve them without let them ruin the harmony in the society.In a society where arrogance prevails, it will be difficult for any lasting harmony to come about like sandy broken soil even after the heavy rain. For example, the caste system in India in the olden days tended to make people in some castes heavily arrogant. People in higher castes washed their eyes if they saw a person from the lowest caste because they were afraid that it will bring misfortune. Because of the arrogance, when enemies were at the door, instead of thinking to unite to defend themselves against invaders, they let the colonists took over easily. The people in the lower castes thought that it would teach the arrogant superior castes a good lesson. Meanwhile the people of the higher castes thought themselves too superior to deal with the practicality of national affairs. The people of different castes kept on arguing amongst themselves. Even though there were billions of people in the country, they failed to fight against the British colonialists who sent only a small troop.
Humility # 1
[ 12 ต.ค. 2554 ] - [ 18262 ]
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