Sunday 8 September 2024

HUMILITY

 

HUMILITY

Humility is defined as the quality of not thinking that you are better than other people.  It is also the quality of thinking that you are not as important as others.

Some common synonyms of humility are ---- modesty, meekness, self-effacement, unpretentiousness and unobtrusiveness.

Humility is a spiritual virtue. It generates love and affection, companionship and friendliness. Arrogance becomes the cause of estrangement  and repulsion.

Humility wins friends; arrogance loses them.

It is true to say that to be humble is to make a right estimate of one’s self. The French critic Nicolas Boilleau (1636-1711) said: There is but one road to lead us to God ----humility; all other ways would only lead astray; even   were they fenced in with all virtues.“

According to the English clergy William Mountford (1816-1885) : It is from out of the depths of our humility that the height of destiny looks grandest. Let me truly feel that in myself I am nothing  and at once , through every inlet of my soul , God comes in , and is everything in me.

The Persian poet Sheikh Saadi Shirazi (12o9/10---1291/92?)  thinks that the beloved of the Almighty are the rich who have the humility of the poor , and the poor who have the magnanimity of the rich.

Finally, some of the best quotes on the subject are: “Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues.” “We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility.” True humility is intelligent self-respect which keeps us from thinking too highly or too meanly of ourselves. It makes us modest by reminding us how far we have come short of what we can be, “  

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G.R.Kanwal

8th September 2024  

 

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