Humble

September 19, 2023

I was excited to finally get to see the grandkids after a long absence.  I was scheduled to catch a ride at the airport to get to their house, but as I turned my phone on after landing, I saw my son was coming to pick me up.  When I asked, Alex said he had decided to make the trek against traffic to give us some time to catch up on the drive back to the house.  Even though we had been talking and having Facetime sessions, it was nice to be able to talk in person.  When I arrived, everyone was glad to see me.  I was able to help take the kids to school the next day and their teachers told me the grands were excited and had been telling everyone I was coming.  When I went to both of their sports practices, they proudly introduced me to their friends as their Papa.  I was starting to get an ego, but Amelia kept me humble.  Amelia is a small terrier chihuahua mix who believes it is her job to keep people straight at the house.  Every time she saw me for the first three days she went into a barking fit.  I was a stranger and I needed to be humble and remember that fact.

When I looked online, I found the definition of humble is having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance.  Most scholarly discussions of humility provide descriptions of humble people, and many suggest humble people have an accurate view of themselves.  That means humble people acknowledge their mistakes and limitations, are open to other viewpoints and ideas, keep their accomplishments and abilities in perspective, have a low self-focus, and appreciate the value of all things, including other people.  One site offered a list of traits shared by humble people.  Foremost, they control their ego.  We all have brushes with others at some point, but a humble person will not let their ego take control.  A humble person puts a lot of effort into making sure people around them are happy and comfortable and will apologize if there is anything they say or do unintentionally hurts someone.  Humble people value their own self-worth and do not waste time comparing themselves to others.  A humble person is confident, and their confidence will even allow them to question themselves or their motives.  Lastly, a humble person does not take others for granted and avoids using stereotypes when talking about others.  Being humble is not easy and requires a person to go inward and learn how to treat others from the ground up.

While this is a good summary of what a humble person is, it does not get to the psychological core of being humble.  Being humble entails the belief that no matter how great one’s accomplishments or positive characteristics may be, they do not entitle one to special treatment as a person. This contrasts with areas of life where exceptional characteristics deserve special attention and even privilege.  Expecting to receive special treatment equal to one’s accomplishments is irrelevant to humility and even humble people think they deserve a promotion when they are an exceptional employee.  Humble people do not downplay their accomplishments or characteristics; they just do not think they should be treated specially because of them.

Thoughts:  While Amelia may have been trying her best to keep me humble, I received the opposite reaction from my own pups when I returned from my weeklong absence.  Both dogs were immediately all over me and would not leave me alone until they had given me the love that they felt I deserved.  Whether this adoration comes from a pet or another human, it will make you feel humble.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.