Sunday Musings – October 29, 2023
Recently, I have been thinking a lot about the concept of humility. Oxford dictionary defines humility as “the quality of not thinking that you are better than other people; the quality of being humble. In other dictionaries it is sometimes defined as “a modest or low view of one’s own importance.” Some of the synonyms of humility are “delicacy, tact, courtesy, urbanity, submission.”
In the New Testament used by Christian churches it is sometimes equated as meek. “The meek shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5) In I Peter 5:5-7, one reads: In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” Humility is mentioned in several other places in the New Testament. It is also mentioned in the Old Testament as a virtue.
Professor Chen Yu-His suggests: “Like other spiritual traditions, Buddhism views humility as a virtue. In the Buddhist text on Maha-karuna (great compassion), humility is one of the ten sacred qualities attributed to Avalokite Bodhisattva, or Buddha of Compassion. Within that context, it appears to be a natural by-product of supreme spiritual attainments that transcends the ego, just as are the four noble states of mind -- love, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity.”
“In the Jewish tradition, humility is among the greatest of the virtues, as its opposite, pride, is among the worst of the vices. Moses, the greatest of men, is described as the most humble: “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men that were on the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3).” The patriarch Abraham protests to God: “Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and ashes (Genesis 18:27).’” Rabi Louis Jacobs. Humility in Judaism
The Muslim religion also teaches humility. Quoting Luqman the Wise, He says: “And do not turn your face away from people in contempt, nor go about in the land exulting overmuch; surely Allah does not love any self-conceited boaster. And pursue the right course in your going about and lower your voice; surely the most hateful of voices is braying of the ass.”
Addressing the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S) He says: “And make yourself humble to the believers,”
It might be asserted that organized religion by its very nature is antithetical to humility. After all most religions, except for such rogue groups as the Unitarian Universalist, demand that one acknowledges and worship the one true God which is their particular concept of God and reject the notion all concepts of God are equally valid and, thus, there can be no valid punishment or rejection because of other concepts of God.
We humans do not need religion to posit the one true god. We seem able to create quasi-religious groups from political parties/groups, business brands, countries, or a host of other organizations. One often then aligns that organization or group with a particular religious concept of God. Thus, in the United States, political parties often equate their beliefs or opinions with a brand of Christianity. Many other leaders of countries align or equate themselves with a particular religion and God. This God as the “true God” now validates the behavior of the human leaders as the only possible moral behavior. We see this in the leadership of Russia, Israel, Hamas, Iraq, and many other countries. We see the tragic evidence of this in current events in this country in the mass shootings, the behavior of many members of Congress, and in laws dictating what can be taught in schools or even what books can be offered in public libraries. Clearly there is also similar evidence in the actions of Hamas and the Israeli governments. Without the lack of self-righteous arrogance, we would have the possibility of humility; the possibility of recognizing that none of us have access to “The God” or the demands of “The God” and thus could honor the essential needs and the opinions of others.
We could allow for the possibility that all of us, whose brains are capable of a shared reality, want and desere to have access to the physical, emotional, nutritional and “spiritual” resources needed to thrive.
In other words, we could decide to reclaim humility without placing it in the context of an exclusionary organization such as religion or a governing body. We could decide that the concept of God /the whole/that which connects all requires merely that we humble ourselves to be no more or no less that all of creation.
Written October 29, 2023
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
Sunday Musings – October 29, 2023
Recently, I have been thinking a lot about the concept of humility. Oxford dictionary defines humility as “the quality of not thinking that you are better than other people; the quality of being humble. In other dictionaries it is sometimes defined as “a modest or low view of one’s own importance.” Some of the synonyms of humility are “delicacy, tact, courtesy, urbanity, submission.”
In the New Testament used by Christian churches it is sometimes equated as meek. “The meek shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5) In I Peter 5:5-7, one reads: In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” Humility is mentioned in several other places in the New Testament. It is also mentioned in the Old Testament as a virtue.
Professor Chen Yu-His suggests: “Like other spiritual traditions, Buddhism views humility as a virtue. In the Buddhist text on Maha-karuna (great compassion), humility is one of the ten sacred qualities attributed to Avalokite Bodhisattva, or Buddha of Compassion. Within that context, it appears to be a natural by-product of supreme spiritual attainments that transcends the ego, just as are the four noble states of mind -- love, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity.”
“In the Jewish tradition, humility is among the greatest of the virtues, as its opposite, pride, is among the worst of the vices. Moses, the greatest of men, is described as the most humble: “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men that were on the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3).” The patriarch Abraham protests to God: “Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and ashes (Genesis 18:27).’” Rabi Louis Jacobs. Humility in Judaism
The Muslim religion also teaches humility. Quoting Luqman the Wise, He says: “And do not turn your face away from people in contempt, nor go about in the land exulting overmuch; surely Allah does not love any self-conceited boaster. And pursue the right course in your going about and lower your voice; surely the most hateful of voices is braying of the ass.”
Addressing the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S) He says: “And make yourself humble to the believers,”
It might be asserted that organized religion by its very nature is antithetical to humility. After all most religions, except for such rogue groups as the Unitarian Universalist, demand that one acknowledges and worship the one true God which is their particular concept of God and reject the notion all concepts of God are equally valid and, thus, there can be no valid punishment or rejection because of other concepts of God.
We humans do not need religion to posit the one true god. We seem able to create quasi-religious groups from political parties/groups, business brands, countries, or a host of other organizations. One often then aligns that organization or group with a particular religious concept of God. Thus, in the United States, political parties often equate their beliefs or opinions with a brand of Christianity. Many other leaders of countries align or equate themselves with a particular religion and God. This God as the “true God” now validates the behavior of the human leaders as the only possible moral behavior. We see this in the leadership of Russia, Israel, Hamas, Iraq, and many other countries. We see the tragic evidence of this in current events in this country in the mass shootings, the behavior of many members of Congress, and in laws dictating what can be taught in schools or even what books can be offered in public libraries. Clearly there is also similar evidence in the actions of Hamas and the Israeli governments. Without the lack of self-righteous arrogance, we would have the possibility of humility; the possibility of recognizing that none of us have access to “The God” or the demands of “The God” and thus could honor the essential needs and the opinions of others.
We could allow for the possibility that all of us, whose brains are capable of a shared reality, want and desere to have access to the physical, emotional, nutritional and “spiritual” resources needed to thrive.
In other words, we could decide to reclaim humility without placing it in the context of an exclusionary organization such as religion or a governing body. We could decide that the concept of God /the whole/that which connects all requires merely that we humble ourselves to be no more or no less that all of creation.
Written October 29, 2023
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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