To me, humility can be defined as a deeper hidden strength, not a behavior, not an attitude, not an appearance, not a performance, not a mask. A deep hidden strength.
Marshall Vian Summers teaches about the difference between false humility and the real meaning of the word. This excerpt is taken from 2016 Steps to Knowledge Vigil in Boulder, CO, USA.
Humility is really something different than what most people think. So this evening I’d like to talk about the difference between false humility and to give you an idea of what true humility really is if words can express that.
Certainly, humility as a behavior is something we can see often manifesting in different ways, but behaviors are established for people to adapt to difficult circumstances, or to seek advantage over others, or to avoid confrontation or interaction with others.
So humility as a behavior is often a form of hiding or avoidance from responsibility or facing other people or facing oneself. Humility can be an adaptation to gain favor, particularly in spiritual circles.
But humility is not a behavior. Humility can look like so many different things so do not think that humility is to be
self-effacing or to be mild in temperament never raising your voice with another to be all accepting to be all gracious.
It’s not humility. It’s behavior.
Some people become meek and mild so that no one will ask anything of them so they can withdraw into the shadows. Then there’s insufficiency syndromes where you minimize yourself and your experience and give deference to others. That can look like humility to always put others first or to value others views far more than your own.
There’s so much that can be concealed behind the behavior of humility. That is why we must really look at humility what it really is.
To me, humility can be defined as a deeper hidden strength, not a behavior, not an attitude, not an appearance, not a performance, not a mask. A deep hidden strength.
Real humility requires inner strength and commitment, hardly a requirement for those who seek avoidance or who wish to hide from the demands of life.
It’s carefully managing the four pillars of your life while allowing your greater work to unfold, step by step, piece by piece. For nothing great is ever given at one time because the recipient couldn’t handle it or has not proven and demonstrated their ability to carry such a responsibility.
Why would heaven give you that which you could not bear or understand? So the revelation, the personal revelation comes in stages, each one is a challenge and a strengthening and each one is a test.
The training goes on in stages you either fail the stages or you begin to cultivate real humility: the deep hidden strength.
