[Story] On Humility

Source: iJourney

“Humility is a trait that is somewhat of an enigma. For to be humble you must not know you are humble since if you know you are humble and begin to take pride in your humbleness, then you cease to be humble. Humility is something that is just done and not something that is planned or engineered. For again, if we plan to be humble, then our egos become involved and we begin focusing on the act of being humble rather than the event and therefore we cease to be humble. To be humble is to just do; to do without the expectation of reward and without a “what’s in it for me” attitude. It looks at doing and does not look at any results that puffs up egos. Christ had it. Gandhi had it. Mother Teresa had it. And Susan, and Joe, and Jane have it — the “ordinary” people who do the unrecorded things that are the glue holding our world and its people together.

So when you think of humility, don’t “think” of humility. Just act and do without the thought of self or rewards. For when that is done, the rewards do ultimately come in a way that is far removed from any human gift that can be given.” — Allen Schmeltz

–by Allen Schmeltz (Nov 02, 1998)