Most Don't Know The True Definition of Humility - Here's Why It's a Superpower

We often struggle to define terms and understand their real meaning, especially terms that point to abstract values and virtues like honesty, bravery, humility, and so on.

Also nowadays, we struggle to agree on certain definitions of “accusations”, like calling somebody misogynistic, homophobic, TERF, etc. When you ask the people using these terms you’d hear very different definitions from each person. That leads me to believe that these terms are being used in a flexible fashion, throwing them on people we don’t like for their “vibe” or our particular mood that day.

Anyway, let’s stick with the definition of humility today.

The word humble has a pretty bad interpretation in a lot of people’s minds, including mine not so long ago. I thought being humble meant treating people as if they were equal to me although intrinsically knowing that I’m superior/better.

Superior based on what?

My financial status, intellectual status, physical power, family name, and corporate hierarchy. And even as a Muslim, I thought I was better than others who don’t pray or don’t know how to do it properly, drink alcohol, etc. But, still, I treated them as equals on the outside.

As a result, I always saw it as if I’m doing them a favor. That was the definition of humility to me up until recently.?I simply thought that hiding my classism, racism, and prejudice means being humble.

The Real Meaning of Humility

My mind shifted when I confronted myself with the truth after asking myself the simple question: what does humility really mean?

Here’s what I discovered after going on a spiritual journey to get to know myself more:

I realized that humility is not a quality or a virtue, It’s a must-have for everyone (the normal mode). Being humble is simply recognizing yourself, and your weak human nature.

I don’t care who you are, if you’re a human, you must be humble. Otherwise, you’d be someone who’s blind to the fact that he’s a human being.

In this context, being human means:

• being a creature (at least we can all agree that we’ve been created). No one ever claimed that he created himself. Which makes us at least less powerful than the one who created us (regardless of who you think it is).
• Being a human means vulnerability in front of even the tiniest of viruses. Only a while ago, the whole world literally shut down because of a virus we can’t even see with our eyes. And ironically, history tells us a lot of stories about kings and rulers of the world who were killed by invisible viruses or even insects (a fly went into an Israelian king’s brain through his nose and it stayed there until he couldn’t handle it, and ordered his servants to hit him in the head with their shoes until he died).
• Being a human means constant humiliation: No matter your status in society, you can get slapped a few times by nobodies like the French president Emanuel Macron, or get a shoe thrown at you like Goerge Bush. You could get spat on or get peed on by a baby. You can get sick with simple flu and stay in bed paralyzed. You could throw up, You could sweat and stink, and not to mention what we all do in the bathroom multiple times a day.

Realizing all of these facts and harsh truths to swallow for some big egos like me, you’d have no choice but to be humble. It’s never a choice to be humble, It’s pure logic.

The Unspoken Benefits of Being Humble (a superpower)

I’ll tell you a story,

I’m diagnosed with social anxiety like, well, everyone!

So to treat myself, I had to face my fears and go be social, get out and do whatever it is I’m supposed to do outside. Take what’s mine from the world!

In my journey of facing my fears, I realized that the number one reason stopping me from going outside and pursuing my dreams was not social anxiety or timidity, but it was my ego.

• It was my ego that stopped me from riding the bus. I was afraid the driver might be rude to me (like he is with everyone) thus hurting my ego (“how could he talk to ME like everybody else, doesn’t he know who I am!).
• It was my ego that stopped me from learning any new skill or doing internships. Because “it’s ME, I know everything”, and we all know that in order to learn something new you gotta be shitty at it at the beginning and you might do some stupid errors, and you might even cause some genuine giggles from your teacher or colleagues.
• My ego even prevented me from stepping outside my door because a 4-year-old kid from my neighborhood might insult me or bully me. (“I’m ME, I don’t get embarrassed.”)

My ego was simply an obstacle preventing me from improving in any aspect of my life.

But once I realized that, as long as I’m human, I have no right to feel superior no matter who I am, I developed this thick skin that made me genuinely humble. Then I went out and snatched my share of the world.

“THE MOMENT YOU THINK YOU’RE SOMEBODY ON TOP OF BEING A HUMAN, YOU LIMIT YOURSELF. IT’S AN OBSTACLE TO GIVE YOURSELF ANY FORM OF ALTITUDE. BE HUMBLE.”?Omar El-farouk Abed

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Blog: www.baharizz.com