Humility

Humility – a very simple word, mostly misunderstood and misinterpreted. Sometimes it is conflicted with the philosophy of egoism – as if “I” and “humility” are two opposite paradigms. When Ayn Rand talked about the theory of Objectivism in her two most noteworthy novels – “Fountainhead” and “Atlas Shrugged” , when she laid the foundation of “I”, did she shrug off “humility” from her characters? Do we remember Howard Roark conversing with Peter Keating? Do we remember John Galt? Can we say that they were egoistic as well as snobbish? I am surprised to see so many characters in real lives forgetting that humility is such an important facet of any human personality. Forming a clique is as if being cool. But in the long run it can be only detrimental – the foundation of any organization is laid on good teamwork and team spirit, it combines people of different interests and backgrounds under the same umbrella working towards the same purpose. [Remember Sam Walton sacking Ron Meyer in the late 1960s when Ron temporarily became the Chairman of Wal-Mart.] I may have been unknowingly a part of that clique sometimes, but now I refuse to succumb and be stereotyped. Everyone is unique in a way, everyone has his own individuality and no one is inferior to the other in any aspects. Money, Pedigree, Intellectualism – these are all materialistic denominators of a virtual classification system which will put Aristotle to shame.

Probably, Humility comes with maturity; probably, it cannot be inculcated with pedigree or affluence. Probably, one needs a deeper understanding about his surrounding. The wiser he is, the humbler he becomes.

"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err."

- Mohandas K. Gandhi