About Humility
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The great Tao flows everywhere.
All things are born from it,
yet it doesn’t create them.
It pours itself into its work,
yet it makes no claim.
It nourishes infinite worlds,
yet it doesn’t hold on to them.
Since it is merged with all things
and hidden in their hearts,
it can be called humble.
Since all things vanish into it
and it alone endures,
it can be called great.
It isn’t aware of its greatness;
thus it is truly great.
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu, trans. by Stephen Mitchell
I am not a fan of humility.
To an early 21st century American in an age of pundits, of tik-tok “influencers” and their hordes of devotees – what does “humility” do in this universe of discourse? Everybody desires to be “somebody” do we not? The upshot – with so many somebodies, what happens to the distinction between a somebody and the “nobody in particular”? The difference disappears, or becomes so fuzzy as to be meaningless.
Is being a somebody the same as wearing a t-shirt with a clever slogan? What about one with a clever graphic, say Che Guevara or George Clooney? More than a few would be wearing that sort of T-shirt on any busy morning inside this Starbucks… Be a somebody, wear a cool shirt. Humility is gutted, rendered absurd nowadays.
Not to be forgotten are the Christians, the fundamentalist, Bible-toting, out-to-save the unchurched who are inwardly proud of their virtuous ways. As I was saying, humility lies dead in the street.
The verse from the Tao Te Ching for this Friday August 22nd suggests that the Tao, and way-making as a form of life, as an attitude and practice, – is a demonstration of humility. How so? The Tao is described as energy flowing indiscriminately (everywhere) enlivening and creating, without a compulsive need to sign one’s name to the work. The Tao infuses infinite worlds (cultures, projects, movements, etc., etc.) without a controlling stake! Suddenly the idea occurs that humility is equivalent to an unobtrusive presence…
Humility = hidden greatness. Less is more. (That is, except within a capitalist ethos) Without ego, the self is actualized in the thriving of others, and in the beauty of the coincidence of homo sapiens with all living forms, which we refer to as nature. Greatness as humility is a “catalytic capacity to maximize the creative possibilities of one’s people.” The sage is realized by a flourishing community.
If this is true, are we not fucked?
Perhaps…
One thought on “About Humility”
Does the truly wise person ever, under any circumstance, claim to be wise? Is not the marker of that wise person one of actual humility, not the false humility we see so often paraded through the streets?
This verse of the Tao suggests that greatness can be found in those who eschew their greatness, who do not claim the moniker of a great stature while maintaining a serene and palpable presence. I recall a story told to me by a friend many years ago. As she was having a meal in a very nice restaurant in New York City, she and her friend noticed Tony Curtis at a nearby table. Not being shy, they politely asked if they could interrupt for a moment and gushed over Mr. Curtis. I believe that many celebrities would have waved them off or would have asked management to remove these interlopers, but Mr. Curtis stood up, shook their hands and thanked them profusely for their comments. This is a very minor but important demonstration of the kindness and humility that we all hope for when we place ourselves into a potentially uncomfortable situation such as greeting a well-known stranger in a restaurant. It takes so little effort to be a generous and unassuming person, I just wish this type of humble behavior was the rule rather than the exception.