Window or Mirror?

���Imitate Jesus and Socrates.”

1. Modest and unassuming in attitude and behavior
2. Feeling or showing respect and deference toward other people
3. Relatively low in rank and without pretensions

Humility is not a peculiar habit of self-effacement, rather like having an inaudible voice, it is a selfless respect for reality and one of the most difficult and central of all the virtues. - Iris Murdoch

If you hear that someone is speaking ill of you, instead of trying to defend yourself you should say: “He obviously does not know me very well, since there are so many other faults he could have mentioned.” - Epictetus

Blame yourself as you would blame others; excuse others as you would excuse yourself. - Chinese proverb

Franklin’s advice is simple and direct – imitate two people who were known to have the virtue of humility. The quotes suggest some of the qualities of humility; respect for your position in the Universe, self-effacing humor, treating yourself as you’d have others treat you, and so forth. In order to get Franklin’s point, we’ll have to take a look at the lives of both Socrates and Christ.

He (Socrates) declared that he knew nothing, except the fact of his ignorance (Diogenes Laërtius). In the writings of Plato, we see that his teacher, Socrates, was indeed aware that he was a very small cog in a vast machine. Executed for suggesting that the world was larger than it was seen at that time, Socrates lived a life of humility. Socrates knew that he could live a good life, and study always, and that in the Universe these accomplishments would still mean almost nothing. He knew his limits and influenced others through quiet reflections on reality more than have the most voluble orators.

Christ, believed to be the Son of God by Christians, lived a life that defined the term humility. Leaving heaven as the Creator, He arrived in Bethlehem in a feed trough for domesticated animals. Regardless your belief in the supernatural events in Christ’s life, there can be gained a good picture of humility. Born to a young mother and a carpenter father, He worked hard and learned much. His life and composed attitude, even in death, set the Perfect standard for each of us. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil 2:3-5 NIV).

To me, humility has several features:

Meekness combined with self-knowledge
To be meek requires a quiet and composed outlook. Meekness does not imply weakness, quite the opposite. A plant that blows in the wind appears to be pliant and weak, but indeed has a deep taproot.

Understand your place in the world
We must understand our duties in society and family, but we must never let that narrow view of reality cause us to think that we are over-important in the entire scheme of things.

Know that others are your equals (or betters)
”Every man knows something, and in that, I am his pupil” (Ralph Waldo Emerson).