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Humility

“Never seem more learned than the people you are with. Wear your learning like a pocket watch and keep it hidden. Do not pull it out to count the hours, but give the time when you are asked.” Lord Chesterfield's version of humility.
 
Goshin said:
Humility does not necessarily have to mean walking around with your head down, refusing to step forward and suffering any abuse heaped on you.

Humility, to me, means not being haughty and vain; not looking down on others as "lessers"; recognizing that when you encounter the guy who is down-and-out, that he could be YOU if circumstances had been different; not boasting or constantly inflating yourself, or erroneously overestimating your own worth.


In other words, not being a dick.
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Perfect description Goshin.

"There but for the grace of God..."

It doesn't take but a few circumstances to change and people can lose everything, no matter how they planned against it or thought they were above "fate", for lack of a better word.
 
Manc Skipper said:
“Never seem more learned than the people you are with. Wear your learning like a pocket watch and keep it hidden. Do not pull it out to count the hours, but give the time when you are asked.” Lord Chesterfield's version of humility.
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That is...

...

...that's a really good quote.
 
Wake said:
That's not true. Being humble doesn't automatically make a person intelligent. Intelligence is the acquisition and application of knowledge and skills.
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intelligence is the wise appllication of knowledge.....anyone can gain knowledge, the truly intellectual are more likely to connect various bits of knowledge and come up with new knowledge...
 
Ikari said:
There's nothing wrong with arrogance particularly when that arrogance has been earned.
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I will likelly need DBS surgery some day, for the Parkinson's.....I have already selected the surgeon, and an alternate as the first one is already quite old. Both are arrogant, and justified in being so....
 
Ikari said:
Depends I would say. There are certain levels of stupid which need to be pointed out and if uncorrected, mocked. Intelligence defines our species. And while there is a certain amount of arrogance which can be annoying, that door swings both ways. There are those so touchy they cry at anything. Criers are just as, if not more, annoying than arrogant. I may say someone acting stupid is acting stupid. I may say I'm smarter than someone else. But these would just be facts. If someone.e is so offended because they are dumber than others, that's their problem. Read a book.
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To the bolded: not necessarily. Stupidity, left to its own ends, results in death or self-destruction.
 
Confidence and arrogance are two different things.

Also, everyone thinks they are smarter than they actually are. Everyone thinks they are right nearly all the time. Believing you're right is psychologically safe. In other words, the human mind has an uncanny ability to delude itself.

The reason it's bad to be prideful is because it's the easiest way to become disconnected from reality.

Wake said:
How does one be humble?

According to the Google definition, it's a modest or low view of one's own importance.

Why? Why should one be humble if they know they're not low, stupid, or weak? How would the intellectuals, politicians, and doctors/lawyers et al succeed if they didn't have the pride... confidence... in being themselves and doing what must be done?

I'm a proud person, because I have very high intelligence coupled with ADD. I've stayed out of trouble with the law, drugs, alcohol, etc. Haven't messed around, worked damned hard to have high grades, and try to stay busy to give my life some meaning.

Why is pride a bad thing? If a person has high intelligence, yet treats him/herself like a piece of lowly garbage, that person will probably not be recognized as intelligent. Most of the people you know, from media and books etc, have had confidence and pride. If you are humble, chances are you'll always be overlooked! I've done so much to educate myself and stay out of trouble... struggling to deal with my ADD by giving a damn about what/when/where I do things.

I don't lie to people. Always giving an honest and rather unflattering opinion, because people shouldn't have to be lied to. Maybe I could be humble and honest, BUT THE PRIDE OF EVERYONE ELSE will always drown it out. People are proud. MOST people I know are proud to some extent or another. Is pride truly a bad thing? What do the accomplished members here, the lawyers, the teachers, the doctors etc think about this??

Why should I swallow my pride when I know I've done so much to climb to the top of the heap know as "society"?
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lizzie said:
Not unless others willingly go, or put themselves into a vulnerable position.
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A vulnerable position like getting into a car and driving. Or otherwise going about your daily business.
There's a trade-off between security and usability. The more secure you are, the less freedom of action you have. the greater the freedom of action, the less security.

e.g. if you get in your car and drive to the store, you face the potential consequences of anyone being stupid with a car.
 
Aunt Spiker said:
I think defining pride as being 'and arrogant, stuck up, cocky bastard' VS someone who 'might know they're smart, successful, capable--but doesn't shove it i people's faces or look down lowly on others who didn't become as succesful' puts it into terms that make sense

It's ok to do a good job, be smart (etc) and know you are - as long as you're not going around and making others feel like ****.
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That is a fine line sometimes. First you would have to care about another's feelings, and following that apparent triumph, you would need to understand their perspective. Then comes judgement.

Humbleness is being able to understand another's perspective from a position lower than yourself, and then typically acting based on that judgement.
 
Peter Grimm said:
Confidence and arrogance are two different things.

Also, everyone thinks they are smarter than they actually are. Everyone thinks they are right nearly all the time. Believing you're right is psychologically safe. In other words, the human mind has an uncanny ability to delude itself.

The reason it's bad to be prideful is because it's the easiest way to become disconnected from reality.
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...you're right on this. One can be confident yet not arrogant...

It's true that more often than not people feel that they're right, smarter than the rest, unwilling to come to terms with the possibility that they might be wrong. Your last sentence strikes sharply at the matter. By being proud, one does seem to become less connected with the harshness of reality.
 
Indeed, that humility is the path of wisdom is best illustrated by the fact that the inverse of humility, pride, is anathema to all learning. An empty glass is the one most easily filled.

But don't take Laozi's word on it. It's a widely accepted concept in psychology as well.

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