Print
What is the name of the person that cleans the building? What is the name of the person who picks up the garbage? You don’t know? Why not? Without these people you would have a dirty building that was filled with garbage. Every person is important, and should be made to feel important. Don’t think that because one person works in an office, and another person cleans that one is more important than the other. Each is important in their own way. They are all like different parts of the body, and all contribute something of value to the whole. If one of them were injured or missing, the entire body would be affected. Next time you see somebody doing a job that you think is not very important, think again how it would be if nobody did that job. You might even stop and offer them a smile and ask their name. It will cost you nothing to make another human being feel valued and appreciated, and you will earn their respect and friendship in return.
Posts Tagged humility
Everyone is important
Jul 12
Humility
Oct 27
As martial artists we constantly strive to higher levels of skill and ability. One of the key ingredients in this pursuit is the quality of humility. We often say that a black belt is a white belt who never quit. One of the concepts behind this is that while we increase our proficiency, we must also remain humble and eager students of our art. Often the more we learn, the more we realize there is to learn. The recognition of this alone should keep us humble. There are, however, many cases where a person, regardless of their pursuit, gains some level of competence and with that becomes arrogant or cocky. This is typically when a person also becomes vulnerable to being knocked down a peg or two. It is a classic mistake. You experience some level of success at something, and suddenly you think you know it all, and that great equalizer called life comes along, and BANG, you find yourself in the dirt. A person at that point would be wise to heed the words of Mahatma Ghandi; “I claim to be a simple individual, liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors, and to retrace my steps.”
In martial arts we call this the classic brown belt syndrome. At that point a student may have developed a great deal of skill. They may or may not, however, have developed the humility and control that comes when that skill is seasoned. By black belt, the student should have also become a black belt on the inside. That is they have surpassed themselves as brown belts in skill and regained the eager humility they had as white belts. They also come to appreciate those who have taught them. They demonstrate this simply by allowing themselves to be taught and passing this knowledge on through helping others. One of my personal mentors has said, in remaining humble to his own teachers, “It is easy to look down on a giant when you are standing on his shoulders.”
The irony is that the more humble we remain, the more others want to bestow honor upon us. By contrast, the more we demand that honor be given to us, the more we lose the respect and admiration of those around us. This concept was put very well by Benjamin Franklin who said, “To be humble to superiors is duty; to equals is courtesy; to inferiors nobleness.”