“It was pride that changed angels into devils,” St. Augustine of Hippo once wrote, “it is humility that makes men as angels.”
Though Augustine was addressing theological matters, if we convert his thoughts into a secular metaphor, we can still find truth in them. Pride and arrogance in tyrants, for example, can make them demonic, as seen by the millions upon millions of casualties they inflicted in the 20th century.
We, too, may bring ruin to our own lives through excessive pride, called hubris by the Greeks, yet pride is a complicated creature and has another, more positive side. A carpenter I know takes quiet pride in the decks he builds. Parents of an acquaintance of mine are rightly proud of their children’s accomplishments.
Quite often, this pride walks hand in hand with humility, another knotty concept. In fact, of all our virtues, humility is perhaps the most misunderstood and the least emphasized. Search online for “humility definition,” and you’ll find an assortment of meanings, running from “freedom of pride” to “lack of pride” to perhaps the more accurate “a lack of false pride.” These variations are understandable, for they reflect our own confusion about humility.
“But humility has nothing to do with meekness or weakness. And neither does it mean being self-effacing or submissive. Humility is an attitude of spiritual modesty that comes from understanding our place in the larger order of things. It entails not taking our desires, successes, or failings too seriously.”Here is a healthy view of humility that we see daily exercised all around us. Those parents I know who are so proud of their children’s achievements never say, “Yes, and it was all my doing.” While my friend the carpenter may take enormous satisfaction in the praise he receives for a job, he gives credit to his teachers and his skilled work crew.
And if we do some more exploring online, we discover that humility is one of the most desirable traits in a leader. On any number of sites, we read of the strengths of humble leaders: their willingness to listen to others and to share credit when good work is done, their measured take on their own talents and their ability to fill in the gaps with help from others, and perhaps most of all, their view of themselves as “servant leaders.” In this capacity, their wants and desires take second place to the objectives of a mission and the needs of others.
A final note: Humility ultimately derives from the Latin word humus, meaning “earth, ground.” If we adopt a humble spirit, keeping our egos out of the way while confidently bringing to bear our gifts and capabilities, all with the aim of performing at our best wherever we are, we may not become angels, but we will stay grounded.