Some Words on Humility and Stillness

Attaining Greatness

One day you are on top of the world and the next you are down in the dumps.

Whether I believe it or not, I think I need to experience this some of the time.

There are reasons, and there are reasons, of why sometimes it feels that the floor is suddenly giving way: unexplained fear, insecurity, a buckling in the face of adversity, a cowering, a fraying of the nerves, other people making you feel small that you are entertaining thoughts that they are probably better than you and feel threatened about that somehow, a praise that was left unuttered, a change in the direction of the wind, the weather, a tiredness that would not go away, a capitulation of the soul.

When this happens, I sit still.  The mantra that goes through my head, “The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears.”

And yes, humility.

It is funny that this world pushes all of us to be proud and to be confident and to laugh in the face of anything when that feeling is a source of transgressions.  It will feed you a fact that you might believe: that you are bigger than you are, when you are not, or when you do not need to know.  And following in its wake: feelings of entitlement, jealousy, greed, self-absorption, loneliness.

Humility, on the other hand, is a talisman.  It is an acknowledgment or re-acknowledgment that the world is so big and that you are so small, so frail, a speck, mere stardust.  And that there is someone greater than you, more powerful, all encompassing, that you can not even begin to imagine the countenance of His face or the breadth of His passion.

With these thoughts of humility, I sit still, locked in the reality of my insignificance. 

And it is okay.  It is an acknowledgment of a truth: my humanity.  A kind of a centering and a grounding.

My favorite Zen master, Leo Babauta of Zen Habits, talked about stillness in his latest post.  He did not talk about humility but I think those two concepts are intertwined.  Both are powerful non-actions, a return to the self.  Tom thinks stillness should be cultivated.  Here is how:  

1. Start your day in stillness. Whether it’s sitting with a cup of coffee as the world awakes, or sitting on a pillow and focusing on your breath, stillness is a powerful way to start your day. It sets the tone for things to come. Even 5-10 minutes is great.

2. Take regular stillness breaks. Every hour, set an alarm on your computer or phone to go off. Think of it as a bell that rings, reminding you to be still for a minute. During this minute, focus first on your breathing, to bring yourself into the present. Let the worries of the world around you melt away — all that is left is your breath. And then let your focus expand beyond your breath to your other senses, one at a time.

3. When chaos roars, pause. In the middle of a crisis or a noisy day, stop. Be still. Take a deep breath, and focus on that breath coming in, and going out. Find your inner stillness and then let your next action come from that stillness. Focus on that next action only.

I do not know when I first met Rabindranath Tagore.  But of late, I have been uttering his name.  It did not surprise me when one recent wandering, I came upon his words: “We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility.”

Humility is beautiful.  It is not actually a giving up, which is the first thing that comes to mind and the reason why the indomitable man resists it.  Rather, it is an attempt, a solemn and serious attempt, to glimpse God’s face within.

Because He is there.

Be rich,

Issa

P.S.  You can still win tickets here if you tell me your Valentine story.

Article by Issa. Art by D.  Copyright 2010.
Blog: YouWantToBeRich.com
Email: issa@youwanttoberich.com

[ad name=”HTML-2 Blogher Before Comment”]

[ad name=”HTML-1 Love in the Key of R Ticket”]

[ad#Google Adsense-1]