by Joseph Broadworth

Created on: November 11, 2008

I am somewhat apprehensive to write on such a topic as humility, one must be truly humble to do so effectively. I consider myself sort of humble, maybe not completely humble, but as humble as one can be without resorting to humbling self-deprecation. Alright, enough nonsense. In truth I believe humility to be a truly good trait, and one that I most respect when I sense it or see it revealed in others.

As long as I can remember I have always had an aversion to braggarts or flashy prima donnas. Even Muhammad Ali's famous "I am the greatest" rant annoyed me. Ali even faked humility in a way by tricking George Foreman into thinking he was beating Ali to a pulp before he came off the ropes and dropped him. Okay, maybe that's a stretch. Ali would have impressed me had he said "I am..well, not the greatest. Maybe more in the middle. Well, a little above the middle of the pack. Yes, I suppose that's a fair assessment."

Strong, quiet self-confidence is not incompatible with humility. In fact, I believe it complements it quite nicely. A person with strong, quiet self-confidence will always stand out in a crowd without proclaiming loudly "Look everyone, I'm standing out in a crowd. Behold me!" For the most part they will choose to give credit to others in earnest or to boost the confidence of others. It is part of an inherent selflessness, done not to draw attention to oneself but to survey every situation in which they find themselves clearly and logically. Calmness, gentleness of bearing, and a quiet, amiable nature are also good accompaniments to humility. None of us are perfect, but I believe we can teach ourselves to guide our nature even if it would seem we were not born with it. There are many circumstances in my life so far where I believe I have failed to achieve this level of humility, but also times where I think I came quite close. I don't dwell on mistakes, but from time to time I do reflect on ways in which I could have improved situations and learn a little more in the process.

When I first meet people I tend to be taciturn and reticent. It's done to form an impression, but I never form a complete judgment because, well, that is not my job. When someone does offer a self-deprecating remark I tend to become more inclined to respect them, although I cannot fully explain why. If someone talks about themselves from the start I tend to lose interest and move on in thought to something else.

In studying history I will admit that I was interested in the so-called

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