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 'great people'. The Kings, Caesars, Generals and political leaders who seemed to move the world with their actions and deeds. Then I read further. I contrasted the careers two Romans, one called Cincinnatus, the other Augustus. Cincinnatus was a Roman senator who retired to work on his small farm in the countryside of Italy. When the Romans were threatened by another tribe the senators went to Cincinnatus' farm where he was plowing and offered him the position of 'Dictator', to take full and unquestioned command of the Senate and military to end the threat. Cincinnatus reluctantly did so, defeated the enemy, and at once resigned to return to his farm. This was responsible humility. He was revered by later Romans, but it is too bad they chose not to follow his example. Augustus (originally called Octavian), was a relative of Julius Caesar who after his death took command of those loyal to the name and engaged in a protracted Civil War to eventually defeat rivals and become the first Roman Emperor, thereby destroying the Republic that Cincinnatus had once saved. The rest, as they say, is history. Augustus was not an evil man, but some of those who followed as Emperor certainly aspired to the defintion.
In closing, through this rambling and often incoherent piece of writing, I dare say that we need to revive the concept of humility as a great and noble trait. The lure and lust of tangible power often clouds our judgement and in the process may conflict with our characters. Then, in a sense, we cease to be true to ourselves. Humility, people. There is no shame in being modest.