Humility is to look at ourselves honestly

Good morning. The theme of this month is humility. When I see this word, it comes to my mind two questions. First, what does a humble person do? Second, does a humble person always think or say that he or she is not good enough?

Then, I started to look for some good practices of humble people and found that truly humble people do not only know about their weaknesses. They know how good they are as well. More importantly, they do not expect extra attention, interest, favours or special treatment from other people even they know they are doing so well. This makes me think that a humble person should demonstrate a high level of self-awareness, which also means that he/she has a good self-understanding. Therefore, I searched for some useful ways to increase self-understanding. There are many suggestions online and I would like to share with you three tips today.

First, humble people always stay curious and want to know more about everything. This will remind us that we do not always have all answers. The new knowledge will also help us understand the thinking and feelings of the others. By then, we are more likely to stay humble.

Second, humble people always ask for and try to accept feedback. Different opinions from different kinds of people allow us to have a more objective view on ourselves. Positive feedback can boost our confidence. Negative feedback will drive us to improve too if we are willing to accept it.

Next, humble people are willing to spend time and spare no efforts to maintain relationships with people of different beliefs. If we can open our mind and our heart to connect with a wide range of people with different backgrounds, we will have more chances to learn to handle different opinions and interpersonal conflicts. This kind of flexibility will allow us to practice humility.

Shungtakians, we can only manage to share three ways today. I hope we would all have the humility to realise and accept our own weaknesses. At the same time, do not forget to explore the positive features inside yourselves. Be honest and be kind, to yourselves and to others as well.

Let us pray that God will be guide us in this journey of self-discovery as we grow up.

Ms Suen SL
20 October 2023