Humility and pride are such tricky beasts. They sit on opposite ends of a seesaw, and they have to remain in balance to keep things going.

I like very much the first paragraph that talks about having the humility to consider the opinions of others, and to be open to new knowledge. At the core of humility is the practice of never putting yourself above others. To accept that the needs of others have at least as much validity as your own needs. That their beliefs and opinions carry as much weight as your own.

But humility taken to the extreme becomes injurious...to put others so much ahead of you that your needs, beliefs and opinions disappear leaves you without a self.

I have had a number of discussions about arrogance and humility with a friend of mine who is an activist. And there is a very good argument that arrogance and single-mindedness are necessary conditions to being a truly successful activist...because without that belief that your position is the only one that is remotely defensible, it can be almost impossible to overcome the hurdles that the opposition puts in your way.

If we look back at former presidents, the one who appears to show the greatest humility is Jimmy Carter, yet he is widely regarded as one of the least effective presidents of the modern era.

So both humility a pride are double-edged swords. While I'm sure most of us could use a healthy dose of humility, many of us also need an injection of pride as well.

Thanks for the post, Tomi...it gave me some good food for thought.

Jo