CONCLUSION

OF SERVING A HIGHER PURPOSE: IN HISTORY, IN CONTEMPORARY NORM, AND

IN RELIGION

HISTORY
To be humble is to accept one's fundamental lowliness and powerlessness, one's
inadequacy and dependency.
When we look back at our history, it is often characterized with oppression and
subsequently, breaking bonds. For so long, the concept of humility was to bow down to
whomever possessed power. Those who are in position justified their actions on the
power they hold and can wield over their subordinates.
The humility of the ancient Greeks, who feared that excessive pride (hybris) would
attract the savage vengeance of inscrutable and remorseless gods; the apartheid and
slavery which permeated African and American countries was conceptualized and given
sense in the name of religion; and most relevantly, the two world wars which found their
origin from the desire to possess great power. The foregoing shows that once upon a
time in history, to be humble means to follow authorities, without the concept of
individuality. Otherwise, penance awaits.
It is on this context that the world transitioned from what was it then to what is it now
through known personalities and historical circumstances Nelson Mandela, Mahatma
Gandhi, Marthin Luther, Jr, and the world wars. In retrospect, there was a realization
that status quo then was not working at least for the majority.

CONTEMPORARY NORM
With these social issues addressed and at least recognized, there is a shift as to the
why of humility. In the present time, humility is characterized by intrapersonal and
interpersonal relationships.
On intrapersonal relationship, humility rests firmly on the foundation of self-awareness.
Humility asks us to acknowledge our imperfections. It requires that we admit
when we are wrong and then change course. (Bobb, David J, Humility: An
Unlikely Biography of Americas Greatest Virtue). It also recognizes our own
capacity, without relishing nor dwelling on it. Humility denies us these
satisfactions. For when we strive and aim for humility, the opposite results. It
presents us with the danger that, in recognizing it as an improvement and giving
ourselves credit for that, we will begin to see ourselves as better than we are.
It is through self-awareness that a person recognizes the circumstances surrounding
people aside from himself their necessity, the reason why these people act and think
the way they do. In effect, fostering understanding and better relationships with the
community he is with.

RELIGION
Humility is expressed most vividly in the person of Jesus Christ, who emptied himself of
all the trappings of divine majesty, choosing to endure earthly humiliation at the hands
of cruel and unjust men for the sake of his great mission of redemption, and in his
sacrificial love for a wayward humanity. (McClay, Wilfred, 2010.)
We are made in the image and likeness of God. However, we do not end with that we
are also to exercise the virtues Christ practiced, for us to be graced with salvation and
eternal life. One of such virtues is humility. However, it should not be separated and
delineated with the others, such as obedience and silence. For it is only upon the
embodiment of all these virtues does one became worthy of salvation. With humility, we
accept our place as one among many others. When we recognize that we are no more
important than those others, we take no more than our small share. We approach even
the most menial tasks joyfully. We accept that we are only here to be of service to God's
great creation.