Mark: Golda Meir, the first and only female Prime Minister of Israel, was well known for her many qualities, among them her acerbic and humorous quips about the human condition. Often, in the presence of those (mostly men) whom she considered as displaying a purposefully false humility, she felt it her duty to unmask their hidden attempts at what was really an expression of veiled arrogance. To each of their attempts at such hollow humility, she would respond: “Don’t be so humble. You’re not that great!”
The Bible reminds us of the true and sacred value of humility: It is the consistent reminder that we do not control the universe, nor are we to view ourselves as its Master. The prophet Micah implores us to “act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)
To be clear, humility and humble are related words, yet they differ in usage and purpose. The word humble is the adjective we use to describe a person: He is a humble man. Humility is the noun we use to describe a quality which a person might possess: She showed a tremendous sense of humility. Either describes the admirable strength of tempering one’s tendency towards excessive pride or arrogance, from which they might believe themselves to be superior to other human beings. Or perhaps, therefore, they may even be inclined to worship themselves, instead of their Creator.
The primary purpose of prayer is the reminder to be humble, to possess and demonstrate a strong and clear sense of humility, that we do not possess all the answers nor do we exercise complete control over our lives. It is a confession of our vulnerabilities and our limitations. It may make us more reflective, and therefore, perhaps, ever more grateful.
Frank, to be honest, many people hold their physicians in high esteem, and rightly so. But the criticism of some doctors is that they think and act as if they are God and therefore, lack humility. Have you heard of this, and if so, do you think it holds true for some of your colleagues? And if so, why?
Frank: Mark, while I have heard of the belief that some doctors consider themselves God, in all my years of training and working with doctors, I have never encountered any to feel as if they were God. There is, however, a popular joke about a man standing in a long line waiting to get through the pearly gate and into heaven when he sees a man with long white hair and beard, wearing a white coat and a stethoscope around his neck walking right past the long line and through the pearly gates. The man turns to someone next to him and asked who is that? He is told “Oh that’s God, every now and then he likes to play Doctor”. Which brings me back to the issue we are discussing of the true meaning of displaying humility and being humble. I firmly believe that humility is a true sign of intelligence. The foundation of knowledge is curiosity and therefore to be humble is to acknowledge that one does not have all the answers and realizes that it is necessary to seek answers to troubling questions. The doctors I have worked with during my 50 years of medical practice demonstrated humility and were humble human beings. They knew they were smart and may have demonstrated an element of arrogance, however, they also understood that their knowledge was incomplete and there was much they did not know and much they still needed to learn. To me that is a sign of an intelligent individual. The Golda Meir quote you mentioned earlier, “Don’t be so humble. You are not so great” is not a statement that I believe is correct. It is being humble that makes someone great because it is this quality that brings forth an understanding of one’s deficiencies and a curiosity and desire to educate oneself on that deficiency. The more humility one displays, the more intelligence that individual demonstrates. Being humble is not a negative trait, but rather a positive aspect of the character of a person.
The other quote you mention by the prophet Micah which tells us to “walk humbly with your God,” is quite consistent with my belief that it is humility that helps us understand what is expected of us. The God in all of us demands that we act in honest, helpful, and loving ways and it is humility that forces us to answer the questions of how best to achieve these goals. Being humble, knowing that we do not possess all the answers, stimulates a desire to find those answers and thereby walk humbly with our God.
Mark: Frank, you offer a very interesting proposition, that only those who possess a certain level of intelligence can demonstrate a true sense of humility, because they know, full well, that despite their acquisition of tremendous amounts of highly specialized knowledge, they come to realize how very little of that vast amount of material they can really come to acquire, let alone retain. In truth, as you argue, they are humbled because, despite their expertise, they have an acute awareness of their inability to know everything there is to know about any subject, or every subject. That, you argue, makes the smartest among us also the humblest among us.
I disagree. Humility has little to do with the level of one’s intelligence. But it has everything to do with one’s sense of relevance, their sense of their limited time and temporary place in this creation. They are made humble by the questions they continually contemplate: What is the purpose of my existence? Does my life make a difference in the lives of others? What kind of person am I? Am I kind? Am I compassionate? Have I lived a good life, aware and grateful of all I have been afforded?
Most of us are humble because life humbles us. We demonstrate humility because we know, full well, life’s lack of guarantees or certainties. We are humbled because of the daily reminders of our vulnerabilities and our harsh realities, our disappointments and regrets, our realizations, and confirmations of living in an often harsh and hostile world, one in which nothing can or should be taken for granted.
While I understand your argument and your point of view, I tend to think differently. I think it is often the people who live humbly, simply, and gratefully — those who while having less, appreciate their blessings even more; those who, with less education or lower intelligence, still have much to teach others about human decency, human dignity and human humility. Sometimes those with limited means, those with less education, those with fewer opportunities, come to model the quality of humility far more than those whose great intelligence blinds them to the value of walking humbly with their God, or with anyone else.
Frank: I do not believe that “the smartest among us is the humblest among us”, but rather believe that at all levels of intelligence, one can be extremely humble if they realize that there remains much to learn. Even though you say you disagree with my interpretation of humility, everything you describe in defining a humble individual is from my point of view a real sign of intelligence. It all depends on how broadly one defines intelligence. I define it quite broadly. So, I believe we totally agree.
Rabbi Mark Schiftan can be reached at mschiftan@aol.com
Dr. Frank Boehm can be reached at frank.boehm@vumc.org
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