humble

 People often dispute 
  whether or not humility 
  is even a virtue,
  feeling that
  pretending you are worse
  than others is a type
  of fatuous dishonesty.

 But humility isn't about
  being below others, 
  it is about being below
  the ideal standard, realizing
  we all have much to learn
  and that we can learn 
  from anyone.

 Inherent in the view that
  humility is dishonesty
  is the view that
  life is a sort of competition,
  where the only contestants are
  whoever else is in the room.

 But being humble means taking
  a wider view:
  that the person you are and
  the ideal person you could be
  still don't coincide:
  it's not false modesty, it's 
  honest endeavor.

 Without humility,
  it's virtually impossible
  to be attentive --
  we are too busy thinking
  about what we 
  will say next.

Tagged: Tags Poetry Virtues