Examine if your humility is compassionate. Does my humility cause me to be self-contained and anti-social or does it express itself in empathy for others. Is my humility balanced and beautiful? Or is it awkward?
Just as humility brings compassion, compassion can lead one to humility. If you lack humility, try acting compassionately, which can help bring you humility.
Exercise for the day: Express a humble feeling in an act of compassion.
I would greatly appreciate examples, allegories or analogies if at all possible to further elucidate the lessons of the daily omer exercises. Thank you very much. Reply
The coins and the missing case
Today on approaching the subway was the usual homeless person asking for money.
Though I missed the minimum amount of fifty cents or one dollar quite substantially, I gave only thirty eight cents, still it was better than nothing.
A case that we were looking for that was misplaced suddenly showed up this morning, I typed the new label and the case was sent on its way.
Tzedakah does work. The other two; well in Kew Gardens Hills there is Kesser Torah and have to get back to work otherwise I will continue to steal time.
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Thank you for your perspective Reply
I'm not really understanding the connection between humility and compassion...can someone else help me out here? Reply
Late response, but if you put yourself in perspective to humanity, you end up recognizing the level ground between you and others. It humbles you, and allows for compassion to flow. Doing acts of compassion are a good exercise towards recognizing our actual size in the world, if that makes sense. It gets us out of our head. Reply
Thank you - I like this thought. Reply
A Reply to Norma Meyer
I wonder if an answer to your question is "inbuilt" in the operation of certain mitzvot.
We are commanded, for example, to correct one who does wrong (such as the type of person you reference), but we must do so in private, with compassion, and in no way in a shaming manner.
This way of responding seems to embody all the values in this week's lessons. We show compassion both to the victim and the victimizer. And we act with the knowledge that we all should be humble to our G-d by living true to divine expectations.
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Humility
I am curious if anyone has thoughts about the function of humility in social dealing with people who are passive-aggressively rude. I have become increasingly aware of a growing practice in people to be rude in social dialogue. Sometimes this is presented as "humor," other times not.
While resisting the temptation to retort, I am curious if there is a facet of humility which can help.
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It is not about the others reactions , it is about you after all. Reply
Humility is about Our sense of vulnerability and exposing our own vulnerabilities to other whom are essentially reaching out for a human response and understanding, for the tools of living an independent life to help us reach the moments of enlightenment!
This is called growth and we change and evolve into higher and more graceful persons!
Hopefully this enlightens!
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What would be an example of awkward humility?
For me, whenever I go awkwardly out of my way to accommodate for others in ways that don't make sense for the scenario, especially when psychologically evaluating it. Am I diminishing myself, or am I doing what's fair? I hope that helps, it's just my two cents/experience. What do you think?
Accurate, in my estimation, since humans require both balance and beauty, the awkwardness is to others uncertainty of theirs own experiences!
It’s what makes us all human! As it should be!