Humility: the most important virtue for our health and survival as a nation

I gave this presentation at the Annual Claremont Independence Day Oratory Program in 2006.

The title for this presentation was born out of my discomfort at seeing bumper stickers and posters touting pride as an American virtue.  In my tradition and in the tradition that most of us Americans claim to share, pride is the first of the “seven deadly sins.”  These sins are called “deadly,” not because they are worst evil acts in themselves, but because they name the inner attitudes and vices that are at the root of evil and give birth to all wrongdoing.  Pride, and the other so-called “deadly sins” are the springboard from which the violence and destruction in our world is launched.  And the Book of Proverbs tells us succinctly and unsparingly, “Pride goes before the fall.”

The virtue that is the opposite of pride is, of course, humility.  But humility is a hard word to hear, and an unpopular subject to talk about.  Having committed myself to a subject that nobody wants to hear, I set about looking for inspiration as to how to approach it.  After some search, I found a website called “Speak Softly: What’s Happened to American Humility?”  In fact, I found that Ira Williams, the author of the website, had already written what I wanted to say, far better than I could have.  And so, from this point on what I am going to share with you are his words, not mine – with a few minor changes for better delivery, and with his permission:

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First, Ira Williams says, I’m fully aware of the paradox of trying to make an impassioned exhortation about humility.  How do I shout from the rooftops that it’s time for us to speak softly?

Humility is an old-fashioned word.  It brings to mind images of hunched shoulders, bowed heads, whispered voices.  Humility makes us think of weakness.  It makes us think of individuals afraid to speak up for themselves.  Humility is almost a condescending term given to people who have forsaken their own needs and desires in order to serve others.  “He’s such a sweet, humble man …” or “She is so humble and unassuming …”.  What goes unspoken, though, is that we would never trade places with that sweet, humble man or that humble, unassuming woman.

It’s human nature to want one’s own interests served.  Altruism is a learned trait.  From the time we are children, we are taught and conditioned to know this: to get along with other kids in the sandbox, we have to share.  We can’t snatch things from others. …

As we get older and leave the playground behind, we reach a place where we are not nearly as selfish as we were as children.  However, we still tend to be self-oriented.  We often look inward to ask ourselves, “What would make me happy?  What do I need?  How can my life be improved?”

As Americans, we have a deeply rooted sense of individualism that is at the heart of our unprecedented rise to power in less than 250 years of existence.  The unalienable rights described in the Declaration of Independence have empowered Americans to approach our lives with unfettered optimism and the belief that there is little that can stand in the way of our “pursuit of happiness.”

As a result, our view of the outside world, for better or worse, tends to be informed by that world’s impact on us: “How do the policies of our government affect my day-to-day life?”  “How does the performance of my company affect my paycheck?”  “How well is my school district preparing my kids for college?”  “Why does it cost me so much to put gas in my car?”

This is not to say that we, as a nation, are completely self-absorbed and blind to the needs of others.  We have a long history of generosity that continues to this day.  We send billions of dollars in aid around the world, both as a nation and as individuals, to help relieve the sufferings of others.  The generosity of Americans is not in question.  The humility of Americans is.

Remember, for most of us, humility is equated with weakness.  Americans are repelled by weakness of any sort.  We crave strength because strength facilitates success and security, and these are almost universally believed to be at the heart of our pursuit of happiness.

However, it requires tremendous strength and character to place others’ interests before our own.  I want to suggest that by moving our self-orientation to the background, and truly focusing upon enhancing the lives of those around us, we can attain a more balanced perspective of the world while simultaneously finding greater personal fulfillment for ourselves.

And so, here’s the secret: in order to be humble, you have to be strong; and you have to be so comfortable with that strength that you don’t have to flaunt it or impose it, or use it as a tool for control or domination.  With true power comes an obligation to wield that power with humility, and to refrain from arrogance.

In describing his vision of the ideal American foreign policy, then-presidential-candidate George W. Bush said in October, 2000:

“If we’re an arrogant nation, they’ll resent us.  If we’re a humble nation, but strong, they’ll welcome us.  And our nation stands alone right now in the world in terms of power, and that’s why we’ve got to be humble, and yet project strength in a way that promotes freedom.”

Admirable as that vision was, we cannot avoid the fact that, six years later, fair or not, our reputation with both friends and foes around the world is anything but humble.

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That concludes the introduction to a much more lengthy essay by Ira Williams, and in it he unpacks further the implications of humility as a national virtue, and gives some suggestions as to how we might, as individuals and as a people, recover the ability to “speak softly” even while carrying the “big stick” of responsibility as the world’s only remaining “superpower.”

If you’d like to pursue this further, the address of his website is easy to remember: http://www.speaksoftly.org. 

Thank you for your attention, and may God bless America!