Poem – Humbled

It’s hard to be humble.
Humility requires self confidence.
Fearlessness.
The definition seems simple:
The quality or state of not thinking you are better than other people.

What is a quality?
What is a state of not thinking?
Are they conditions of mind? Fixed in time?
My mind is never fixed in time.
My mind is always moving, always working, constantly pressing on.

I believe I’m not better than other people.
My mind thinks differently.
Who am I then, if not my mind?
Am I body?
Am I spirit?

Humility may not come from a thinking mind.
Others define it this way:
A lack of false pride
Modest opinion of one’s own importance
Meekness. What is meekness?

A quiet and gentle nature
Not wanting to fight or argue with other people
Enduring injury with patience and without resentment
Deficient in spirit and courage
Not violent or strong

Why such mixed traits?
Why can’t one with a quiet and gentle nature
Be full of spirit and courage?
Why is not violent, not strong?
These are the conflicts in my mind.

If I’m humble, I’m weak.
If I’m weak, violence and rejection will befall me.
It’s not safe to be humble,
So says my mind.
I turn then to spirit and body.

I look for a quiet and gentle quality
A state of not thinking… a state of being.
I smile… and breathe… and see…
That the meek shall inherit the earth
With the courage to be humble

Dennis Gogarty

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