Why You Should Be Humble And Live Humbly, In My Humble Opinion

Remember where you came from and those who helped you get to where you are. You yourself are unique, but you come from elsewhere, not from yourself. Remember that. Be thankful for that. Be humble.
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Consider your place in the Universe. Think about all the people who existed before you and all the people who will exist after you. When it comes down to it, you are really a dot on the long line of humanity. You were never known before your existence and you will be forgotten at some point when you're gone.

This is why you should be humble and live humbly. No matter what happens from day to day, in the larger picture, you are a dot, reliant on other dots.

But this shouldn't make you feel like nothing at all. To the contrary, be grateful, celebrate even, that right now, you're alive. Right now, you have life. What better reason to live life to its fullest every day you're here? NOW is the time your dot can make an impact, touch lives, help others and help yourself in some cases to live healthily and happily. What a gift life itself is.

This is also a reason to live fearlessly; any rejection or failure you personally experience on this Earth in the larger picture means almost nothing. You have a great opportunity to be as happy as you can and help others as much as you can to make their lives more fulfilling through your talents and generosity.

But back to humility. You can further contemplate your existence with this Bible verse, Romans 11:18 (International Standard translation):

Do not boast about being better than the other branches. If you boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

In other words, no matter what you do, no matter how successful you are, no matter how lucky you are, never boast about being better than others. Because in the end, you are really just a branch. Whatever you do is just part of that branch, connected to other branches and a tree that is way larger than you.

And there is a root that supports you. All the people who have gone before you, all the knowledge they built up, the language they coined that you use to communicate, the businesses and industries that rose to give you work, water, shelter and food, the upbringing your parents, teachers, or other loved ones gave you, what your friends have done for you, and so on. That's the root that supports everything you do and everything you are. Not to mention the Creator of life itself, who I call God, and you may call something else (or believe something else) but that's fine. Recognize all that. Be humble.

Also, if you're lucky enough to have all those basic aspects of life mentioned above (work, food, water, shelter), you're lucky. Because not everyone on this Earth does. And even in your own life, you may go through times when these things are in abundance, and others when they're not. Be grateful for what you do have. Be humble.

More than anything, remember the root. Remember where you came from and those who helped you get to where you are. No one on this Earth is 100 percent original and no one's knowledge is 100 percent their own. Ideas and inspiration come from elsewhere. You yourself are unique, but you come from elsewhere, not from yourself. Remember that. Be thankful for that. Be humble.

Thoughts? Feel free to disagree -- with anything above -- or share alternate viewpoints. Discussion is most welcome.

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