Finding Power in Humility
How this misunderstood virtue is needed in the pro-democracy movement
I’ve compiled some thoughts on this. Please let me know what you think.
The Power of Humility
Humility is often misunderstood as weakness or self-denial, yet it is one of the most potent forces for personal growth, social cohesion, and political transformation. Across personal, anthropological, philosophical, and political dimensions, humility fosters resilience, connection, and justice.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines humility as "freedom from pride or arrogance." The Oxford Reference highlights the religious and moral dimensions of humility, with references to St. Thomas Aquinas's view of humility as moderating ambition. These definitions portray humility as a virtue characterized a grounded sense of self.
I believe we can take a brief look at how we can be humble, and competent democratic activists with a comprehensive understanding of humility's role in personal character and moral development. As the etimylogical roots of the word indicate, humility is about being grounded, both literally and metaphorically. This reflects a sense of staying connected to the earth and one's valuing a greater whole.
On a personal level, humility enables self-awareness. It opens a door to learning, growth, and emotional intelligence. A humble person is more likely to accept feedback, understand mistakes, and cultivate meaningful relationships. In an age of performative ego and digital posturing, humility grounds the individual in authenticity and the strength of achieving healthy developmental milestones.
Anthropologically, humility has deep roots in human evolution. Early human societies depended on cooperation, not dominance, for survival. Egalitarian hunter-gatherer communities often used social mechanisms of resource-sharing to suppress arrogance and promote group cohesion. Early agrarian communities learned the values of being rooted in preserving the land rather than in manufacturing social domination through caste systems. Humility is a healthy and mindful social adaptation to living in community.
Philosophically, humility is central to many traditions—from Socratic wisdom (“the only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing”) to Buddhist non-attachment and Indigenous values of stewardship. Humility allows us to confront our limitations, question dominant narratives, and stay open to other ways of being and knowing. Most recently the life of Pope Francis drew upon the Jesuit and Franciscan philosophies of power of simplicity in lifestyle, educational discipline, and service to others.
Politically, humility is revolutionary. It resists the hubris of empire, the certainty of ideology, and the arrogance of unaccountable power. In a state of humility, leadership listens, serves, and decentralizes authority. Movements grounded in humility—such as nonviolent resistance, mutual aid, and truth-and-reconciliation efforts—build deeper, longer-lasting change by honoring the dignity of all.
Activists can promote humility through mass actions that reject ego-driven politics and elevate collective wisdom.
Examples include:
Organizing listening circles in polarized communities to foster mutual understanding.
Promoting leaderless or horizontal structures in movements.
Practicing public acknowledgments of harm and reparative justice.
Supporting media literacy campaigns to combat performative outrage and narcissistic influence.
Engaging in interfaith and intercultural dialogues centered on curiosity and shared vulnerability.
Ending all semblance of caste within and between the families that compose humanity.
Humility is powerful because it draws upon the deep and established roots of our common humanity. Humility is not submission; it is courage without vanity, power without domination, and truth without pride. In a world too often driven by ego and extraction, humility might be our most radical tool for renewal.
The opposites of humility, pride and vanity, carry glaring forms of weakness. One can be manipulated by others who seek transactions rather than relationships. Persons and nations taken by pride and vanity are plagues with excess and instability, with the final outcome collapse as does a waning star as it becomes a red giant before it implodes into a black hole.
It may not make sense, in our 21st Century world of contrived survivalism, ideological cultism and a commercialism embedded in the greed-is-good model (which we will specifically explore soon), but the recent attack on our democratic institutions must be seen through the eyes of a need for a revolution to bring the open-mindedness of humility back into our political discourse - locally, nationally and globally. Humility requires action.