The second you think you have, it you lose it. No, it’s not your car keys. I’ll give you another hint:
Webster defines it as a “modest opinion or estimate of one’s own importance.”
But of course, at Studio252, we define it simply as “putting others first by giving up what you think you deserve.”
If you haven’t caught on yet, we are talking about the virtue of Humility. Think about it. It’s the one trait that is only mastered by not knowing you have mastered it. It’s all about having a realistic view of your own importance in the world and letting go of the things you think you deserve. Totally intuitive, right? Wrong!
Humility is arguably the most unintuitive virtue we teach. Humans are—by nature—selfish. Like all other living organisms, we instinctively think of our own well being first. Starting with the very first human beings taking a bite of the forbidden fruit to Freud theorizing that one third of our psyche is pure selfish ambition. But what sets us apart from all other living organisms is the ability to overcome our instincts—an ability to go against what might feel natural and put others first by giving up what we think we deserve: power, recognition, a traffic-free lane on the freeway. And only then will we have the ability to develop the kind of genuine, meaningful relationships that are unique to humankind.
That’s why we believe it is so important for children to begin to embrace this idea of humility. And why we are going to spend the entire month of April partnering with you—the parent—to give you the resources you need to creatively teach this virtue to your child. In fact, here are a few of the ideas our team has come up with to talk to your child about Humility:
• Watch as Sydney struggles with making a decision that might put her friends in a tough spot.
• Spend some time coming up with practical ways to put others first. Try making it into an acrostic poem with the word “humility”!
• Have your kids wash dad’s car or cook mom breakfast to practice what it means to put someone else first.
• Put the whole world first when you celebrate Earth Day by picking up trash, recycling or making a pinecone birdfeeder!
• Honor someone in your family or neighborhood by decorating a “First-Placemat” and inviting him or her over for dinner.
For more fun activities and tons more, go to www.Studio252.tv and sign up for this month’s CUE Box materials!
