Amongst the world’s billionaires is a small group that fascinates me a great deal. Though filthy rich, this little circle of tycoons leads a very simple life. Some of them like Ingvar Kamprad, whose net worth is $3 billion, has continually shown little interest in the trappings of wealth.
He still prefers to fly economy and for many years, drove a simple Volvo until he was convinced it was no longer safe. Chuck Feeney, who has given away more than $4 billion to disadvantaged children and public health initiatives, all while going to great lengths to remain an anonymous donor, is another example. He has a personal motto: “I set out to work hard, not get rich.”
Carlos Slim, who is worth about $69 billion, still lives in the same six-bedroom house he has owned for the past 30 years, and still drives himself to work. The list is endless and so is the inspiration of simplicity and humility of these tycoons.
Humility is the wisdom that reminds us we are not superior or inferior to others regardless of what we have, what we have achieved or what we have access to. To be humble is to control and regulate your emotions towards things and people, managing yourself in concordance with honour to yourself, respect for others and the fear of God. Humility considers others before it embarks on selfish comforts.
I have seen humble private jets owners and proud bicycle owners. It is having money, access, comfort and convenience without lording it over others that do not have it. It is in the condition of the heart and the attitude of the mind that constantly reminds us all, the haves and the have nots, that we are human and equal before God. It is in recognising that a man’s wealth is not in what he can get and keep, but in what he can give and forget. True wealth is the sum total of what money cannot buy and what death cannot destroy. It i is the prosperity of the soul that precedes the prosperity of life.
Humility is the mentality that is stronger than pride, the mind that subdues jealousy, envy and malice. It is the condition of the heart that rejects sensationalism, show-off and the crave for fame and glory. To be humble is to embrace contentedness at all levels of life; in lack and in plenty, in comfort and in distress, in suffering and in celebration.
Humility is the equaliser among men; the truest reality check. Humility is life’s speed-governor, the alarm clock and the warning system that helps us stay within the places that God has put us. It is the perimeter wall that guards against excesses and gives authority to balance, soberness and the voice of reason. Humility is the power to decide that we shall have things but things will never have us. It is the recognition of who we truly are and especially that we do not belong to ourselves.
Humility is letting God boast about us instead of us boasting about ourselves.
Humility is the indicator, proof and litmus test for wisdom. Humble people may look docile and harmless, but they are harbours, reservoirs and sources of wisdom. In fact, they are not only current wells of wisdom; they are potential carriers of the same in the future. If you want to gain wisdom, hang around humble people; they know a thing or two about life. The proud are empty, hopeless, helpless and lost, but the humble are safe people to link with; they carry something you need called food for the spirit. The worship of money and popularity may seem appealing, but it is an elusive mirage and a sting that destroys suddenly. As we pursue riches and comfort, let us place at the forefront of our character the immense power of humility.
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