š® Letters to a Young Seeker
Letters to a Young Seeker is an ongoing series exploring the art of living. The series title is an homage to the poet Rainer Maria Rilkeās work Letters to a Young Poet. The term āSeekerā in this context is inspired by the Delphic maxim: āBe a seeker of wisdom.ā The series is exclusively available to members.
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Dear Fellow Traveler,
One of life's more interesting and humbling aspects is that we donāt always see clearly. Our perceptions, memories, and minds are not as accurate as we think.
In his book Be Here Now (published in 1997), the former Harvard professor turned spiritual teacher Ram Dass observed,
The human mind is like that monkey, incessantly active by its own nature, then it becomes drunk with the wine of desire, thus increasing its turbulence. After desire takes possession comes the sting of the scorpion of jealousy at the success of others, and last of all, the demon of pride enters the mind, making it think itself of all importance.
Although this is a rather sharp observation of human nature, we can all agree that there are bits of truth hereāif one dares to observe themselves closely.
Paradoxically, the project of becoming wiser connects with an acceptance of oneās limited knowledge (and perception). Consider Socrates proclaiming, āAll that I know is that I know nothing.ā However, the practice of humility is often misunderstood.
In Think Again, the organizational psychologist Adam Grant explains,
One of the Latin roots of humility means āfrom the earth.ā Itās about being groundedārecognizing that weāre flawed and fallible. Confidence is a measure of how much you believe in yourself. Evidence shows thatās distinct from how much you believe in your methods. You can be confident in your ability to achieve a goal in the future while maintaining the humility to question whether you have the right tools in the present.
How do you define (or think about) humility in daily life?
Is there anyone you know (past or present) who models humility?
