Every now and then I pen a post that feels like a home run. When all is said and done, blog is loaded, picture looks ok, I do my mental trot around the bases, sitting back, satisfied, feeling as if I\u2019ve done my job well, communicating meaningfully what I most wanted to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of our most recent posts \u2014 entitled \u201cWhat Changes My Opinion\u201d \u2014 was one of those moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pointing out the significant difference between argument and persuasion, we discussed only one is rooted in humility. And it\u2019s the humility of another that changes opinion, as opposed to the refining of any talking points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps precisely because I was enjoying the duration of that mental trot, I landed on a related question. It went something like this\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo how long do I have to be humble?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Help me understand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo I get this idea \u2014 that humility is what convinces people that there\u2019s reason to listen to me. The slams on social media, to your face or elsewhere, lack integrity and are totally unproductive; they don\u2019t do what I want them to anyway; they change no one\u2019s opinion. If anything, it makes the other person want to think less like me.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n So you\u2019re saying I engage, stay humble, and really listen to the other person.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n How long do I have to stay that way?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I mean, doesn\u2019t there come a time, when I can say: I\u2019ve been humble long enough? I\u2019ve listened long enough. You\u2019re not worth my time nor energy at this point. Just come back when you\u2019ve seen things differently, figured out that you\u2019re wrong, and finally think correctly and think like me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n So you\u2019re asking is there a statute of limitations on humility?<\/p>\n\n\n\n What a great question!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is there an expiration date?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is there a time when it no longer pays to be humble? \u2026 that it\u2019s no longer good nor right nor true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Part of what makes the question difficult is that humility can feel costly. It takes time. It requires patience. It asks us to keep listening when we are convinced we already understand the issue and know the answer. At some point, nearly all of us begin to suspect that continued humility is simply enabling someone else’s stubbornness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But perhaps that’s where the real test lies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Humility is easy when the other person is thoughtful, reasonable, and open-minded. Humility becomes a virtue when they are not. The value of humility was never that it guarantees agreement; its value is that it keeps us teachable, charitable, and honest. It reminds us that even when we’re right, we don’t possess all wisdom, all perspective, or all understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I suppose there could be. But the moment when we let the humility go is the moment neither we nor our perspective is winsome or attractive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Respectfully\u2026 Every now and then I pen a post that feels like a home run. When all is said and done, blog is loaded, picture looks ok, I do my mental trot around the bases, sitting back, satisfied, feeling as if I\u2019ve done my job well, communicating meaningfully what I most wanted to say. One of … <\/p>\n
AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"