Importance of Modesty: A Personal Reflection

I have always disliked relying on others. I thought I was capable of doing anything and everything all on my own. In school, I never enjoyed group projects because I never felt I could rely on my classmates to do their part. I would never ask others for help if I could afford to and I looked down on others who asked for my help.

That was until I fractured my dominant arm. I was in more ways than one, forced to rely on myriads of others during this time. Whether it was opening a jar or assisting in my rehabilitation exercises, I depended on those around me to help me with everyday life. This conflicted with my lifelong view that relying on others was a sign of weakness and spoke poorly to my own abilities. I felt that I needed to accomplish my goals on my own in order to prove myself, but here I was, forced to rely on others.

My whole world perspective was changed because of this fracture. It allowed me the opportunity to reflect upon myself and the way in which I had previously acted. I began to recognize the importance of relying on others, as I could not do everything on my own. I realized it was okay to ask for help and that there were limits to my capabilities, even the possibility that others might be better than me at certain jobs.

Experiences like these are humbling. It does not need to be as extreme of a case like fracturing your arm. Maybe your classmate got a higher test score than you, or you got zipped on the court. These experiences really remind us why modesty is so important to be within us throughout everyday processes. They force you to recognize your own limitations. You realize that you are not the best and one’s ability to grow and improve. Modesty gives you motivation to better yourself and develop your character.

My experience taught me that you cannot get through life on your own. It taught me to forgive myself for not being able to do certain things and that it was okay to ask for help. Modesty helps you recognize the greatness of others and allows you to be a big enough of a person to depend on others. To me, being modest is the ability to know when you are not capable and not being ashamed of asking for help. I’m sure many of you have had humbling experiences that gave you these thoughts in the past. I am inviting and encouraging you to reflect upon those and reintroduce modesty in your character. Remind yourself what it means to you and why it is important to have this quality. For those without an experience mirroring my own, I hope you take meaning and learn from the story I shared. Reflect upon yourselves and incorporate humility and modesty in your life.