Editorial August 27, 2018 Issue

Humility as a superpower

Kim Crooks Korinek

Humility has recently been recognized as “the new smart”—an essential approach to thriving in the workplace in an increasingly technological age. It has also been referred to as the key component of successful leadership in numerous books—both religious and secular. In an article on corporate leadership around the world, The Economist reports, “If leadership has a secret sauce, it may well be humility.” And it is hinted at in the “overview effect,” which describes the transformative shift experienced by astronauts when first viewing Earth from space, leading them to feel an intense awe of the interconnectedness of all things.

Many are facing times of great transition due to rapid innovation, changing politics, and their own personal changes. Key to moving successfully through these shifting currents of thought is letting go of a personal sense of ego and its related fears. People from all walks of life can access a humility that empowers them with an openness and a selfless expectancy of good. In Christian Science, humility brings to light a greater sense of God, Love, being completely in control. This leads to a more permanent peace through an intelligent understanding of our universal oneness with God and humanity.

Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, in her Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, describes humility in a spiritual context: “This virtue triumphs over the flesh; it is the genius of Christian Science” (p. 356). Christian Science is based on the words and works of Christ Jesus, whose model of humility, self-knowledge, and love shows us how to put into practice the divine Principle of healing by putting God first. His instruction to his disciples is just as relevant today: “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:4). The genius of humility is how it moves thought Spiritward, waking us to see that the kingdom of heaven—the reign of harmony—is right at hand.