Have you heard of John Dickson? If not, it's okay, I hadn't either. One of the great things about the Summit is the wide variety of speakers - they come from all walks of life and all parts of the globe.
John is from Australia. He is a college professor, an author, and a Christian - which is rare in the largely secular Aussie culture. Now, some of my best friends are Aussie's. I will have the pleasure of spending time with one of them soon and being part of her families Australia Day celebrations. But, that is not the subject of this post.John spoke on a topic I have been studying for years, actually over a decade. It is a topic that engages my mind with it's mystery and challenges me to the core of my being. What is it? Humility.
John was asked by his superior at Macquarie University to research the topic as part of his role in the Department of Ancient History. He went at it in a very scientific manner and his finding is worth noting.
Modern western culture does hold humility in high esteem, but that wasn't always the case. In the ancient Roman empire it was looked at as incredibly weak. Granted, there are still those in our modern time who hold this view; but I suspect they would still be disgusted by blatant arrogance which hints at some value given to humility. There was a time that I viewed humility as weakness. That has changed.
What changed the perspective an entire culture from looking down on humility to valuing it? John's conclusion is that "western culture is profoundly shaped by the cross of Christ. A teacher from Nazareth inspired a humility revolution." WOW!
Those who have been exposed to Christian teaching for a while should be familiar with the inversion principles of Christ's message. This one is nicely summarized in Matthew 20:24:
You've observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It's not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage.I love that an academic researcher of ancient civilizations found Christ's message of humility sparked a revolution that still influences our culture today.
He spent the majority of this talk at the Summit highlighting the benefits of humility in leadership. It was a convincing argument, but I don't have space to outline it here. If you are interested in learning more, he wrote a book on the topic titled "Humilitas." I have purchased the book. When I get through some of the stack I am currently working on, I will read this and possibly post a review on this blog.
John defines humility as "the noble choice to forgo your status, deploy your resources or use your influence for the good of others before yourself...the humble person is marked by a willingness to hold power in the service of others."
What do you think of John's definition of humility? Accurate? Is it missing something?
just Sheri, continuously discovering how much character counts
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