Humility and Modesty: Their Meaning

Humility and Modesty: Their Meaning and Palliative Care Humility and modesty are both seen as character strengths and are two aspects of the self which can be difficult to cultivate, but which are definitely things one can develop over time. In the Middle Ages, early Christian monastic writers such as Saint Benedict and Bernard of Clairvaux wrote about these issues; furthermore, nearly every great religious figure demonstrated large amounts of both humility and modesty, from Jesus to Buddha (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). During the time of St.

Thomas Aquinas, the character trait that was seen as the opposite of humility and modesty was pride, and this was viewed as not only an extreme evil, but the root of all evil (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). During the time period of the Middle Ages, pride and humility were seen as virtues often symbolized and immortalized through art.

"The third great symbolic flower of the Middle Ages is the violet, its color, stature and fragrance communicating the qualities of humility and modesty… Fragrance in plants was of extreme importance in their symbolism, stemming from the importance of scent in everyday life in the period" (Seaton, 1995). This section of text fully demonstrates how valued and revered modesty and humility were in the Middle Ages.

It's appropriate that such a delicate flower represented these two perceived virtues as modesty and humility were qualities that were seen to be advantageous when displayed in women: "Silence, courtesy and modesty became the hallmarks of proper behavior for late medieval urban women" (French, 2008). This was largely as a result of the fact that values like modesty and humility were compatible with other esteemed values of the era that members of the bourgeoisie were supposed to have, like stability, piety and ambition (French, 2008).

Humility and modesty were encouraged and vocally valued as they were qualities that would allow people to participate in an organized society and in trades and business (French, 2008). Discussion and development of humility and modesty are ideal for palliative care and some say can help in being responsible for intense spiritual healing (Chang, 2006). "Humility is a greater virtue than defying death; it triumphs over vanity and conceit… Modesty nourishes virtue. Even dangerous and difficult tasks can be undertaken when attended to simply.

One's inner nature is reflected in outward modesty" (Chang, 2006). Nothing could be of greater comfort during the intensity of palliative care than an attempt to focus on the importance of humility and modesty. This would manifest itself in the act of admitting that one does not know everything about the universe or life after death. Some say that when it comes to massive life changes it's the threshold which is scary, not what's on the other side of it.

Patients in palliative care will be more able to accept such a notion if they develop some amount of humility and modesty. This involves surrendering oneself to the idea that death is very much an inculcation of the unknown, and that no individual can be certain what awaits one afterwards. By working to actively create a sense of spiritual humbleness and to give up the desire to know or decide.