Humility

Thursday, June 26th

Humility: a modest or low view of one’s own importance; humbleness. If there was one thing that this whole trip has influenced, it is my sense of self in the world. I’ve realized the minuteness of myself and my actions. I don’t mean my actions don’t have purpose or matter, because I fully believe they do. It is more of a feeling that there is so much more in the world and that I shouldn’t fret the little things. Why waste time worrying about something bad you’ve done in the past or some minor inconvenience you had to deal with?

I have a bad habit of getting frustrated with the little problems in my life, but going to Italy has opened my eyes to how much worse things could be. I’m not saying Italy was in bad shape! But there were aspects like the gypsies and the beggars that I was humbled by. I also did not expect that from Italy, unlike when I went to Vietnam and I totally expected poverty and such. It just shows me how amazing of a life I have and how I shouldn’t take things like free water (or ice in my water) for granted.

I’ve realized that every country is different with its own problems and perks. Many people probably think America is the best and the center of the world, and all countries should model themselves after us, but that’s far from true. I used to have a similar level of arrogance about the US before this experience. I’ve also learned that fame and credit are not the important things in community service. Although it’s nice to be recognized for your hard work, the satisfaction of doing a good deed should be enough to make it worthwhile. Too much humility, just like anything else, can be a bad thing but with the right balance of humility and confidence you can have a much better outlook on life.