Humble yourself in the eyes of your sister
You gotta bend down low and
Humble yourself in the eyes of your brother
Ask him what he knows
And we will lift each other up
Higher and higher
We will lift each other up
Humble yourself in the eyes of the children
You gotta bend down low and
Humble yourself in the eyes of the children
You gotta know what they know
And we will lift each other up
Higher and higher
We will lift each other up
Humble yourself to the spirit of the love
You gotta bend down low and
Humble yourself to the spirit of the love
Don’t be afraid to let go
And we will lift each other up
Higher and higher
We will lift each other up
-excerpt from the song, “Humble”. Original lyrics by Chhaya I-chèle
This medicine song was taught to me by my brother Sky, and it plays in my head and off my tongue often. When I hold this true in my heart, when I let the lyrics guide me, I open and am opened in ways that are both freeing and connecting. I have shared it with Rozen and Clooney - the children in my life. Rozen asks for us to sing it before bed or as we hike a path in the mountains, we are privileged to live in. When he sings, it impresses on me again. I am not the teacher. He is. When I get low, I am humbled (and astounded) by all he knows, both the seen and unseen.
Pause:
Just get low. In humbling you are not forsaking your own value (nor do you need to stake it). You are not oppressing yourself. Instead, you free yourself from your own influence and the influence of others. You open and awake to connecting and learning from other. You remain curious about how you can be of service, perhaps just in presence and in care of another.
Consider:
In order to truly listen to another, or understand what they know or see, you cannot make the mistake that it is all about you. Yes! Please bring your whole self to each connection, just don’t center yourself. Cultivating the ability to be open and receive from another is also an invitation to them to do the same. This is a way to grow community, build rapport and impact relationships in an elevated way.
Reflect:
How does humility go from a verb to a noun? The engagement of humility, the practical and physical practice is the embodiment. "Do unto others...." has deep wisdom embedded in the invitation. And in that you expand, increase your capacity, and show up in a way that creates good impact on humanity.
Read the poem again:
Awareness and practice. More awareness and more practice. The melody of a song leads to the refrain and back again to a melody. As goes the song goes the practice of Emotional Wisdom. You have an opportunity to remain open to experience and relationship. With new information you can make different decisions. One way to get new information is to get down low and truly listen.
