Humility
_I: I saw the sky today, depicted in the wonderful temple of Dendera, the House of Hathor, goddess of beauty, light, life and creation; and I couldn't help but be amazed by our love for what we see in the celestial vault. Humans have been linked to the heavens since the beginning of our history. In every step we took, we looked at the sky so as not to get lost. The Sun, the Moon, the Stars, were our map, a route that accompanied us beyond geography. Beyond the mountains, rivers, plains, forests or deserts and seas, the stars were there. I think this is why when we look at the sky, we feel a familiar longing. Perhaps that is why we say that people who die guide us from the heavens, like new stars, showing us the way as they did in life, guiding us towards the horizon, to a good destination. That need to look at the sky sometimes makes us feel that it is because we miss the stars, but I have the feeling that the real longing is not to return there, but to what I feel when looking at them.
_AM: When the first human looked, he contemplated the heavens, he saw the greatest wonders he could imagine. It is the home of the gods, where everyone seems to go after death, a magical place, because it is untouchable. You can't touch the Sun or the stars, and the idea of touching the Moon was unthinkable. This generated an idea of divinity, of the unattainable, and because of not being able to have experience of it, the human mind designed beliefs, intentions, expectations about the celestial bodies, which nourished its imagination unlimitedly, from the first moment that thinking being looked. amazed the heavens, even today's humans who look up. But contemplating the stars not only leads you to discover the greatness of the cosmos, but also the insignificance of your existence.
_I: We feel small. In the temple of Dendera, as in that of Karnak, we could see how the columns were gigantic, almost for gods, impossible for normal humans to read their hieroglyphs, with a ceiling so high that it seemed unnecessary. And there in the house of Hathor, on the beautiful cubic capitals, the Sacred Box of creation on each of the Hatoric columns, the sky was written, so far away that it is unreachable, almost invisible like the sky itself, decorated with turquoise and other beautiful colors, reminding us that the gods walk through Nut's body, the sky, and we remain below, far from that celestial reality. The greatness is such that one feels insignificant, and there seems to be no other option than to accept the harsh reality: that before the infinite greatness of the universe, we are nothing. And that hurts, because we have grown up considering ourselves the center of the world, of the cosmos, and when you realize this, it is as if everything collapsed.
_AM: Biologically, you are self-referential beings. This means that beyond the clan, the group, the society, your bodies seek to survive to the point that you would be able to abandon others in order to stay alive. Until cultural empathy awakens, the need to do everything for the other does not arise, since it is interpreted that survival is not individual but joint. This synapse of individuals strengthens humans, who begin to create ideas of group reference. Symbols and traditions become the center of individuals, who seek to remain in a group, referring to that which unites them and makes them who they are. In this way, throughout history and the development of individuals, humans were considered the center of everything, seeing their own culture or thought as the central axis of the world.
_I: That's why everyone always believes that their culture is the chosen one, or their country is the center of something important and key, or that feeling we have of being important.
_AM: It is a biological need for survival that developed an autarkic reference psyche, that is, one that returns to the power of oneself. This has led us to believe that the Earth is aware of humans, that the Gods do everything for humans, that tradition or our own religion is the true path, that we are the center of the planetary system, or the very center of the galaxy, believing that he revolves around us.
_I: But there comes a time when survival is put aside, and I start to think...
_AM: The beginning of Philosophy, the search for answers as the only eternal goal, not of life, but of wisdom. Thus, fear is transcended, to be amazed by what previously seemed terrifying to us: the infinite and the finite. By discovering how the world, the solar system, the stars work, we stop being in the center, and we begin to realize that we are in a tiny corner of the galaxy, not even at a strategic point, but in a galactic arm. common, of no relevant importance at all, and we come to know that the Earth as a whole, within the universe, is equated to the size of a grain of dust levitating in the environment of a small room within the planet.
_I: Nothing… Practically invisible.
_AM: This is how you realize that all your actions affect only your environment, and that they do not even leave this speck of stardust. Contemplating the greatness of the sky, then, does nothing more than show you a cross reality.
_I: Which one?
_AM: That everything you were, are and will be is linked only to this speck of dust. And therefore, the more you look at the stars, the more you recognize the importance of the Earth.
_I: In what sense?
_AM: In that you were lucky to be one of the few conscious beings in an organic world that developed life and evolved, among all the dead planets and galaxies that exist in the cosmos. When you look at the greatness of the cosmos, don't you find it more amazing that you exist and can ask yourself these questions by looking at the stars?
_I: Sure… It's true. We seek to leave Earth, get away from this world, clouded by the things that may exist in other worlds and systems, when we do not think about how lucky we are to have had the possibility of being here, thinking, feeling, acting, we are unique...
_AM: Therefore, when you look at your history, from the first particle until it reaches you, and when you look at the universe from each particle until it conforms to you, you must remember that the true wonder is not the brightness of the stars, but that you can be here marveling.
_I: When looking at the Universe, I should be surprised by my capacity for surprise, more than by what I see.
_AM: The trillions of galaxies and planets that exist have always been there, for millions of years. It is not new. But what marks the true fascination of creation is that just a few thousand years ago, cells got together to think about those stars, and even designed ways to one day touch them.
_I: The next time I look at the stars, I should be amazed at my existence more than theirs.
_AM: That is the most human quality you can find. Do you know which one?
_I: Which one is it?
_AM: Humility.
_I: Being humble is related to poverty, scarcity, not having, or leaving what you have in favor of others. What do you mean it's one of the greatest attributes?
_AM: Human comes from the Latin word “humus”, which means “wet earth”, “mud”. Thus, human refers to “earthling,” “made of clay or mud.” Humility is the quality of being an earthling, of being human.
_I: So it has nothing to do with austerity…
_AM: No, it has to do with being consistent with the reality you live, without wanting to be something you are not. Humility is the quality of knowing who you fully are and respecting what others are. Someone is not humble when they impose their truth over others, wanting to convince the other, dominate them, manipulate them. There are humble rich people, and arrogant poor people. The reason why you relate humility to poverty is because of a religious connotation, specifically Judeo-Christian or even of Semitic origins, which considers that humans are on Earth as divine punishment, and that we must do everything possible to free ourselves from this reality. To do so, we must not sin from pride, that is, believe ourselves to be gods. History says that humans are angels fallen in battle when Lucifer questioned the greatness of God, and he sentenced him to live his revolutionary ideas, to which he dragged thousands of angels. God condemned the fallen angels to experience the earth to the limit, and not lift their heads in his presence. This was called “Humiliation”: kneeling on the ground. The Semitic tradition said that one should not show off, in order not to want to appear like God, and therefore, a life of poverty, austerity, humiliation, were the key to the liberation of the soul. This religious tradition was excellent for the Empires, which adopted them as a way to maintain stability, without revolutions or ostentation on the part of the people. Life on Earth was seen as a divine punishment, and therefore, humiliation, kneeling and looking at the ground, is seen as a defeat or punishment, and humility as an obligation in the face of sins committed.
_I: But in reality, Humility is accepting our nature and respecting that of others.
_AM: Humility is the ability to look at the heavens and marvel, it is the ability to recognize that there is always something more to learn, that you cannot have all the truths. Humility is being open to recognizing how small one is in the face of the greatness of the universe, it is having an ear to always learn something from others. It is recognizing that we are part of something more, that we are part of a whole. Being humble is recognizing that your personality is not the center of all things, but rather a tool of the true center that makes up everything you are. It is recognizing that the ego is a path, but it is not the destination.
_I: That I am nothing without the Earth...
_AM: Well you are the Earth. You are its history, past, present and future, you are each one of those who have walked it, part of each human that makes up humanity, you are part of the animals, vegetables and minerals. Look at the world around you, look at the stars, and turn your gaze to the grains of sand beneath your feet. Both shine equally, both hold the same wonders. For the world levitates in the sky, the Earth is part of the celestial vault. You live in the Heavens, and your skin shines brilliantly before the sun, radiating in trillions of cells just as the trillions of stars do. Look at the world under your feet and your hands. Lean into the world, observe the wonders that surround your being. Well, in humility, you will learn more from an insect than from a teacher. In humility, a tree will teach you more about life than an alien. In humility, a child will give you the greatest knowledge. In humility, a stone will tell you the most incredible of stories, the spark in a bonfire will teach you the most sublime of illuminations, a drop of water will show you the strength of the ocean, a cell will teach you the power of life, and the dust in the air will remind you of the greatness of the galaxies. A smile can nourish you more than any banquet. A hug can protect you more than any mansion. One look can show you the cosmos without needing to fly in a spaceship. Making love can take you to the highest of dimensions. Smelling a flower will teach you more than any scientist, petting a street dog will mark your heart more than guiding thousands of people. Cleaning and recycling the trash around you starts the inertia of saving the entire planet. Playing with a child can change the world. Recognizing yourself as human is what makes you divine. For divinity is not in the greatness of the stars, but in the small particles that make it possible to exist.
_I: The greatness of the smallest... This is how I understand that to be human is to recognize myself as divine, and the quality of that divinity to live in the fullness of what is here and now is called Humility.
_AM: So the next time your capacity for humility is judged, remember and ask yourself: did I forget to be human? Or does the other believe themselves divine enough to evaluate my humanity?
_I: Loving the condition of humanity is the key to living in humility, and from this, we will take responsibility for caring for and being part of this small world in the middle of the starry sky.
_AM: Recognize that you come from the earth and the water, honor them in you, and remember that you are part of everything that exists, with honor and subtlety. This way you will not be afraid to immerse yourself in the mud of the world, because from the darkest mud, the most beautiful flowers are born.
_I: I Am Human, manifestation of the love story between Earth and Water.
_AM: Seed of the Cosmic Tree, which in humility, sets out to grow to humbly share its fruits with the greatness that it already is. Kneel down and remember where you come from, from the stellar dream, and caress the entire universe in the sands and dust in the palms of your hands.