humble

During a recent performance review a member of my team of seemed surprised that I had used the word "humble".  He asked if others had used it in peer reviews, dug into it a bit until I had to admit that it was me who had observed that behavior. I specifically noted that he brings a certain humility to his position that makes him a talented communicator.
I am not sure I conveyed that this was, in my estimation, one of the highest compliments I could convey, when speaking to another's intelligence and cultural agility. It is that soft space I cannot teach, a recognition of others and their relative importance that creates a better listener, and in the end, I suspect, is the special sauce in continued education as our brains harden and our certainty solidifies.
I had an interestingly converse conversation with someone else the other day, someone who could not comprehend that they might be so very good at communicating with some, and yet alienating and frustrating for another group. How could they be good and bad at something at the same time? How was that possible?
How do we know we know anything if we aren't open to context? How can we learn anything if we don't recognize our ongoing role as a student?
I consider my own brain, increasingly a sieve, noticing less and less details I wander this space, filling in blanks with expectations honed by empirical evidence and so much repetition. What am I making room for as I forget the past and miss the present? If I can't believe others have more to teach me then I could ever learn, then how am I not simply pruning to a stone, taking active steps toward death, head first? If I don't bring humility to the table every time won't I miss the very evolution I was born to experience? If I am not open to always becoming someone new, aren't I just leaving myself behind?
On a broader, less personal note: It is also what I most note when describing a missing attribute in our current culture.  The other day I heard someone ask the President "Does this make you reconsider your position?" and without missing a beat he said "no, I am quite confident in my opinion" ...as if it were an asset, as if it proved how far he had come.When I think of the last few years, on a global scale, as our nation has become more notably divided and fractured, as hate and confusion and a certain disdain for education takes center stage, the one thing I feel we are being quickly denied is humility. Appreciation for others, awareness of our own limitation is the death rattle of success. Lean in, move up, fake it until you make it. If you aren't sure project misguided certainty is always a better ploy than admitting that someone might know twice what you have regrettable already forgotten.
It is a tragedy that breeds weakness, sadness, and in the end, stupidity.

We love people who know themselves, we use pride as a compliment without considering why pride has been considered a sin.

Don't get me wrong, self love is one of the most important qualities one can have in the course of happiness, and one should celebrate their success, giving credit where credit is due.  But if one really loves themselves and wishes to love others, wouldn't they want to house themselves in more than a luxurious cocoon, or, at least,  build a window where they can enjoy the view?