Humilitas: A Lost Key To Life, Love, And Leadership (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
Humilitas is the Latin word for humility. John Dickson began studying the origins of humility in Western ethical thought through a research project he was involved with at Macquarie University. He was intrigued to discover that prior to the growth of Christianity humility was not valued highly. The more he researched the topic the more he was drawn to the aesthetic qualities and practical benefits of humility. In the introduction Dickson, points out the difficulty or writing on this subject. Does the reader think he is writing about humility because he has his virtue? If so, he clearly hasn't. Yet if he doesn't have this virtue why would he presume to write about it? Dickson makes many amusing comments about his lack of humility including a comment from his best friend who said, on learning the topic of his research project, "Well, John, at least you have the objective distance from the subject!"Dickson looks at a range of issues associated with humility. How is it defined? How does it affect leadership? How does it affect our relationship with others? How did it become a virtue? Why is it a virtue worth pursuing? What is the enduring legacy that Jesus left in regard to humility? Dickson gives many insights and historic understanding into this virtue and why it is something worth pursing today.Overall a very interesting and enlightening book. How do you set about writing a book on the virtue of humility? It would seem that the exercise itself would be presumptuous, right? In Humilitas, author John Dickson does a fine job tracing a history of the development of humility as a virtue, how it has become essential to authentic leadership and why without it we leave a trail of disgust, discord and disappointment behind us in any area of life. An insightful book on how humility in us works for the good of others and how its influence can be exerted and felt for generations to come once it is embraced. The author documents his treatment of humility with many examples that vividly show the grace of humility and how ugly, in turn, the lack of it is too. He gives us practical advice on how we can actually become more humble, as hard as that may sound for many of us. His advice is simple, tried and true. The first step is always to acknowledge our lack of it. Humilitas is an extremely valuable book for any leader, in particular the businness leader, since many of the examples in it are from people who have held top positions in the business world where their possession or lack humility proves to be a decisive factor in how their companies are run and how successful they end up being.This is also a rare book and it may not be easily assimilated by the reader. It confronts our innermost tendency to seek our own interests continually. Therefore all the more necessary for us today. I am grateful John Dickson had the courage and the humility to write it!
What do You think about Humilitas: A Lost Key To Life, Love, And Leadership (2011)?
very informative on the history of the concept of humility
—alabasterhash
