Values for the Yatra

Archdiocesan Value Education Centre (AVEC ) E-Letter November 2009

The Grace and Greatness of True Humility

CNN founder Ted Turner once remarked, "If I only had a little humility, I would be perfect." In a
strange and almost perfectly ironic sense, this statement encapsulates the spirit of our age--an atti-
tude that gives lip service to humility while celebrating self-promotion. Humility is hardly a hall-
mark of our age.
From the playing fields of athletics to the trading floors, humility appears to be an accessory few
persons believe they can afford. The dominant personalities and cultural icons of our day are
most often individuals adept at self-promotion and projection.
The Iris flower One of the central problems of our times is the fact that our reflex is to define humility in basically
is a symbol of human terms. Thus, humility can dissolve into an endless and pointless process of comparing
Humility
ourselves with others
The eclipse of humility can be traced to our celebration of human pride. The knowledge and con-
fession of pride is rare in our times. Most modern persons would be hard pressed to identify with
Jonathan Edwards, who once acknowledged his own sin by confessing, "What a foolish, silly, mis-
erable, blind, deceived poor worm am I, when pride works." To the modern prophets of self-
promotion and self-esteem, this looks like a sick-souled individual in need of therapy. To the con-
trary, Edwards understood the deadly danger of pride and his own inclination to self-deceit.
The Horns of a Ram: Perhaps you have heard the story of the parishioner who received recognition for being the hum-
Symbol for blest man in the church? They gave him a pin to wear. The following Sunday he wore it and they
Humility and
took it away from him for being proud. One wonders sometimes if humility is like this. As soon
Strength
as we think we are humble, we are not.
The Great King Yudhishthira once wished to make a great sacrifice. His friends and ministers and
officers came to him and they began to talk about the arrangements. While they were talking, Shri
Krishna himself, came there. Yudhishthira received him with great joy and respect and whole city
was made glad by his presence. Yudhishthira asked permission of Shri Krishna to perform the
great sacrifice, and he gave him permission and said it was good it should be done.
Messengers were then sent out to invite all the Brahmana of the land, and the Kshattriyas and the
Vaishyas and the respectable Shudras. Thousands of Brahmana came with joyous hearts from the
Inside this issue: Nov ‘09
various countries, and Kings and Sages came to Yudhishthira's sacrifice. In all that vast assembly
there was none like unto Shri Krishna. He, the Lord of all creatures, greatest than all men, there
The Grace and 1 showed his greatness in humility, and himself washed the feet of the Brahmanas. What a beauti-
Greatness
ful lesson is here given us Krishna, the foremost of all, is the gentle server, and by this we see that
Twelve Ways to 2 we must never scorn any service, however humble it may be. Let little children remember that
Humble Yourself service of others is the highest duty, and that we should think humbly of ourselves. The bird that
soars on highest wing, Builds on the ground her lowly nest, And he that doth most sweetly sing,
Brain of a Genius 3 Sings in the shade when all things rest: In lark and nightingale we see What honor hath humility.
A sense of humility is essential to leadership because it authenticates a person's humanity. We
Sikhism 4 humans are frail creatures; we have our faults. Recognizing what we do well, as well as what we
do not do so well, is vital to self-awareness and paramount to humility.
Few have said it better than legendary Alabama coach, Paul "Bear" Bryant. "If anything goes bad,
A Teacher’s Profile 5 I did it. If anything goes semi-good, we did it. If anything goes really good, then you did it. That's
all it takes to get people to win football games for you." Practice that attitude always, especially
when things are not going well, and your team will rally together because they want you to suc-
ceed. In short, humility breeds humility.
All of us need not lead others, but those who do seek to influence, to change, to guide, and to
lead, need to find ways to get noticed. Again humility comes to the rescue. That is, if you cele-
brate team first, self second, people will notice what you and your team have achieved.
Personal humility carries the notion of lowering or abasing oneself in such a manner as to attain a
place of lowliness. Perhaps the best way to understand humility is attempting to see ourselves
through God’s eyes rather than our own. Mr. Rochwyn Fernandes
 Values for the Yatra
Archdiocesan Value Education Centre (AVEC ) E-Letter November 2009

Twelve Ways To Humble Yourself

1. Routinely confess your sin to God. All of us sin and fall short of the glory of
God. However, too few of us have a routine practice of rigorous self-honesty
examination. Weekly, even daily, review of our heart and behavior, coupled
with confession to God, is an essential practice of humility.
2. Acknowledge your sin to others. Humility before God is not complete
unless there is also humility before man. A true test of our willingness to hum-
ble ourselves is being willing to share with others the weaknesses we confess to God. Wisdom,
however, dictates that we do so with others that we trust.
3. Take wrong patiently. When something is unjust I want to react and rectify it. However, patiently
responding to the unjust accusations and actions of others demonstrates our strength of godly
character and provides an opportunity to put on humility.
4. Actively submit to authority…the good and the bad! Our culture does not value submission;
rather it promotes individualism. How purposely and actively do you work on submission to those
whom God has placed as authorities in your life? Doing so is a good way to humble yourself.
5. Receive correction and feedback from others graciously. In the Phoenix area, a local East valley
pastor was noted for graciously receiving any negative feedback or correction offered. He would
simply say "thank you for caring enough to share that with me, I will pray about it and get back to
you." Look for the kernel of truth in what people offer you, even if it comes from a dubious source.
Always pray, "Lord, what are you trying to show me through this?"
6. Accept a lowly place. If you find yourself wanting to sit at the head table, wanting others to
recognize your contribution or become offended when others are honored or chosen, then pride is
present. Purpose to support others being recognized, rather than you. Accept and look for the lowly
place; it is the place of humility.
7. Purposely associate with people of lower state than you. Our culture is very status conscious and
people naturally want to socialize upward. Resist the temptation of being partial to those with status
or wealth.
8. Choose to serve others. When we serve others, we are serving God’s purposes in their lives. Doing
so reduces our focus on ourselves and builds the Kingdom of God instead of the Kingdom of self.
When serving another costs us nothing, we should question whether or not it is really servant hood.
9. Be quick to forgive. Forgiveness is possibly one of the greatest acts of humility we can do. To for-
give is to acknowledge a wrong that has been done us and also to further release our right of repay-
ment for the wrong. Forgiveness is denial of self. Forgiveness is not insisting on our way and our jus-
tice.
10. Cultivate a grateful heart. The more we develop an attitude of gratitude for the gift of salvation
and life He has given us, the more true our perspective of self. A grateful heart is a humble heart.
11. Purpose to speak well of others. Saying negative things about others puts them "one down" and
us "one up"…a form of pride. Speaking well of others edifies them and builds them up instead of us.
Make sure, however, that what you say is not intended as flattery.
12. Treat pride as a condition that always necessitates embracing the cross.
It is our nature to be proud and it is God’s nature in us that brings humility.
Committing to a lifestyle of daily dying to self and living through Him is the
foundation for true humility.
 Values for the Yatra
Archdiocesan Value Education Centre (AVEC ) E-Letter November 2009

A ‘LOUSY BRAIN’ OR AN ‘UNTRAINED ONE’…

Your Brain’s Infinite Capacity
You have over 1,000,000,000,000 Neurons !!!!
Each Neuron equals the processing Capacity
of a Personal Computer.
Each Neuron = Our entire Genetic Blue-print

Your Brain is like your Muscle…

You either USE IT or LOSE IT

Because your Intelligence is Limitless.
Possible ‘thought Patterns’ if permutated would be
10.5 million kilometers long!!!

Smart Students get ‘Confused’ too

BUT they channel their confusion to
Better ‘NEURO-CONNECTIONS`
 Values for the Yatra
Archdiocesan Value Education Centre (AVEC ) E-Letter November 2009

Sikhism
The word "Sikhism" derives from "Sikh," which
means a strong and able disciple. There are
about 23 million Sikhs worldwide, making Sikh-
ism the 5th largest religion in the world. Ap-
proximately 19 million Sikhs live in India.

Sikhism emerged in 16th-century India in an

environment heavily permeated with conflicts between
the Hindu and Muslim religions. It was somewhat influenced by reform movements
in Hinduism (e.g. Bhakti, monism, Vedic metaphysics, guru ideal, and bhajans) as
well as some Sufi Muslim influences. While Sikhism reflects its cultural context, it
certainly developed into a movement unique in India. Sikhs regard their faith as an
authentic new divine revelation.

Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak Dev, who was born in 1469
to a Hindu family. After four epic journeys (north to Tibet, south
to Sri Lanka, east to Bengal and west to Mecca and Baghdad),
Guru Nanak preached to Hindus, Muslims and others, and in the
process attracted a following of Sikhs (disciples). Religion, he
taught, was a way to unite people, but in practice he found that it
set men against one another. He particularly regretted the an-
tagonism between Hindus and Muslims. Guru Nanak's most fa-
mous saying is, "There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim, so whose
path shall I follow? I shall follow the path of God."

The most easily observable Sikh practices are the

wearing of the turban and the Five Ks namely, 
Kesh, Kanga ,Kara, Kaccha, Kirpan Sikhs also pray regu-
larly and meditate by repeating God's name, often
with the aid of rosary beads. A Sikh aims to live a
life that balances work, worship and charity. Com-
munity is emphasized, and the Sikh temple
(Gurudwara) is the center of Sikh communal life.

Sikhs DO NOT Believe In:

Sikhs do not believe in terrorism or hurting inno-

cent people
Sikhs do not believe in hate or racial profiling
Sikhs do not believe in war based on religion
Sikhs do not believe in proselytism
Sikhs do not believe in fasting
 Values for the Yatra
Archdiocesan Value Education Centre (AVEC ) E-Letter November 2009

I am a Teacher.
I am a Teacher.
I was born the first moment that a question leaped from the mouth of a child.
I have been many people in many places.
I am Socrates exciting the youth of Athens to discover new ideas through the
se of questions.
I am Anne Sullivan tapping out the secrets of the universe into the outstretched hand of Helen
Keller.
I am Aesop and Hans Christian Andersen revealing truth through countless stories.
The names of those who have practiced my profession ring like a hall of fame for humanity…
Booker T. Washington, Buddha, Confucius, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Leo Buscaglia, Julius Nyerere,
Moses and Jesus.
I am also those whose names and faces have long forgotten but whose lessons and character will
always be remembered in the accomplishments of their students.
I have wept for joy at the weddings of former students, laughed with glee at the birth of their chil-
dren and stood with head bowed in grief and confusion by graves dug too soon for bodies far
too young.
Throughout the course of a day I have been called upon to be an actor, friend, nurse and doc-
tor, coach, finder of lost articles, money lender, taxi driver, psychologist, substitute parent, sales-
man, politician and a keeper of the faith.
Despite the maps, charts, formulas, verbs, stories and books, I have really have only themselves to
learn, and know it takes the whole world to tell you who you are.
I am a paradox. I speak loudest when I listen the most. My greatest gifts are in what I am willing
to appreciatively receive from my students.
Material wealth is not one of my goals, but I am a full-time treasure seeker in my quest for new op-
portunities for my students to use their talents and in my constant search for those talents that
sometimes lie buried in self-defeat.
I am the most fortunate of all who labor.
A doctor is allowed to usher life into the world in one magic moment. I am allowed to see that life
is reborn each day with new questions, ideas and friendships.
An architect knows that if he builds with care, his structure may stand for centuries. A teacher
knows that if he builds with love and truth, what he builds will last forever.
I am a warrior, daily doing battle against peer pressure, negativity, fear, conformity, prejudice,
ignorance and apathy. But I have great allies: Intelligence, Curiosity, Parental Support, Individual-
ity, Creativity, faith, Love and Laughter all rush to my banner with indomitable support.
And whom do I have to thank for this wonderful life I am so fortunate to experience, but you the
public, the parents. For you have done me the great honor to entrust to me your greatest
contribution to eternity, your children.
And so I have a past that is rich in memories. I have a present that is challenging, adventurous
and fun because I am allowed to spend my days with the future.
I am a teacher…. and I thank God for it every day. John W. Schlatter.