Humility

From Aryez

Book 16 of the Marfat

16: Humility

1. O, human, you are but a speck upon a

2. speck [the Earth] in a sea of seeming infinity.

3. Just look to the skies above at night

4. and behold the vastness and glory of

5. God’s creation. You are smaller on this scale

6. in comparison to the Universe than bacteria

7. are in comparison to you [this is done in terms of metric orders of magnitude]. Think not that

8. you are insignificant because everything and everyone is important

9. in God’s plan and He loves all. But

10. realize the vastness of the Universe and let

11. it humble you when you are tempted to

12. be vain. Some ask: “What is the difference

13. between vanity and pride?” There is a lot of

14. difference. Vanity is malicious, hateful, and

15. scornful whereas pride is loving, caring,

16. and beautiful. Your pride lies in your

17. honor and in maintaining the honor of others and

18. the honor of God. Your honor matters more than

19. your comfort, well-being, and even your life.

Commentary: This book describes the immense size of the Universe and asks us to feel humble when comparing ourselves to it. This does not make us insignificant, however. This book then goes on to describe the difference between pride (usually good) and vanity (always bad). It also declares the importance of honor. It is to be interpreted that in extreme cases, one’s honor (doing the right thing) is more important than life.