Count Others Better than Yourself
Do nothing from rivalry or empty pride, but in humility count others as better than yourselves.
To "count others better than yourself" is not to cut down your self-worth.
In conversation, am I trying to win, or trying to lift the other up?
📝Reflection
To "count others better than yourself" is not to cut down your self-worth. The Greek tapeinophrosyne is the humility of lowering oneself, which differs from self-contempt. The key is the direction of one's gaze — handing over, for a moment, the gaze that always kept me at the center to the other. I had a habit of subtly seeking the upper hand in conversation. Yet the moment I counted the other better, strangely, the rivalry vanished and the relationship eased. Humility does not make you small; it widens the place where the other can stand.
🌱Apply It Today
In one conversation today, instead of pushing your own view, offer a word that first honors what the other said.
This verse is read as universal humanistic wisdom, not religion — no faith is promoted, and the reflection is 100% original ONGO content.
