Count Others Better than Yourself
Do nothing from rivalry or empty pride, but in humility count others as better than yourselves.
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.
