Monday, May 3, 2010

Spiritual Intelligence & Humility

“Light and truth” has always fascinated me as a definition of intelligence. (D&C 93:36)

My dad was ecstatic to leave high school and formal education; he worked as a milkman, a type-setter handling hot lead that left his hands rough and calloused, a farm worker between jobs, etc. He retired after 20 years as an elementary school janitor.

He’s one of the most intelligent people I have met in my life, based on the D&C definition. He’s also perhaps the most selfless, humble man I know. I think there's a direct correlation, perhaps even a causation, between humility and spiritual intelligence.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Papa D,

It's been awhile! I believe in a causation between humility and spirtual intelligence. As the old saying goes, we are not humans having a spiritual experience but spirits having a human experience. With that perspective the way to develop our faith is through experiential learning of humility. I don't think you can learn humility from a book. We can be sad and feel compassion for the world around us but can we truly be humble unless we experience and walk the walk of hardship whether personally or with another? What might that walk look like for you, me, us as individuals? Regardless of what it might look like it is about experience. I think that spiritual intelligence is based on humility and the experiences that humility brings into our lives. I'm not saying that I am humble. In my efforts to come back to church, once again, my pride needs work. I just know that experience has brought me moments of humility that are quite tender moments and has allow me to feel that I am growing spiritually, however slowly. Thanks for your post. It's given me something to think about. SimplyMe (Sorry about my name coming up as anonymous. I can't enter posts without using anonymous. I keep getting requested to change my password if I try to use SimplyMe).

Papa D said...

"There must needs be opposition in ALL things."

Sometimes I think we don't understand or appreciate that idea nearly enough.

Glad to see you are back, SimplyMe.