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Originally Posted by mark12_30
Interesting definition of humility-- not the one I'm used to, which is this: Having an accurate view of God and having an accurate view of yourself in light of that. What the equivalent ME definition would be, I'm not certain.
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Perhaps it would be best to say 'having an accurate review of reality and therefore yourself, both strengths and weaknesses'. Those for whom God is part of (or the source of) reality, it fits just as well.
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Perhaps Gandalf's 'humility' is clearer, because he has a more accurate view or Eru than most?
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But Faramir's is too. And he seems to be at least as humble as Gandalf, maybe more so. Which begs the question: did Faramir have an accurate view of Eru? Or of reality? Or is the definition flawed?
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Originally Posted by mark
Is that arrogance, or practicality? Since Aragorn is the ME equivalent of a Navy Seal or an Army Ranger-- or a Force Reconnaissance Marine-- arguing about his capabilities usually IS a waste of time. He's usually the best.
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This is why I include 'an accurate accounting of one's strengths and weaknesses', because someone who has many talents may seem arrogant to someone who has few whilst the talented individual is merely stating and/or exhibiting the reality.
Elu, thanks for the connections to
The Odyssey. Are you suggesting that there was a development from a limited view (honor valued over life) to a broader one (life valued over honor)?
I wonder if we're giving "Life" too broad a meaning in some of our examples? The long and short of it is that to value Life over Honor is to say "I'd rather stay alive than be known for ___-heroism, loyalty, fill in the blank-____".
So when we say that Gandalf values Life above Honor, is this what we mean?