The practice of humility has been stressed in Japan since ancient days, and it is more important in every phase of living than people ordinarily realize. It is especially important to anyone who believes in God.

I sometimes notice that the leaders of certain spiritual groups seem to be lacking in the virtue of humility in the advocation of their teachings. There are two old Japanese proverbs which refer to the virtue of humility: "A falcon that catches the most hides its talons," and, "The riper the race grows the lower the stalks bow. 

Arrogance, conceit, pretense of knowledge and vanity all boomerang, cause reverse effects on the individual displaying such character defects. The desire to be important is a human weakness that is present in the majority of people when they begin to attract the notice of others. When those individuals who have been working in ordinary positions and have been leading rather ordinary lives or those who have been living on the lowest social strata suddenly become successful and regarded as important by others, they may be inclined to feel flattered. While at first, they may simply feel happy and grateful, in time most of them begin to dream of further greatness. 

 Things may have been all right for them up to this point, but from here on matters can begin to go wrong, for their conceit is certain to cause bad feelings. Unfortunately, such individuals are usually unaware of what is happening until it is too late.

God does not sanction conceit. The virtue of modesty or humility is priceless, especially in today's civilized world. In public places where many people gather, we often see individuals elbowing through the crowd or rushing for and haughtily taking the best seats.  These are manifestations of self-centeredness which should be avoided by all means.

To help establish a peaceful and comfortable society for everyone is an expression of the real spirit of democracy which holds true for all ages.

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