The Importance Of Humility In Society

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Tyler Wegerer (Cummins) EN101 online 5 October 2017 Humility The Oxford Dictionary describes humility as the quality of having a modest or low view of one’s importance. Many people catch the attention of the media today. For a short while, these people stood at the center of everyone’s attention. It becomes difficult to resist letting one’s pride and ego take over when faced with almost unlimited attention. Sometimes this person might work their way into the spotlight through years of hard work. Others may perform one action to bring all attention to themselves. No matter the circumstance, the way a person behaves in front of others greatly influences their opinion of him or her. Tim Tebow, Captain "Sully" Sullenberger, and Neil Armstrong demonstrated …show more content…

Armstrong repeatedly gives credit to "Those 400,000 people who had given me the opportunity to make that step” (Humble Hero). His family released a statement that said in part, "While we mourn the loss of a very good man, we also celebrate his remarkable life and hope that it serves as an example to young people around the world to work hard to make their dreams come true, to be willing to explore and push the limits, and to selflessly serve a cause greater than themselves” (Hero). He said the moon landing in July 1969 was not so much his doing as simply an "achievement that a third of a million people had been working for a decade to accomplish” (qtd. in Giant Leap). His words, "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind” are not self centered and they do not bring attention to himself. Instead, he gives credit to mankind for this great achievement. Following his career in space, Armstrong taught aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati and generally avoided the public view for the rest of his life. "He was the embodiment of everything this nation is all about," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. Armstrong, he said, had a courageous drive for exploration while being an "incredibly humble" man. Throughout his career, Armstrong did not take the credit and fame for himself but rather passed it on to others …show more content…

Captain Sully successfully landed Flight 1549 on the Hudson River after his plane was disabled after hitting a flock of Canada geese immediately after takeoff. Amazingly, all 155 passengers survived. Immediately following the emergency landing, Sullenberger became engrossed with attention from the media. They credited him for the amazing water landing. Michael A. L. Balboni, the state’s deputy secretary for public safety, met with Sully soon after the water landing. Mr. Balboni stated, “He said to me, in the most unaffected, humble way, ‘That’s what we’re trained to do.’ “No boasting, no emotion, no nothing”(qtd. in Pilot). Some people called his water landing a miracle. He calmly shrugged these remarks off and continued on with his life. Following the landing, Sullenberger did not go out to celebrate, but rather fielded calls from President Bush and President-elect Barack Obama. There was a ceremony held in City Hall held in his honor that he chose not to attend. At this ceremony, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said that “Sullenberger’s actions inspired people around the city and millions more around the world” (Rivera,Ray). Friends and relatives of Captain Sullenberger said that “He wouldn’t take easily to being called a hero”(A Pilot). Those who knew Sully before the landing were already aware of his selflessness and humility. His actions following the landing proved to the rest of the world just how humble

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