Humility v Humiliation

With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,

Last night was wonderful. We had the distinct pleasure of attending the "Red & Black Ball" introducing the Pam American Dance Institute, an aspect of the New Mexico State University's Dance Department to the Las Cruces community. Throughout this elegant evening we were treated to hors d'oeuvres, drinks, a wonderful dinner and delightful dance performances, as well as live music and dancing with Bob Burns and the Mike Caranda Orchestra. The whole affair took place on the spacious patio plaza of the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum.

The dance pieces were sensuously Pan American, tango, rumba, and Flamenco, but also included modern dance renditions that were just wonderful. Toward the end of the evening we were all invited to share the dance floor! Right, just after being lifted into a near dream state by such delightful body renditions of human passion and love, I don't think so.

I thought about dancing, even asked My Little Honey to dance a waltz, she declined thinking I did not know how to dance a real waltz, Sometime later I told her I actually do know how to dance this form, but by then it was too late. Besides, My Left Foot wasn't behaving. As a day wears on, My Left Foot's ability to move wears out. so, by most evenings I drag it about, sometimes walking as if I were drunk, and other times just stumbling. Last night was one of those nights.

Anyway, I had a dream last night, a terrifying dream actually. It involved pieces of my life which involved public humiliation as regards my ability to physically function. I recall saying to a karate instructor (in my dream) that I was getting worse and was no longer able to use my left arm and leg at all without serious spastic consequences.

As I woke, I thought about the relationship[ between humility (a positive virtue in spiritual matters) and humiliation, a not so good condition of being humbled by others.

What is this? What is the relationship between "humble", "humility", and "humiliation"? They all share the same root,(L.) humilus, which means lowly, earthy, grounded and the word is related to the root Latinate for human being, humus or homo.

I am wondering if we practice to allow ourself to drop away, to render ourselves as humble human beings, and we are successful, how then, can we ever be humiliated? Is the sense of humiliation, which is what I was experiencing trying to walk at the Ball last night, an indicator of practice "success" or, to be honest, a lack thereof? I don't know. Perhaps, in the end, it really doesn't matter. It is the practice itself that matters.

The more we practice humility, the less vulnerable to humiliation we can be.

Be well.