Oasis logo
Credit: DH Illustration
Humility and openness to criticism are valued in many religious traditions, including Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. Each faith encourages followers to approach others with humility and be receptive to constructive feedback. Humility and openness are seen as necessary for personal growth, moral development, and closeness to the divine. Humility means freedom from pride or arrogance.
Being open to criticism helps improve performance, learn new skills, and build stronger relationships? Being open to criticism means being able to accept negative feedback about without reacting emotionally.
Humility is the foundation of all other virtues. A humble man is not afraid of failure, in fact he is not afraid of any thing, even himself, since perfect humility implies perfect confidence in the power of God. Openness to criticism is a sign of strength.
Hinduism holds humility in high regard. The Bhagavad Gita (13:8) teaches that one should possess “humility, modesty, non violence, patience, uprightness, and purity”. Humility in Hinduism is viewed as the foundation for spiritual growth, where individuals realise their smallness in relation to the infinite divine power.
Openness to criticism is reflected in the idea of Shraddha, or faith. By accepting feedback and remaining humble, a person can move closer to self-realisation and enlightenment. The Hindu tradition emphasises the importance of guru-shishya (teacher-student) relationships, where the student must be humble and open to receiving corrections from the teacher.
In Islam, humility is considered a significant virtue. The Quran encourages believers to be humble before God and His creation. A verse from chapter Al Furqan (25-63) states, “the servants of the most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth humbly, and when the ignorant address them harshly, they say words of peace.”
Christianity promotes humility and willingness to accept criticism. In the book of Proverbs (11-2), “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”
Openness to criticism is vital for spiritual growth, as it enables believers to repent, learn, and fallow the path of righteousness.