The Art of True Nobility

Ernest Hemingway – Nobility

“There is nothing noble about being superior to your fellow man. True nobility is being superior to your former self.” – Ernest hemingway

A quote about judgement. How we judge others and judge ourselves. What do we really know about anyone else and their journey, where they started and where they’re going? A judgement is an impression made in an instant snapshot of time that does little good to either party.

Really we should always be learning and evolving. This includes taking risks of course but the only real alternative is complacency, apathy and boredom. If we all judged a little less, perhaps we wouldn’t fear taking risks so much, and in the process we’d all learn more and be better for it.

It’s why the soaps are so popular. For 30 minutes a day after work people can go into a world where their own complacency is relieved of it’s anguish: “At least my life isn’t as bad as theirs.”

I’m not against escapism. Sometimes we all need the release. But too much of it is debilitating. It paralyses you into a state of no evolution.

All we can really do; the noble thing to do, is to be ourselves and along the way, be a better version of ourselves than we were before.

To understand this and, more importantly, to practice this, is an act of confidence over arrogance and empathy over sympathy.