the appeal of humility

Why is it that when we see humility in others we find it so appealing? 

No one likes someone who is arrogant and thinks they are "all that." Everyone likes someone who is humble. 

The reason? 

Humble people treat others (us) with dignity and arrogant people do not. 

A truly (*genuinely) humble person is other (you and I) oriented not self-oriented. 

We like it when others treat us as significant/important and don't when they think they are the only one in the room who is.  Nothing is more boring then someone always thinking or talking about themselves.

In truth, we are all significant in the eyes of God. For someone to act as if they alone are significant is not only unappealing (and even repulsive), it's simply not true. 

The bottom line is when someone is all about self, they have no time for others (including you) unless it is to use you or others to advance themselves in some way. We find these kinds of people boring at best and often obnoxious. 

On the other hand, we are drawn to truly humble people. We like them. We like it (even admire it) when someone recognizes they are who they are because of others and are focused on recognizing and/or helping others. True humility is always **other-oriented and always refreshing. 

As Tim Keller likes to say, "humility isn't thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less"

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*...there is also a false humility which no one likes. False humility is not humility at all but actually self-pity which is also about self only masked as humility. 

**Given this understanding tells us something very significant about God, doesn't it? Ironic when you consider most interpret God's call to recognize his glory as only being self-focused, when in fact God knows the best thing for us, is our recognizing his glory.