What is nobility?
Nobility is a set of qualities that characterize the moral, ethical and spiritual development of a person, as well as his attitude towards other people and all living beings in general. A noble personality has traits such as honesty, generosity, loyalty, devotion and integrity.
The main feature of nobility is that a person behaves in a certain way absolutely sincerely. He comes to the aid of those in need, is always honest with others, faithful to his loved ones, open and courteous in communication, not because this is expected of him, but because he himself wants to behave this way. Of course, there is nothing wrong with following the rules accepted in society. And yet nobility is determined only by internal motives and motivations.
The word “nobility” is formed from the words “good” and “kind”, which corresponds to its outdated meaning. However, today it is customary for them to characterize the behavior of an individual in relation to others. So in the modern understanding, a noble person is one who creates good for others.
Self-esteem
Nobility and dignity always go hand in hand. A person who has these qualities adequately perceives his value. He understands that the main thing is to be, and not to appear.
People with self-esteem do not prove anything to anyone; they already know who they are. They do not wait for approval and do not assert themselves at the expense of others. But they will always listen with interest to another point of view and perhaps even learn something useful for themselves.
High self-esteem is manifested not in narcissism, but in self-respect and faith in one’s own strengths. A person believes that he is worthy of a good life and knows how to defend his own interests without infringing on the rights of others.
Noble and self-sufficient people are not afraid of difficulties. They perceive them as a natural part of life. In any situation, they try to maintain composure, not to humiliate themselves and not to humiliate others. The nobility of man also lies in equality. Comparing yourself with other people is not only useless, but also dangerous. Sometimes this causes an acute feeling of dissatisfaction and dissatisfaction with oneself, which is often completely groundless.
Examples of nobility
Nobility can manifest itself in different ways, but almost always it implies that a person selflessly performs a good deed, often sacrificing his own interests for this. That is, he does not expect encouragement or gratitude , but simply tries to make the world a better place.
Noble behavior is not only selfless actions. This is also the ability to behave with dignity in society, without taking out anger or resentment on others, without responding to rudeness, and treating all people with respect, regardless of their social status.
Many interesting examples of nobility can be found in fairy tales. For example, Dunno (Nikolai Nosov’s fairy tale “Dunno in the Sunny City”) dreamed of meeting a wizard and did good deeds every day. But this “didn’t count” because his motives were selfish. And yet his wish came true when he forgot about his goal and just helped a stranger, thereby committing a noble act.
Another famous fairy tale about nobility is “Tsvetik-Semitsvetik” by the Soviet writer Valentin Kataev. The main character completely irrationally used the magical power of the flower, spending the first six petals on toys, sweets and other momentary desires that did not bring her joy. But when she had the last petal left, she showed nobility and asked the flower to heal her new friend’s leg so that they could play together.
In real life, nobility is often manifested through charity and patronage. Of course, many celebrities do this for show so that they will be viewed more favorably by society. However, a large number of people engage in charity precisely in order to make the world a better place, without flaunting their activities and without thinking about how it affects their image.
Nobility from the point of view of the church
This topic has been discussed many times in the church environment. The religious point of view and the position of secular society on this issue practically coincide. The difference lies only in the religious aspect, that is, a noble person is necessarily a believing Christian, living according to the laws of morality and guided by God’s commandments.
The issue of nobility as a life principle has repeatedly become a topic for the writings of church ministers. In order to understand what this word means, you do not have to study their works - all you need to do is open a regular dictionary. If you need to delve deeper into the study of this term, use the works of famous philosophers who, like the ministers of the church, devoted a lot of time to studying this issue.
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What does nobility consist of?
Nobility cannot be considered one personality quality, since it is a whole complex of qualities, none of which can be excluded. This complex includes such qualities as:
- Kindness. A noble person is equally kind to everyone and never shows cruelty (even towards someone who has committed a bad act and deserves censure).
- Self-sacrifice. A person selflessly spends his time and other resources to help others. At the same time, he never regrets his own expenses and losses, but worries if he could not help another.
- Modesty. Nobility does not allow boasting and arrogance. A person must be extremely sincere, simple, modest and straightforward.
- Responsibility. A noble person is true to his word, therefore he always fulfills his promises and the terms of agreements. And it's not because he's afraid of upsetting anyone. It’s just that he doesn’t even think about the possibility that you can make a promise and not keep it.
- Justice. In the modern world, ideas about justice are greatly distorted. But a noble person understands perfectly well what is fair and what is not. He does not give in to emotions and never judges prejudicially. And if in some situation the one who is closest to him turns out to be wrong, this will not prevent him from perceiving the situation adequately.
- Courage. Sometimes circumstances can be dangerous for those seeking justice. But a noble man is true to his principles and does not abandon them, even if something threatens him.
- Unselfishness. This quality completes the list because it is the most important of all listed. Whatever a person does, in order for his action to be considered noble, he must be absolutely selfless.
Nobility from the point of view of the social sphere
Nowadays this is no longer relevant, but some hundred years ago nobility was passed on by right of birth. That is, the level of morality did not matter much. A representative of the noble class - a count, duke, prince, baron, or any other nobleman - was distinguished primarily by his clothing. Commoners could not afford upper-class outfits.
The standard of living of representatives of noble blood was much higher than that of all other people. Not only their appearance spoke about the origin of the first - their social success was expressed in rich houses, their own lands, the presence of many servants and other evidence of luxury. At the same time, the inner world, as mentioned above, was not of fundamental importance - once upon a time a noble lord could be a completely immoral person.
How to develop nobility in yourself?
Every person, regardless of origin and other characteristics, can develop and develop nobility. The main thing is to correctly understand what it is and what personality traits it implies. Of course, you will have to put in a lot of effort. But the result is worth it, because the nobility in a person is felt, and very soon you will notice how the attitude of others towards you changes.
Here are some simple principles to get you started:
- Refusal to judge. Every person has the right to self-realization, as well as the right to take responsibility for their own mistakes. However, people love to judge others for everything that they don’t like: appearance, behavior, interests, tastes in music, choice of partner, etc. Nobility implies an equally tolerant attitude towards all people, no matter what they look like or what they do.
- Responsibility for your own words. It is necessary to fulfill every promise made and do it on time. Many people do not attach due importance to this principle, believing that circumstances justify them. However, even minor optionality leads to irresponsibility in more serious matters, so it is necessary to completely exclude situations in which even minor promises are not kept.
- Deliberate promises. Often the reason for broken promises is that a person promises more than he is able to deliver. Situations vary, but most often people are simply afraid of upsetting the person to whom they make a promise, and they say what they think he wants to hear. Therefore, it is important to learn to take your words responsibly already at the promise stage.
- Selfless help to others. The ability to sacrifice one’s time and effort in order to completely disinterestedly help another person (often a stranger) is the most important component of nobility. By purposefully accustoming yourself to this, over time you can learn to help others completely at ease.
- Empathy. You don't have to be highly empathetic to empathize with others. Indeed, many people try not to think about the suffering of others, but this does not make them callous individuals or sociopaths. This is simply a defensive reaction of the psyche that helps to avoid emotional discomfort. In order to become a noble person, you need to allow yourself to empathize with those who are in a difficult situation and, if possible, help them.
- Honesty. Nobility implies absolute honesty. In fact, there is nothing difficult about always telling the truth. It is enough just not to create conditions in which you would have to lie. At the same time, you need to be honest with absolutely everyone, both with loved ones and with complete strangers.
Nobility and loyalty
Loyalty is similar to nobility in many ways. These are different qualities, but they always walk, holding on to each other. Loyalty is usually understood as constancy in one’s choices and feelings.
- It could be loyalty to God. Then a person must obey the laws written in the Bible;
- Faith in another person is manifested in maintaining purity and constancy of relationships.
Nobility and faith have a common basis. They are built on the principles of honesty, confidence and grit. If a person is not faithful, he cannot be called noble. At the same time, it is important not to change yourself, your internal attitudes.
With loyalty, a person commits actions towards the one to whom he remains faithful. With nobility, he basically does good (the addressee is no longer so important).
