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I'd like to start tonight's talk with a very brief story about a prisoner who had spent

many years in solitary confinement where he spoke to no one and his food was given to

him through a little opening in the wall.

And one day an aunt crawled into his cell and the man contemplated with it with real

fascination as this little ant crawled around his room. And he held it in his palm and

at one point he gave it a grain or two of food and kept it under a tin cup at night. And

this went on for many, many days that he just observed and engaged with and got involved

with this aunt.

And one day it really struck him that it had taken him 10 long years of solitary confinement

to open his eyes to the loveliness of aunt.

To the loveliness of ant, to the loveliness of ant.

So I was reflecting on this and found it interesting to wonder about what really enabled

that connection, that valuing of ant to arise and certainly a quality of presence, but also

something else that's very particular that's related to presence.

And that's a word that we don't often filter our experience with and that is humility. That contrary to the habit of self-centeredness and putting ourselves above others or other

creatures, he didn't put himself above ant and because he wasn't separate from or above

he was able to be in that kind of intimacy

that appreciates what's there.

These Serbs have a really wise saying and it says,

Be humble for you are made of earth, be noble for you come from the stars.

...