Since this month’s topic seems to have a lot of people stumped, we decided to have each member of our staff reflect on the question: What is Modesty?  Our Writing Intern, offered her perspective as Muslim woman. Today our Editor in Chief, Autumn Elizabeth discusses her take on modesty.

When I get stumped on a word I always turn to my friend the Oxford English Dictionary. According to this near-sacred text modesty is

Moderation, temperateness, self-control; freedom from excess or exaggeration; Decorum, propriety; scrupulous sobriety of thought, speech, conduct, etc.; natural avoidance of coarseness or lewdness.

This definition makes it hard for me to accept modesty as part of my spiritual journey. As a storyteller I live in a world of exaggeration, as an activist I believe in things like freedom and as a rebel, I cringe at the thought of self-control. But what if the OED has it wrong? What if the modesty we are talking about, a modesty of the spirit, strays from this definition. Perhaps, the essence of a spiritual modesty is the constant acknowledgement that there is something in the universe beyond ourselves, no matter if that something is God, الله (Allah), or simply the energy of love. Perhaps modesty is  the understanding that humans are not the most important entity in the universe. This is a modesty I can accept, a modesty that resonates with my feminist beliefs, my vegetarianism, and my faith. Moreover, modesty as simply the recognition that there is something greater than myself allows me to live as a storyteller, an activist, and a rebel and still live with modesty.

Want to share your ideas about what modesty is? Share them with us by submitting!