Humility

The second civilizing element of afternoon tea is humility. Once again, the hostess models this admirable quality through her own example. She does not use the tea party to draw attention to herself or to focus on her own importance. If she is using her beautiful silver tea set for the party she is hosting, she does not present it as a status symbol or allude to its value. It is simply something lovely for her guests to use and enjoy during their time together. She also treats her guests with complete equality, regardless of their ages or financial condition.
Humility is also strongly emphasized in the Japanese tea ceremony. Japanese tea houses are designed with very low doorways so that everyone who enters has to bend over, adopting a humble body language. In addition, the tea master can assign one of the guests at the tea ceremony as the guest of honor. This honor has nothing to do with the guest’s social importance. A tea master might be an accomplished Buddhist abbot or the owner of a large estate, but he could invite his gardener as the guest of honor. This gesture would express both humility and gratitude as well as emphasizing the essential equality among all people. The tea ceremony thus becomes an oasis of serenity and equality in a world filled with self-important status seekers.
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