In the good sense, meekness is "docility"
The Latin word mansuetūdo came into Spanish as meekness . This is what the quality of meek is called.
Docile character
The term meek, meanwhile, refers to the docile and peaceful character of a person or an animal . When the notion refers to a thing, it refers to the fact that it is or is calm or quiet .
Returning to the idea of meekness, it is linked to a softness in expression, behavior, treatment or conduct . For example: “These animals are characterized by their gentleness, it is not common for them to behave aggressively” , “The gentleness of the children surprised the new teacher” , “After several tumultuous years, the singer gave up drugs, retired for a time from the public scene and returned displaying surprising meekness.”
There is a widespread idea that the behavior of animals can be intuited by paying attention to breeds; For example: Labradors are believed to be gentle and very intelligent, just as bull terriers tend to challenge people for following their own impulses. But in reality each individual has their own way of being , whether it is an animal or a person. To a certain extent we can trust generalizations, which also apply to groups of human beings according to their culture , but there are always exceptions.
Lack of reaction
In some contexts, meekness is used in a derogatory way since it is associated with submission , cowardice , weakness and lack of reaction : “The people finally abandoned their usual meekness and took to the streets to complain,” “I don't understand. ” Enrique's meekness, he knows that he is being scammed and does nothing" , "The rulers usually take advantage of the meekness of the people, that is why it is important that all people are willing to defend their rights."
This term is very suitable for studying the importance of context and knowing the different meanings of words: while in the first examples we talked about meekness as an adjective that represents a positive personality trait , in these a practically opposite idea is presented. . Docility is not the same as the lack of commitment necessary to act in the crucial moments of life. In other words, forgiving a mistake is not the same as enduring constant abuse without doing anything about it.
Let's think about the first sentence: citizens decide to stop tolerating a series of injustices that have been harming them for a long time, to finally gather in public and demand respect for their rights. In this case, meekness is understood as “submission,” so we cannot accept it as healthy behavior , but as one that must be corrected and reversed to end the abuse. Next we talk about a man who is aware of a scam against him and despite this he does not get up.
Fear is often the main factor that leads certain people to endure situations of injustice without saying or doing anything about it . Those who are on the other side, as in the last example are the rulers, notice in their victims this lack of strength to face abuse and support their strategies with it, with the certainty that no one will oppose their actions.
Tolerating injustice without doing anything is also "meekness"
Christian meekness
For the Christian religion , meekness is a virtue . In this case, it is linked to the inner strength to not let oneself be dominated by emotions and to surrender with confidence to God .
Meekness, in this framework, is the work of the Holy Spirit and contributes to ensuring that respect prevails in human relationships. It also helps to remain calm in adverse moments and to think before acting.