Modesty is associated with modesty.
Modesty is a term that is used as a synonym for caution or moderation . For example: “I suggest you act modestly if you want to grow in this company,” “The singer did not have any modesty and dropped his pants on stage,” “Speak modestly to avoid problems.”
Modesty, therefore, refers to caution . If a person who wins a lot of money in the lottery starts spending recklessly, he or she is likely to run out of funds in a short time. Those who spend recklessly buy unnecessary things because they let themselves be carried away by impulse and rely on the mere idea that "they can do it." This implies a continuous disbursement of money that, if not recovered with new income of a similar level, can lead to a financial problem.
Modesty in the social context
Decorum and good taste are also linked to modesty. Suppose a man is walking down the street when he suddenly starts urinating against a tree. This action shows that the person lacks modesty, making a behavior that should remain in the private sphere and limited to a specific place (the bathroom), become public.
It is important to note that this particular example makes sense from a Western point of view, mainly from Spanish-speaking countries, but the same is not true throughout the world; In some places, behavior like that described in the previous paragraph is normal and acceptable , as well as others that would seem even more unpleasant and lacking in decorum. For this reason, we must understand this term, modesty, taking into account the social context of each situation.
Modesty is associated with the social or cultural context.
Lack of modesty or shame
Not having modesty is not having modesty or shame . A journalist can accuse a ruler of blatantly lying when the official in question seems to exceed all limits with his statements, making statements whose falsehood is obvious to the entire community .
For all that has been said, a modest individual is one who takes care of his manners and conducts himself carefully: “He is a very modest actor, he never tells intimacies in magazines.” Of course, this does not always indicate that any behavior outside of modesty is negative, since the limits of what is appropriate vary not only from one society to another but also within each family, each group of friends, and each company.
The etymology of modesty
With respect to its etymology, the term modesty derives from the verb modesty , which initially defines the action of removing from public view or knowledge everything that is considered not to be exposed. The origin of it is the Latin verb recaptare , which has references to medieval Latin despite not being classical, and which can be understood as both recuperare or recipere , although it always includes, in addition to the sense of recovering , the idea of taking a thing to take it back.
The reason for this is that capturere is a frequentative (verb used to express a habitual or frequent action) of capere , which can be translated as capture , catch or take . In fact, its root is linked to kap -, an Indo-European root that denotes the idea of taking or catching , and also allows the formation of the Latin word capsa , whose most direct meaning is box , and from which cashier, fit and are derived. capsule , among others.
Taking these last concepts into account, we can understand the definition of modesty even more: in its etymology we can see ideas such as capturing, taking something and carrying it back, putting it in a box, all actions that, symbolically, we are expected to do. with bad habits , with those attitudes that are considered inappropriate towards other people .