Alex Shalman has written a brilliant post at Dumb Little Man today. Entitled The Sherlock Holmes Way of Exceptional Living, it is chock full of insights and encouragement on how to live well. I’m particularly struck by this point:
“I cannot agree with those who rank modesty among the virtues. To the logician all things should be seen exactly as they are, and to underestimate one’s self is as much a departure from truth as to exaggerate one’s own powers.”
This may seem odd coming from a professed Christian, but my beliefs are exactly why this jumps out at me. The definition of modesty (and humility) that perscribes a quiet, subdued, “don’t draw any attention to yourself” smallness is not truth. Quite the opposite.
Humilty is sober minded self-respect. It is as Sherlock Holmes states, seeing things about yourself “exactly as they are.” You cannot live the life you are meant to live without this humility as evidenced by many of the lives around us.
The world is full of people who live hollow and mediocre lives because of false humilty. They have gifts, talents and dreams, but believe it is wrong for them to act. Instead of seeing the desires of their hearts as a gift from God meant to motivate them to action, they incorrectly believe that “if God wants it, it will happen.”
At the other extreme are those that believe they can do everything. These are people who say “oh, it’s nothing” yet are 100% commited to getting whatever it is they want done DONE no matter what. Why? Because their self-worth is caught up in proving they can do anything they put their minds too.
True humility is a balanced, sober minded inventory of yourself. It is realistic both in terms of self-reflection and outward comparisons. A humble person knows what they can and cannot do and where those abilities fit in the world.
They then set out to use this knowledge to affect change.
So what about you? What can you do? What can’t you do? Do you have a balanced perspective on you, your capabilities and your place in the world?
I hope so.
