The Key to Humility

We are the result of God's creation; what is more, we are the apex of that creation.  Trying to persuade ourselves that we are nothing carries two terrible risks.  One is that we laugh at the absurdity of thinking such fine creatures as ourselves to be nothing and we abandon the attempt to find humility.  The second risk is even worse:  We may actually come to believe that we really are nothing.  And if we are really nothing, then none of our actions could possibly mean anything either, could they?  So why worry about what we do?  If humans are nothing, then nothing matters.

Humility is attainable but not through considering ourselves to be utterly worthless.  Anyone who lives responsibly, and invests his time in durable values rather than in the frivolous pursuit of fun, has achieved something.  Such a person is not nothing.  They key to humility is not to denigrate what you have become, but rather to renounce any credit for it.  You are a real somebody.  To begin with, you are utterly unique.  You have thoughts that nobody else has ever had.  You have dedicated yourself to more than your own gratification.  You have supported your spouse.  You have labored faithfully at a job.  You are raising good children.  You have added to your store of knowledge about the world.  No, you are nowhere near being nothing.  You are somebody!

But who gets the credit for you being you?  Taking the credit yourself makes you arrogant.  First of all, God created you as a unique, fearfully-and-wonderfully-made individual.  Then there are your parents; after all, they endowed you with a pretty useful set of genes.  They also imparted crucial knowledge and habits as they raised you.  You probably picked up a thing or two as your formal education progressed, so there are teachers to thank.  How about that long-forgotten associate who gave you your first leg up in business?  You may not be nothing, but you probably had a lot of help in becoming a somebody.  For that we must thank others, most notably God Almighty, and avoid the folly of arrogance.


Rabbi Daniel Lapin, "America's Real War," p.70-71