Be Humble or Be Humbled

"A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle." — Benjamin Franklin

Every day I learn a deeper appreciation of humility. As a spiritual principal it is vital to my recovery. I feel it is the foundation. Which makes sense when I realize that the root of the word comes from "earth". One meaning of humility is "down to Earth". A healthy sense of humility keeps me grounded. Humility is essential if I am to truly know myself, who I really am. Without it I start to believe I am my "stuff", my experiences, even the opinions I or others may on occasion hold about me. None of these things are me (good or bad). Like Ben said, once we strip all the extra non-self stuff away, there isn't a whole lot left. Knowing who I am allows me to be comfortable in my own skin. This frees me from the obsession to use - anything. As an addict I like to use anything I can to distract me from feeling. Feeling anything really. Or just being in the moment, in and with myself.

"Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. It means freedom from thinking about yourself at all." — William Temple



Being able to honestly look at myself and like what I see is essential if I am to have any hope of staying clean today. Self-loathing will take me out almost for certain. I must also be able to separate myself from the actions of my past. What I did in my active addiction is not ME. And not what I am doing today. Even today, what I am doing is not necessarily ME. A tricky concept for sure. When someone dislikes something I do, I does not mean they dislike me. That is the important detail for me to be mindful of.

"Humility is to make a right estimate of one's self." — Charles Haddon Spurgeon

I think it is due to an inability to separate our actions from who we think we are that a lot of addicts relapse while doing Step 4. I have found working steps 1-3 thoroughly, on a daily basis, is essential to making it through a fearless and searching moral inventory process. With the help and support of other addicts, I can get through to the other side, and be freed of the wreckage of my past.

humility - modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance.

"Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are." — Malcolm S. Forbes

I used to think of humility as the opposite of arrogance. In a sense that is sort of true. But I prefer to think of it as being a grounded middle ground, with Arrogance at one extreme, and timidity, diffidence and self-loathing at the other. What I really think of it as is an awareness of God's Love. A sense of purpose, what some might call "centered". Not a belief that I am the center of the Universe, but that I can stay put and stay calm, and what I need will come to me.

arrogance - offensive display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride.
modest -having or showing a moderate or humble estimate of one's merits, importance, etc.; free from vanity, egotism, boastfulness, or great pretensions.

humble - adj. - low in rank, importance, status, quality, etc.; courteously respectful: verb - to lower in condition, importance, or dignity; to destroy the independence, power, or will of; to make meek

I find it fascinating that the word humble can be both an adjective describing an attitude or state of mind and be a verb as well. The word hubris isn't used very much anymore. I find that fascinating too. There is definitely no shortage of it here in the twenty-first century. Man-made life, incredibly sophisticated technology. Man definitely is taking on many responsibilities over our world (or not). In the classic tales man's hubris always led to his being humbled, usually quite painfully. A lesson I have had to learn many times. I believe I've got it now.

hubris - Overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance: presumption toward the gods

presumption - an assumption, often not fully established, that is taken for granted in some piece of reasoning: unwarrantable, unbecoming, or impertinent boldness.


"It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." — Andrew J. Holmes