Be modest if you want, going around claiming that you're really not all that great.
But don't be surprised if others (and yourself) one day start to believe you.
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It seems that some people consider it a serious flaw for somebody to not be modest. I don't get that.
Seriously: if Joe Blow thinks Joe Blow is great, and he really is great, then it is just an accurate assesment, no? And if Joe Blow thinks Joe Blow is great, and he really is nothing special, then it is a charming conceipt which does nobody any harm.
I believe a low self esteem is one of the most common and most damaging social disorders we have in the modern world.
9 comments:
Quite right.
Given that the main (only?) thing that really keep any of us down is our own thoughts, I think we would all do a lot better if we had bigger heads.
I have not been immune to caring too much what others think, but I am working on changing that, and I've come a long way.
Agree again.
In the UK especially, we just love to keep everyone in their place.
If someone is perceived to be overconfident they are very quickly put in their place by others.
This lack of confidence holds people back.
Do I care what people think?
I like to pretend I don`t, but deep down I probably do.
At least in the US, you have the problem that people are too worried about self esteem. Everyone's a winner, and everyone gets a trophy. Many high schools are eliminating class ranking, valedictorians, etc so that no one feels bad. Funny thing though, is that they only do that for academics, but not sports.
Of course "everybody" can't be special. But in Denmark we never had class rankings, and I didn't miss them. I think grades is quite adequate to show how you're doing academically, without turning it into a social rank amongst the kids also.
Good one from Whistler. :)
I used to say: "I have tried being perfect, but I did not care for the humility it demanded."
Or: "If I were humble as well, I'd be perfect."
I haven't quite found the right way to express it so everybody gets it.
Although there may be incidents of bright people being beaten up, I still think that recognizing hard work academically is more important than recognizing athletic talent at the high school level. You certainly wouldn't see people deciding not to recognize a state or local championship in say football.
Wonko The Sane: I am curious if you are one of my regular correspondents. Send me a mail. :)
Today, my mom told me that feminity means modesty and masculinity means feminity. Men are supposed to be brave enough to do things whereas females are supposed to stay shy all the time and dress-up for modesty. Males can be shameless according to the international manners whereas females are supposed cover-up as much as possible.
When it comes to humility, I'm the greatest!
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