… especially if you have responsibilities
The word humiliate comes from the Latin humus which means “soil”. To humiliate oneself would consist in keeping one’s feet on the ground if not at least keeping one’s head on one’s shoulders. When one lacks humility, one disconnects in a way from the real world, one can become despicable and a fortiori despicable.
Why is it so important to be humble every day?
A simple answer would be to say that it saves us from trouble of the mind. Indeed, mental health consists of keeping a fair balance between, on the one hand, the ailments that affect those who suffer from too much low self-esteem and, on the other hand, those who think they are above others. To be mentally healthy, we must carefully balance praise (when our spirits are low) with acts of humility when we are constantly being given an overly laudatory image of ourselves.
Thus, the ideal is to have a clear perception of what we are, namely a man, that is to say neither a superman nor a sub-man.
Maintaining the right balance would take us away from both hubris* – caused by too much self-confidence – and depression, which is rooted in a lack of confidence in who we are and what we can do.
There are many acts of humility. They can consist of acknowledging one’s faults through an open apology in public. It may be a prayer to someone or simply listening without trying to prove one’s point.
Of course, not all of us enjoy daily praise, sometimes it is quite the opposite. If this is the case, we must of course take care of ourselves, listen to our deepest aspirations and try to fulfil them as much as possible, and finally, not pay attention to malicious comments even if it means protecting ourselves with a certain firmness.
*According to the Wikitionary:
Variant of hybris. In the ancient Greeks, excess, unacceptable pride on the part of a mortal. Any claim to insolent superiority among men must therefore result in cruel punishment by the immortal gods.
(By extension) Excessive self-confidence, which can lead to fatal errors.
