Congregation Unitarian Universalist

"Humility, Humus, Hubris & Humor"

The Rev. Suzanne Meyer

Reading: adapted from the Hebrew Scriptures, the Book of Ecclesiastes, 2nd chapter

This passage was written thousands of years ago by a Donald Trump, a Richard Branson, or a Bill Gates. The writer was an individual who, in his own place and time, had it all: vast sums of money and the kind of power that money can buy. He wrote:

I multiplied my possessions, I built myself houses and I planted vineyards. I laid out gardens and groves, in which I planted every kind of fruit tree. I acquired slaves and stewards. I further amassed silver and gold and the treasures of kings and princes. Thus, I gained more wealth than anyone before me in Jerusalem. I got enjoyment out of all my wealth. Then I began to think about all of the fortune I had acquired, and suddenly it all seemed futile. I know I won't live forever. Who will come after me and enjoy all of the things that I through my wisdom and skill have built up? All of this treasure might just as well fall into the hands of a fool.

Wisdom is superior to folly,
And light is superior to darkness.
A wise man is one who has insight,
Whereas a fool is blind.

But in the end, whether you are a wise man or a fool, the same fate awaits you. I have been wise in all of my pursuits and I have much to show for it, but I too will end up in the grave, just as if I had been a fool. And when you are gone, whether you were wise or foolish, you will soon be forgotten, so in the end what difference does wisdom or wealth really make? Here ends the reading.

Sermon:

Humility. We say that we all value humility—in others, that is. We say that we much prefer to be around those individuals who are modest, and unassuming, rather than around shameless braggarts or egomaniacs. But, if the truth be told, we are drawn to those individuals who display a certain chutzpah, audacity, or even arrogance. Everybody claims to hate Donald Trump, but his so-called reality-based television show is an undisputed hit. Although we may say how much we dislike the person who is full of himself, all puffed up, or prideful, secretly I think that we are all attracted to the show-offs, especially the celebrities who display unabashed self-confidence, even conceit.

One wag has written: "Humility is a virtue all preach, none practice. The master thinks it good doctrine for his servant, the laity for the clergy, and the clergy for the laity." Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali seems to have summed up popular views of the virtue of humility in an interview with the English press, in which he said, "At home I am a nice guy, but I don't want the world to know it. Humble people, I've found, don't get very far" (Sunday Express (London), January 13, 1963). And famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright expressed it this way: "Early in life I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility. I chose the former and have seen no reason to change."

Dictionaries range in defining humility from the negative, as in, "not arrogant, haughty or filled with pride," to the only mildly positive, "meek, modest or lowly." Very few laud humility in strong, positive terms, leading to the notion that authentic humility means one must become little more than a doormat. To most of us, the one who is humble, modest, or self-effacing would seem to lack that all-important self-esteem, that good self-image we all seek.

So I'll confess, this sermon-writing task Jim put before me was a little more of a challenge than I first imagined. Our culture's preference seems to be for those individuals who display strong egos and unbridled self-assurance—even hubris, that is arrogant pride. Given that none of us likes to think of oneself as a doormat; and given that we get the message through our culture that lack of self-esteem is the root of all evil, it was not at first easy to find much good to say about humility. Nor was it easy to find reasons why it is a virtue we Unitarians might want to cultivate.

Humility, I soon discovered, is a very interesting word. If you dig a little deeper, if you go back to the etymological origins of the word humility, you may be surprised by the other words to which it is related. And therein, I discovered, lies a certain wisdom about the true nature of humility. Did you know that the words "human," "humility," and "humor" all share the same common Indo-European root word, "ghôm," best translated by the English word "humus"? What is humus? All of you who are avid gardeners know what humus is. Says Professor Stephen W. Gilbert:

"The very best humus is a careful combination of rotting vegetable matter. Kitchen garbage is an excellent contribution, and autumn leaves always appear to play an important role. The kitchen garbage, in a rather thin layer, sets up a composting process, hastened if it is covered with a (slightly thicker) layer of leaves. . . .

"I have actually known only one great authority on the proper construction and composition of the humus pile, the compost heap. That authority was my father, a Unitarian minister and a gardener. . . . Dad really did have a fine sense of what the humus pile meant to his garden. He tended it carefully. And only half jokingly did he suggest to my Mother that the humus pile would make a fitting and proper final resting-place for his remains. He often referred to it as the "humanist pile," unaware, I am sure, of the etymological seemliness of his small witticism.

"However we might construct our own humus pile, if we are fortunate enough to have the space and the garden which might require it, we can benefit ourselves by reflecting on the deeper insights offered by the apparent etymological link [between humus] and the words human, humor, and humility." ("Etymologies of Humor: Reflections on the Humus Pile," Sincronía: An E-Journal of Culture Studies, Winter 1996)

Professor Gilbert's making the etymological connection between humility and humus, kitchen garbage and other decomposing organic matter might seem to fit perfectly with some of our other assumptions about the meaning of that word, humility. In our ego-driven culture in which we have all but raised arrogance to the status of a virtue, we might imagine that the relationship between humility, and humus is obvious—humility stinks!

But that is not where Professor Gilbert is going with his metaphor. He sees an entirely different, much more positive relationship between humanity, humility and humus.

He continues:

"Humility is easy enough, at first glance, to connect to its Indo-European roots. One is hard pressed to imagine anything more humble than humus, an elemental reduction of vegetable matter to its most basic form. But consider the function of humus, and how instructive that might be in our considerations of the meaning and practice of humility. If we think of humus as humble, and recognize how helpful it is to the new growth in a kitchen garden, . . . it becomes a fecund, generous willingness to serve. . . .

"The naming of our humanity at least should reflect something of our deepest understanding of what it is to be human. Surely the commonness of our end, what we have in common with all other living things, is reflected in this etymology. But I also believe that the relation between humus and humanity touches on what is best about us—our ability to give without expectation of reward, but with the confidence that our giving is a valued contribution. . . . The knowledge that we end as matter that continues to be used, that is, in fact, recycled purposefully, can be cause for great comfort. And for great laughter."

To paraphrase Professor Gilbert, there is a strong link between human, humility and humus. When you and I are living up to our best as human beings, we are functioning like humus, not in the sense of garbage, but as the fundamental nurturing substance of life, the compost out of which new life emerges and reemerges. For an individual to act with true humility is also to act generatively: to help make things and people grow. Likewise, humble people are not lacking in pride or self-esteem, rather they are like humus, that is to say, they are down to earth, grounded, not pompous or puffed up; and thus they have enough self-confidence to be able to laugh even at themselves.

And to paraphrase Scripture: "Humus we are and to humus we will all return." As the wealthy and powerful author of Ecclesiastes discovered, death is very democratic. The proud, the pompous, the famous, the wealthy, the wise, as well the lowly, the foolish, the unsung—we all end up the same way, we are all equal in death, we all wind up as humus, food for plants and worms. And the cycle continues. That is indeed both very humbling and very humorous.

Rabbi Susan Lippe, speaking out of her Jewish religious tradition, also connects our humanity to humility and to growth in a positive way. She writes:

"When you hear the word humility, you might be imagining a doormat. Everyone walks all over a doormat. A doormat has no pride. Stop thinking of a doormat and start thinking about a threshold. The lower doorsill makes it possible for doors to close and open. The doorsill is the threshold. Humility isn't about becoming a doormat. It is about becoming a threshold. A humble person opens the door to learning and makes a space for others to enter.

"Humility is the threshold of the classroom. Humility means remaining teachable. Without humility, there is no room for the ability or even the willingness to learn or grow. Modesty makes room for new understanding. Humility teaches me to listen to others. Modesty reminds me that everyone's ideas are at least as unique and thoughtful as mine. That I can learn from everyone. In order to be humble, I don't need to see myself as less than other people. I just need to realize that other people are as important as I am. Each person is as unique and precious as I am.

"When we are humble, everything is a gift. Modesty reminds me that the world does not revolve around me. Then, each sunrise, each sunset becomes a precious gift." ("To Swallow Our Pride," Yom Kippur afternoon sermon, 2001, adapted. Congregation Beth Am, Los Altos Hills, CA, sermon archive, http://www.betham.org/sermons/lippe5762yk.html)

Not a doormat, but a threshold, an opening for others to enter.

In responding to Jim's request that I preach a sermon on humility, I learned a great deal about what that word really means. Far from being a sign of weakness, inferiority or poor self-image, I have discovered that true humility requires both courage and high self-esteem. It is the courageous person, one who has a strong sense of his or her own self-worth, who can admit his own limitations and say, "I don't have all the answers. I don't know. I'm not perfect. I need your help. Teach me. Help me grow." It is the wise person who knows his own ignorance and the strong person who knows her own weaknesses, and the expansive person who knows his own limitations—and is not ashamed of them, but open to learning and giving and growth from wherever or from whomever it may come. Humility is also about a willingness to nurture the gifts of others, to be that medium through which they grow. The humble person is not threatened by the talents, gifts, or successes of others, but rejoices in them.

Humanity, humility, humus, humor: all of these are deeply interconnected and tell us something important about this life that we share. Considered together, these words remind us of what it really takes to become authentically human.

The rabbis of old, in an Hasidic Midrash, put it this way: "To be fully human in the best sense of that word, each of us should walk around with two pockets. In each of those pockets is a slip of paper. One of the slips of paper says, "For my sake this whole magnificent, amazing universe was created." The other slip of paper says, "I am but dust and ashes."

Humus we are and to humus we will return. Amen.

Copyright © Suzanne P. Meyer, First Unitarian Church of St. Louis, January 9, 2005


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