Humility vs. Humiliation

I was thinking about this earlier.

These two words look like they are from the same root word, but how come humility has a positive connotation in describing a person’s character, while humiliation is a very negative word?

Anyway, I went to my trusty source and Googled it.

I found this site that helped to clarify. I don’t know the credibility of this site, but at least I agree with how they are defining the word.

(paraphrased)

Humiliation comes from the Latin root “humilis” meaning lowly, which is from the root “humus”, meaning ground. So literally, it means “reducing to dirt”.

While humility is recognizing and accepting our limitations based on an accurate estimate of our importance and significance, humiliation is an injury to our dignity or self-respect.

So, maybe it’s about perspective again. A person of humility sees and admits their “lowly” state, while a person being humiliated is forced to recognize this. It seems like we will be humbled either way, haha.

I especially like this quote by Dr. Donald Klein: “The truly humble person cannot be humiliated”.

So interesting so interesting!

Compassion

I realized that I have more compassion for people when I can relate to them, when I can kind of understand (in my heart) what they are going through.

It’s not enough for me to just know (factually) that things are difficult for them, I have to be able to find a feeling or past experience that identifies and relates.

Otherwise, I’m like “durr…I know I’m supposed to say something but I’ve got nothing…”

Maybe this is why sometimes God lets me go through difficult circumstances.

Yeah, I will still mope over myself for a ridiculously long time. But when I happen to run into another in a similar circumstance years down the road, I can, for once, have just a little bit more compassion for them.

All of this, for a little bit more compassion in my heart. Wow, God. I’m sorry I have such a small and self-focused heart. Please expand this limited perspective and shift my eyes outward.

Book: Battle Royale

Book by Koushun Takami, translated by Yuji Oniki

Can I just say, this book really screwed me up for a few days! I would discourage people from reading it. A small group member left it in my apartment, and honestly, I had no desire to read it…until I happened to flip through it and read 1 chapter in the middle. One chapter, and I was emotionally invested enough that I had to read the whole thing. Bah!