Humility without Words

Greetings Dear Reader,

Often the television is a vapid wasteland.  Over the years reality TV has infused the broadcast world with hours of pride, arrogance, and self-indulgence.  So often we take the voyeur’s seat as people endure pain, emotional upheaval, and sometimes real crisis.  The popularity of shows where women act badly just because they can perplexes me.

I will confess that I see the fiscal wisdom of reality shows.  You need to spend little on actors and writers.  Production is mostly editing.  A hit reality show is lucrative without as much need to appease a cast.  When you compare a million dollar prize for one individual to a million dollars per episode to six cast members the math becomes very easy.

All of that said there is an allure for me to the shows where cooking is the theme.  Shows like Top Chef, Hell’s Kitchen, and Master Chef pique my interest.  It is mostly the food that intrigues me but the drama usually draws me in as well.  On Master Chef this week there was a moment that gave me pause and was a genuine as it gets.

The competition is narrowing down would be chefs from all over to thirty two contestants.  On the final evening of the whittling away a man from the Deep South was featured.  His wife was in a terrible accident and he had to learn to cook so that she would eat.  In presenting his dish he told his story.  It featured alligator.  It is important to know that each contestant chosen is awarded an apron.

The panel of chefs who choose the contestants were split on whether to choose this man or not.  They asked his wife to come in and quizzed her about her husband’s cooking skills.  As the contestant emerges from the audition area he is smiling and the coveted apron is on his wife.

What struck me was the amazing love and humility that this man showed in the face of victory.  He did not make the cut on the next round but even in that he was humble and dedicated to his family and his craft.

The power of humility astounds me.  What we do to promote ourselves is so minimal compared to how loud our humility can scream.  It is the act of putting others above ourselves that sets us apart.  I see it and want to embrace it in so many places.  Pride can assert itself in so many ways and it is only constant vigilance over it that allows us to attain any level of humility.

The astounding thing is that true humility is so elusive.  As my Grandfather used to say about humility, “The problem with humility is that the minute you think you have it, you have just lost it.”  So for me dear reader, the quest continues.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."