Pete Wright

Because then it's not grounded in self-deprecation or meekness. Right. It's grounded in maintaining perspective about where you are in the world. So that's what it used to be, you're saying? No, that's what I think. That's, I think, a really good definition of what it is. Got it. Yeah. Right? I think it's a more complete definition of what it is. But this is the fascinating bit.

The ancient views of humility. I am really, I feel like I have come into my own as a 50-something. Because suddenly I'm into, like, World War I and ancient Greeks. Are you my dad? Yeah, right. I've just become dad. This is what I think is really interesting. In ancient Greek philosophy, humility was not valued and was actually seen as a form of self-abasement. Pride and honor were the virtues.

Greeks. Yeah. Yeah. And that, like, isn't that fascinating? Like, be shocked about that. Pride was a virtue. Humility was effectively the sin.

Because that was it. I'm prime among peers. I am. I'm powerful. I'm strong. I am the best warrior. I'm the best whatever. Like Pride was the jam. when we were in more of a, I don't, I mean, the ancient civilization, right? The Greeks and the Romans that were all about pride.

Well, that, I guess, would be the sin, right, is false pride. But saying you're the best and trying to outdo one another, that sort of braggadocio was the event, right? That's why we threw each other in the Coliseum and fought, right? We fought lions and stuff. Like, what a horrible Sunday.

Right, right. Okay. So what was it that actually, this is where things get a little bit, again, crazy for my brain. What was it that actually changed society? humility and swapped humility and pride. What was that transition of humility from being denigrated to being respected as a virtue?

Well, it is always the one thing. Religion. You can be more specific than that. Jesus Christ. Superstar.

Well, that's what that's what he preached. But, you know, there is an argument that is made in many texts that even that wasn't really understood until one event in his lifetime or in his lifetime. What I know it is pretty well known. You know, I think you might have heard this one.

It was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Yes. And it's like, you know, if somebody strikes you in the left cheek, always turn against him with your right. Like that mentality started to make sense to people. And this is the thing that's crazy. It is documented that humility made that shift from sin to virtue over the course of, and units matter, two decades, 20 years. 2,000 years ago, people just changed belief.

That's how quickly the sentiment changed and humility became the jam of everyone.

There is a lot of writing and how the writing changes.

Wow. Everyone's writing.

Hey, Seuss Washington. Yeah, right. Right. So that is bonkers to me. Like, wow, we can't do anything in the span of 20 years. And the world, the Christian world changed an ideology in the span of 20 years.

Right. I'm just here whacking away at this bookshelf. Yeah. So, yeah. So it was really the Christian, the Christian input post Jesus's crucifixion was hot, hot, hot.

Interesting. And in Christian tradition now, right, the role of humility in counteracting pride, pride is considered the most severe of the seven deadly sins in many circles. Think about that. Right. Over like wrath? Right. Because it involves an excessive love of one's own excellence and often leads to other sins.

You can do anything you want.

You can greet it down. And you can do it wherever you want. You could do it in Times Square if you wanted to.

Is it really a sin? Right. If I'm doing it, surely it's not a sin.

And this was so crazy because I don't think I understood what we were talking. We've talked about pride before, and I don't think I really understood the context at that point when we talked about pride because we weren't looking at it in the context of humility. And until I was able to read about the evolution of humility, pride didn't make whole sense to me. But it does more so now.