Becoming Albus Dumbledore: Humble know-it-all #MNBHP

by · May 22, 2015

I told you everything I know. From this point forth, we shall be leaving the firm foundation of fact and journeying together through the murky marshes of memory into thickets of wildest guesswork. From here on in, Harry, I may be as woefully wrong as Humphrey Belcher, who believed the time was ripe for a cheese cauldron.”

“But you think you’re right?” said Harry.

“Naturally I do, but as I have already proven to you, I make mistakes like the next man. In fact, being — forgive me — rather cleverer than most men, my mistakes tend to be correspondingly huger.”

HBP

Dumbledore does not deny his cleverness or that he is very wise. Nor do I think we would believe him to be sincere if he did. Yet, Dumbledore is a very humble man. His humility is an undeniable part of his character. So, then, how do his comments above about his own wit match up with the picture of humility in our minds?

First, lets address a problem that has arisen in our times. Many of us have learned to think that to be “humble” is to be down on yourself. To think you’re worthless. Rather, being humble is to recognize your own gifts and talents and achievements, and also that they do not make you any better or more worthy than those without those same gifts, talents, achievements, etc.

Being humble, like Dumbledore, is to recognize who you are—the good, bad, and ugly—and that all those things make you no better than anyone else. Humility is valuing others (or loving others) as you value/love yourself. You can’t be humble if you don’t love and value yourself because then you will have no standard by which to love and value others.

CHALLENGE

Be humble like Dumbledore. Recognize who you are and that that person is no better than any other person. Recognize that you have gifts but you also have weaknesses. Recognize that you need others as much as they need you—that you value and love others just as much as you value and love yourself.

You are not worthless. No one is. We are all highly valuable, but none of us is worth more than the other.

Next Week: Becoming Harry Potter: Friend of Luna