Humility, oddly enough, leads us to recognize our human dignity... we were created for God

So I have no self-control and decided to begin reading A Guide to Living in the Truth: Saint Benedict's Teaching on Humility by Michael Casey. It's so good. I've only read 2 chapters, but Casey keeps hitting on all the things I have been thinking about humility and somewhat making me think "Why write a thesis? This guy already said everything I want to say and with much more eloquence and breadth than I could." But then even he states "to understand humility we need to use the insights from some of the behavioral sciences." So then psychology may be able to provide unique insight into this misunderstood virtue. And it is now my task to figure out the best place to start in such an endeavor. I need not write an expose on all of the nuances of humility; I need to think of a way psychology can shed light on how this virtue functions in human thought and behavior.

I feel compelled to write out some favorite passages from the little I have read thus far:

"There can be no genuine spirituality that does not take seriously the gospel imperative of the paschal mystery. We enter life through the doorway of death. Receptivity of grace involves the diminishment of certain temporal advantages. It could be said that it involves a loss of self."
This is the closest Casey has gotten to reflecting Murray's definition of humility--mainly the losing of self that God may be all. He seems to have a broader conception of the term which I think is good.

"Humility is, above all, a respect for the nature of things, a reluctance to force reality to conform to subjective factors in ourselves."

"In forgetting we are not gods, pride also makes us expect too much from ourselves [in addition to expecting too much from others]. Many people cannot forgive themselves for being human: for their slowness of mind and ineffectiveness of will. ... The first thrust of humility is to inculcate in us an acceptance that we are of the earth; we are humus."

"The recognition of our earthly nature leads us to affirm that our fundamental relationship with God is one of dependence. ... we have nothing to contribute to the relationship except our needs. Our deepest spiritual experience is to feel utterly dependent on God and to want to submit ourselves to the divine will."

"Instinctual thoughts and desires, no matter how disreputable, are not sin. Sin is the free preference for evil over goodness. It is the absurd choice we humans often make for what is intrinsically of less value. Sin is the rejection of the human tendency to seek the good, the beautiful, and the true. Sin is, fundamentally, the denial of our nature."

"To exclude the real because it is imperfect is to live a life ensconced in daydreams. As the old saying goes, 'The best is the enemy of the good.' Or in Chesterton's rephrasing of a nineteenth-century cliche: 'If it is worth doing, it is worth doing badly.'"

"Humility is truth; when opportunity and aptitude coincide, it is humility that impels us to take the risk and act. Humility is not incompatible with the gift of boldness so often mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. There is, of course, no guarantee of the success of the action or the plaudits of onlookers. Humility helps us to cope with that uncertainty also: the value of a truthful action is not lessened by contingent effects, although it takes a little maturity to recognize this."

"Humility means setting aside the mask ... We present ourselves to others transparently, in all our imperfection and vulnerability. We depend on their good will for acceptance and love, not on the success of our efforts at self-promotion."
What a risky stance! No wonder we have a hard time being humble if our being accepted and loved by others is dependent on their mere good will. But then the Christian is always supported by the Good Will of his Father, Savior, and Spirit and by these his brothers and sisters are also able to accept and love him in his imperfection.

So then my question becomes, is it healthy for someone without the support of this Good Will to be humble? First, is it possible for someone who is spiritually dead to be clothed in humility? I think yes, in that he can accept his earthliness. But where would this humility leave such a one?

"At the heart of Christian anthropology is the conviction of a deep affinity between human nature and spiritual life. The difficulties of living spiritually do not come from our nature, as such, but from the deformation of our nature through selfishness and pride. Humility aims to eliminate the phony aspects of our life and to help us to live in truth. Part of the truth of human existence is that we are called to live for God. Humility, oddly enough, leads us to recognize our human dignity. It reminds us that we were created for God and that we will be profoundly miserable until we devote the substance of our energies to the realization of this innate potential."

So the one who does not realize that he was created for God, humility will not lead him to recognize his human dignity... what will it lead him to recognize?

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On another note, I watched Babel tonight. I do not recommend. Unless you need a reminder of the hopelessness and brokennes of this world... and who needs that? Perhaps some people do, but I've seen enough of it in real life, day to day experience lately that watching it for "entertainment" seems absurd. I feel like I really wasted an evening, and I rarely feel that way. Not only wasted, but it left me feeling sick and sad and empty. Alas. At least I enjoyed some good time with two friends and basked in the cuteness of the Burns' children.

I need a productive day tomorrow.