Humility in Jeopardy

A commentary by Hansel New

"I'll take oversized ego for $400, Alex."

Answer: "These two recent acceptance speech spoilers displayed unfettered arrogance. The first grabbed the microphone from a winner at the MTV Music Video Awards; the second gave a self-indulgent speech at the Basketball Hall of Fame."

"Umm, who are Kanye West and Michael Jordan?"

"Correct!"

Game show of life

I've always been a fan of the popular quiz show Jeopardy. I can imagine the above scenario unfolding based on the antics of those two individuals.

You probably saw the video or heard about it on Facebook. Just as country music singer Taylor Swift was about to give her acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards, the hip-hop artist Kanye West brazenly jumped onto the stage and uttered his now immortal words "Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you, and I'm [going to] let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!"

Michael Jordan, though not interrupted in his speech, garnered the wrong kind of attention when his Basketball Hall of Fame induction speech was more akin to settling scores than being gracious and appreciative. New York Time's columnist David Brooks called MJ's speech "egomaniacal and self-indulgent." ESPN's Rick Rielly labeled it "the Exxon Valdez of speeches. It was, by turns, rude, vindictive and flammable. And that was just when he was trying to be funny. It was tactless, egotistical and unbecoming. When it was done, nobody wanted to be like Mike."

The "me generation"

I believe both of these incidents give telling glimpses inside the self-serving nature of our modern culture.

We can trace the history of such modern self-centeredness (sociologists call it "expressive individualism") back to the cultural revolution of the 1960s. Journalist Tom Wolfe famously defined this period as the "me generation." Virtues such as duty, sacrifice and a strong work ethic were replaced by self-absorbed values like moral relativism, more emphasis on physical pleasures and self-expressiveness.

These changes in Western societal values quickly spread and now are deeply imbedded in our thinking, from the entertainment industry to sports, business, school and sadly even some churches. It seems we in the wealthy industrialized nations are in no hurry to get rid of "me" as the center of all things.

If not me, who?

Our Creator, however, never intended it to be this way. He designed us to seek Him first and foremost. Such a dramatic personal turnaround leads to an attitude that esteems others better than self. That's a major shift from the predominant view today.

The Bible calls this jeopardized attribute "humility." James, a leader in the early Church, set it straight: "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up" (James 4:10).

True personal worth

This is not to say the individual has no worth. On the contrary, God knows and loves each of us on a very personal level. It is simply not our place to prop up or exalt our own self-importance. Let God take care of that detail.

Focus instead on how you can serve Him and others! This exemplifies God's way of "give" versus the world's way of "get." You can learn more by reading "Building a Better Relationship with God."

Humility may be in jeopardy today, but you and I can know the answer to the "Final Jeopardy" question. Cue Alex Trebek:

Answer: "When humility will gain its rightful place in society."

"What is the Kingdom of God on earth?"

"Correct!"

VT