The Antidote to Resentment & Contempt

It’s simpler and harder than you think.

If you see a good deal remarkable in me I see just as much remarkable in you.

Why, what have you thought of yourself?

Is it you then that thought yourself less?

-Walt Whitman

I don’t read poetry very often because it’s just too … poetic … for me. But recently I’ve been reading Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass for the first time, and I’m bowled over by his grandiose, generous philosophy.

He thinks so highly of himself! “The Song of Myself” is 1336 lines of complete self-love. And yet not one time ever does he set himself up as the center of the universe. On the contrary, he thinks just as highly of himself as of everyone else on the planet. According to Walt Whitman, every single person that exists is an absolute masterpiece.

That’s confident humility.

Confidence: Knowing that despite your flaws, you have awe-inspiring potential and capacity. As in, mind blowing!

Humility: Knowing everyone else does, too.

The stressful, festive, pressure-filled, glitter-covered, joyous end-of-year holiday season brings out both the best and the worst in people. Which is it for you?