6th Degree of Humility

The sixth degree of humility is that a monk be content with the poorest and worst of everything, and that in every occupation assigned him he consider himself a bad and worthless workman, saying with the Prophet, “I am brought to nothing and I am without understanding; I have become as a beast of burden before You, and I am always with You.”

Chapter 7, Rule of St. Benedict

This always strikes me. It resonates. How freeing is it to accept with humility whatever we have. This doesn’t say we must have the poorest and worst of everything, but that we be content with it.

Each time I read it, I want to sit with it for days.

It continues that he consider himself a bad and worthless workman, which is pretty easy for anyone in software engineering to do. Anytime things work right, I am quickly corrected by a flaming pile of code. But, the first part is really something else.

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