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“Be humble, O soul!”

These the words I tell myself as I throw myself into a morning reviewing another’s work.

For here I am, wondering if I’m surrounded by people who are simply blagging it, taking on roles they’re not in the least suited for. The more I dig into what they have produced, the more my inner discontent growls, “This is just crap. It needs to be thrown in the bin.”

How is it that a person tasked with writing cannot write? Or that a person tasked with editing will not edit? That there’s no attention to detail? That they heed no advice on accessibility? That they copy and paste wholesale from other sources with no respect for copyright or citation?

How is it that the answer to any mildly challenging task is, “This is too technical for me”? Or when patiently trained, they respond, “I’m sorry, I still don’t understand.” And how so that I will end up doing the work for them in an effort to bring it up to standard?

But it is here that the inner voice implores me to be humble. Couldn’t it be that they have skills I don’t? Or that they’re simply overworked, and have too much to do in order to do it well? Or that they’re trying their best, and in time will improve their output, just as we all had to learn to do?

“Be humble, O soul! And be more generous. For really, who are you to cast aspersions on another?”

And this voice speaks the truth. For while I have a particular set of skills, I struggled for years with verbal articulation, brain fog and shyness: undermining the foundational building blocks of any career. Could it be that their abilities far outweigh mine, and they will go far while I remain behind?

Here I must thank the One, who granted me sound employment where once I was without hope, and gave me direction where once I had had none, and made what I needed to do easy for me, despite myself.

“O soul, won’t you be humble?”