OK, this “morning musing” post is a) not really being posted in the “morning” (though I was musing about it then), and b) about as totally unrelated to photography as possible. Hey, its my (humble) blog!
Recently recipients of high honors or acclamations have been responding to these honors by saying, “I’m humbled.”
Probably not.
I just grabbed one definition of the word “humbled” off the web — from the Free Dictionary:
tr.v. hum·bled, hum·bling, hum·bles
- To curtail or destroy the pride of; humiliate.
- To cause to be meek or modest in spirit.
- To give a lower condition or station to; abase. See Synonyms at degrade.
Imagine that the recipient of high honors and acclaim stood in front of those conferring the honor or award and announced:
“Your award humiliates me and destroys my pride. You have reduced me to a lower condition and station, and I am abased. You have degraded me. You make me meek. Your award demotes and dishonors me and devalues me.”
Actually, you don’t have to imagine. That is essentially what it means when a person claims to be “humbled” by an honor!
If you want to have even more fun with this, see some of the synonyms and related words listed in one of the comments following this post. Using them, our recipient might add:
Thank you for demeaning and discrediting me, humiliating me, and bringing me shame. It is wonderful to be taken down and dishonored by a group such as yours. I am embarrassed and grateful that you have castigated and diminished me in this way. I thank you for your ridicule and bad-mouthing disparagement and for presenting me with such a slanderous public affront.
I think that the people misusing the word “humbled” in this context actually mean well. They are trying to express gratitude and to not seem fat-headed or egotistical — and those are good things. However, there are better words to convey what they likely want to say. How about: “I’m grateful. Thank you. You have honored me. I never thought that this would happen. I deeply appreciate this. I want to thank all of the people who have supported me. I hope I can live up to your expectations. This means a lot to me.”
And thus ends my humble rant. ;-)
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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I’m humbled that I managed to humble a humble guy like you… ;-)
Lots of people miss that distinction, so save the “I’m an immigrant” card for a time when you really need it!
By the way, I’m looking forward to our meet-up in late October.
Dan
OK, I’m humbled :)
Can I play the “I’m an immigrant; not my native language” card?
Guy
Or just pick a different dictionary. Here’s the definition from Merriam-Webster:
: not proud : not thinking of yourself as better than other people
: given or said in a way that shows you do not think you are better than other people
: showing that you do not think of yourself as better than other people
Guy, I know that you love words at least as much as I do — perhaps more! I think that the definitions you shared here are for the adjective “humble” rather than for the verb “humbled.”
It is good to be humble. In fact, if the person wants to express gratitude for receiving accolades and reassure the world that he or she remains humble, that is a Good Thing.
However, to tell folks that you are “humbled” by the award implies something else entirely. ;-)
Humbly yours,
Dan ;-)
BTW: Here is the Merriam Webster definition of the verb “humble.”
Oh, and gotta’ love the synonyms and “related words” from the listing!
Synonyms — abase, chasten, cheapen, debase, degrade, demean, discredit, disgrace, dishonor, foul, humiliate, lower, shame, sink, smirch, take down
Related Words — abash, confound, confuse, discomfit, disconcert, discountenance, embarrass, faze, fluster, mortify, nonplus, rattle; belittle, castigate, criticize, cry down, decry, depreciate, detract, diminish, discount, disparage, minimize, put down, ridicule, write off; bad-mouth, defame, defile, libel, malign, slander; affront, insult; censure, condemn, damn, denounce, execrate, reprehend, reprobate
Dan,
Don’t even get me started on sports cliche…Giving 110%…or how many people have faced adversity just to be in the position to catch a ball.
I’m so with you on this…more careful consideration might be used by those attempting to convey a meaningful sentiment.
For that reason alone, I will never describe your pictures as “amazing.” Haha….they are excellent perhaps, not amazing. :-)
I accept no descriptions of any of my photographs short of “perfection.” ;-)
Would definition #2 apply appropriately in those cases?
Not really, though I can understand how it might first appear so.
#2 would describe to a situation in which the people making the award did so in order “to cause” the recipient “to be meek or modest in spirit.” That would be a strange award, indeed! “Here, we think that your performance suggests that you really should be a lot more meek and modest than you are!” ;-)
Dan