The Best and the Worst of Us

Ourselves, Charlotte Mason Volume 4 ( Part II The House Of Mind); Chapter 1- Ourselves

“No man should judge unless he asks himself in absolute honesty whether in a similar situation he might not have done the same.”

Viktor Frankl

We like to think we know what we’re capable of: our limits, our response to temptation, and our ability to consistently make the best decisions. Unfortunately, we don’t. We can’t predict the exact combination of circumstances that might lead us to do something we’d currently consider unimaginable.

What we can know, if we choose to, is what human beings as a whole are capable of. From the the worst we’re capable of to the very best we can be, the human experience spans a full spectrum. Some of it makes us recoil; some of it restores our faith.

Which brings us to self-knowledge. We can’t truly claim to know ourselves without acknowledging both the most debased and the most wholesome possibilities within us. That kind of understanding humbles us. It humbles us enough to deliberately choose good, knowing full well that we’re capable of the opposite. It makes us reverent, not because we think we’re better than others, but because we realise we’re not. And from that reverence, real self-control can grow.

We recognise that our good choices don’t stem from being inherently good, but from the desire to become someone who does good. We hope to know ourselves that honestly, and we hope our children will learn to do the same.

Best Regards,

Olufunmike