“For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and
those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Lule 14:11)
Have
you ever heard of the Dunning-Kruger Effect? It’s this wild theory cooked up by
two Cornell University psychology students back in 1999 to explain why people
think they’re terrific at things they actually suck at. These guys noticed how
students who did particularly crappy work on an exam still left the exam room
thinking they’d aced it. Basically, the Dunning-Kruger Effect tries to explain
why some people are too dumb to know how dumb they are.
Have
you ever heard somebody with a small amount of knowledge in an area spout off
like he’s just earned a PhD in the subject? That’s the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
It’s our tendency to overestimate our own sense of worth and compare ourselves
favorably to others. It’s like when 66% of business managers rate themselves as
being in the top 5%.
Conversely,
Dunning and Kruger reported that individuals with a relatively high level of
expertise often questioned their own abilities and status in their chosen
arenas. They were smart enough to know they didn’t know everything. They tend,
to borrow the metaphor from the Gospel lesson[i] for Pentecost 12 Year C,
to take the lower places, believing the higher place might be reserved for
another.
Unfortunately,
humility has never been humanity’s strong suit. Ever since the serpent told Eve
eating the fruit would make her be like God[ii], we’ve been preoccupied
with our own sense of self-worth. I’ll bet Jesus was really amused at that
banquet as he watched the guests slithering around while trying to make the
best impression to receive recognition from their host or fellow guests. I have
to wonder if he was chuckling to himself quietly. I also have to wonder where his
assigned seat was[iii].
Let’s
face it: we all have a certain lust for status. You know this if you’ve ever
gone to a high school or college reunion. Everybody wants to show off how well
they’ve done, how great and important their work is, how nice their home is,
how attractive their kids are, and what great vacations and leisure their hard
work and brilliance have allowed them to enjoy[iv]. Imagine if you showed up
to one of these shindigs and said, “I still live in my parents’ house. I’m
disabled with no job, I never married, have no kids, never travel, and I live
on government assistance.” Would you even bother showing up? Perhaps you could
augment your revelations by saying, “But God is still good to me.” How do you
think the other guests would react to that? How would you react?
It
would seem status in the eyes of Jesus is not about earthly achievement but
about inclusivity, mercy, and generosity. The “poor, the crippled, the lame,
and the blind” are always welcome guests at his banquet. COVID-19 and the
recent public utility workers’ strike in Philadelphia rather dramatically
emphasized the gap we have between high status and actual importance. Think
about it. What if every construction day laborer, lettuce picker, hotel maid,
carwash attendant, nursing home aid, landscape crewmember, and Dunkin Donuts
counter worker were suddenly scooped up and packed off to their country of
origin? We’d be pretty lost without them. Since this is Labor Day weekend, it
might be appropriate to say a prayer of gratitude for those who do the lower
status work.
I
think we all suffer from our own form of the Dunning-Kruger Effect. It’s so
easy to see ourselves as deserving—at least more deserving than that
person—when, once we stop to recognize it, we all have sinned and fallen short
of the glory of God[v].
Maturity in faith tells us where our place at the banquet table ought to be. It
shows us our faults and our shortcomings and teaches us humble submission to God’s
rule and humble gratitude for God’s grace. It also reminds us that, in God’s
eyes, we are no more lovely or deserving than anyone else. It teaches us the
absurdity of comparison and competition, and it lets us get rid of our own fear
of inadequacy or disgrace and lets us make peace with being average. Once we stop coveting that more prominent seat at
the table, we can really enjoy the banquet.
I’m
so glad you stopped by this week. Please enjoy your Labor Day weekend and come
visit my blog again.
PS
– Learn more about the Dunning-Kriger Effect by clicking this link: Dunning-Kruger
[i]
Luke 11:1, 7-14.
[ii]
Genesis 3:5
[iii]
Do you think they put the peasant preacher from Nazareth in a lower seat? In
verses 2-6, omitted from this lesson, Jesus took one of the guests aside and
quietly healed his edema. I’ll bet none of the other guests could do that.
[iv]
Also, how thin and fit they still are, compared to you. (Looks like you’ve put
on a few pounds since we saw you last)
[v]
Romans 3:23
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