Much of your self-assessed goodness is actually the worth of others

Inflated self-valuations are almost always the result of the unrecognized and unremitted blessings from other people. What share of how much you enjoy came from other people? Do you accurately recognize just how little you deserve the good things that you enjoy?¹

You likely live in a place where your security, relative peace, prosperity, technology, and every other resource you enjoy is heavily subsidized if not fully paid by someone else. Do you really have the right to claim that any good that you do is anything more than what any halfway decent person would do in your place under the same circumstances, having been undeservingly gifted so much by others?²

Overexaggerated self-valuations are nothing new. For generations, the Israelites reveled in being designated a chosen people, but reflected far less often on who had secured this blessing for them or the conditions required for its continuation.³ Modern people would benefit by learning from their mistake.

Until you accurately perceive just how much of the good in your life is from other people, you’ll never have as much joy as you otherwise could. Joy comes from value. You will naturally appreciate the things you have earned. Unfortunately, much of what is presumed to be earned is actually due to the contributions of others, and you can’t appreciate a gift that you perceive is owed to you.⁴ Until you correctly assess the contributions of others to the good you have, you will underestimate the worth of every good thing that you enjoy in which they had a part.