Humble Quinoa

 

 

 

Humble Quinoa

 

George Orwell said that to see what’s in front of one’s nose requires a constant struggle.

 

Even though we might, in theory, have the “best” vantage point, we can be completely blind to see what everyone else sees. Rather, we refuse to believe others might know what they’re talking about. In our self-sufficient, deluded arrogance, we know best.

 

Sometimes it’s a can’t-see-the-forest-for-the-trees scenario—we’re so focused on the details, we cannot see the entire picture.

 

Or if we do get a clear glimpse, we have short term memory loss like Dory in “Finding Nemo.” Dory wants to find her family but because of her 10-second memory retention, the struggle is real. Or like James of The Bible who talks about the man who looks into a mirror and then immediately forgets what he looks like.

 

I was in a fancy restaurant once when the server asked me which side I’d like to go with my main course—specifically if I’d like the “Humble Quinoa.”

 

I looked up and replied, “Did you just ask if I’d like the humble quinoa?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What does that even mean?”

 

He didn’t really know, he just said that’s what they call the quinoa.

 

Pretentiousness is just a big bowl of wrong.

 

I internally rolled my eyes, outwardly smiled and said I’d like the arrogant quinoa.

 

True story.

 

We have options. We can have the arrogant, blind, skewed view, or we can have humble clarity.

 

Simple awareness of the universal human glitch George Orwell referred to might be the only answer—the humble, practiced discipline acknowledging our limitations and openness to rely on those who may be looking out for us. We might just get served up a big bowl of right.