Boasting

I suspect I may be hiding my self-worth

behind the commonplace social custom

that eschews the act of boasting.

In my western culture experience,

boasting is disliked, suppressed.

He who speaks well about himself

implying "I am worthy" or "I am good"

is met with caution and confusion,

with uncertainty of an adequate response,

unable even to evaluate

or celebrate his claim

for they rarely are required to do so.

most often a claim of goodness

of achievement, of self-worth

is suffixed with a redirection

of the energy of worth

towards another factor

another person

or the surrounding conditions

or a stroke of good luck

or a leaking of laughter

to release the bright presence

of true self-worth.

sharing one's own self-worth is disliked

due to the legacy of generations

why is it so disliked?

the quick answer is:

the claim of self-worth indicates arrogance

and arrogance is unwelcome.

a little deeper, I find

a claim of self-worth may cause others to believe

that his fortune is my misfortune

by principles of competition

and feel thus attacked by the claim.

Such comparison only occurs

if the spirit of divisiveness is present

and such joy cannot be shared.

In truth, shared joy is blissful

and need not be translated

into unworth for the rest.

In the tribe,

let the hunter who brings the deer be celebrated,

let the woman who gives birth be honored.

And most importantly,

let each person honor himself

unhidden and unashamed.