In Robbie Burns’ poem, To a Louse, On Seeing One on a Lady’s Bonnet at Church, the lady was unaware that her new hat, and the economic means she must have enjoyed to support her purchase, did not protect her from head lice. On the other hand, the louse was blessed with the authenticity only a louse could have. It was just being a louse, any head of hair would suffice.

The metaphor goes far beyond new hats and head lice. Some of us believe fine jewels and fancy cars imply something about who we are; that somehow, gauze and lace places us above the messiness of life, not just head lice, but the foibles and the pains of being human. Burns’ point is that we are foolish to assume a new hat makes us more important than someone less fortunate. The louse is there to remind us otherwise.

The final stanza, (English translation), in the poem reads,

Oh, would some Power the small gift give us
To see ourselves as others see us!
It would from many a blunder free us,
And foolish notion:
What airs in dress and gait would leave us,
And even devotion!

It may be that humans have a natural tendency towards “airs and gaits.” Self-delusion can happen to the best of us. The implied power of the gift lies in the willingness to examine, with humility, one’s actions and behaviours as they relate to others.

You may have guessed where I’m going with this–marble bathrooms and grand ballrooms are no protection from blunders and foolish notions. Sometimes an entire group needs to see itself as others see it.

Where, oh where, is our humble louse to cast a light on this particular case of vanity and pretension?

Keep your joy.

Anne Milne is an every Sunday blogger, unless it’s a holiday weekend. Or summertime.