What does Humpty Dumpty mean?

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

All the king's horses and all the king's men

Couldn't put Humpty together again



Q: What is a fall from greatness that can't be put back together again by all the powerful forces on the outside?
A: Pride that takes offense*


* My use of pride here in terms of vice vs Virtue is not intended to disrespect, invalidate, or cause offense concerning other definitions. Pride has many definitions... I use the following definitions (as I have discovered them through Humpty Dumpty) because I find them to be true. By understanding and applying them (while also acknowledging that other perspectives exist), this site will teach you how to use the riddle to identify enemies and raise a happy, healthy, ethical egg.*

Humpty Dumpty is a metaphor for pride that takes offense. Pride wants to be the greatest and falls from Virtue when he doesn't get his way... If an egg only considers one aspect of whatever label hit him (or that he created himself), then he will only consider himself, and he will fall into judgment swiftly (e.g., the shorter his wall, the quicker his fall)... But the more aspects of reality that he holds with Compassion and Humility, the less he thinks of himself and the more he considers others. The taller Humpty sits, the more healthy and whole he will be...

The riddle's answer separates an egg from its ego, helping a child to recognize that he has control over his shell. By recognizing what an offense is, an egg can grow out of it - compassionately putting himself together again and growing into Virtue. No external powers can repair a scrambled spirit - he has to do it himself.

Beware: Taking offense is the root of all evil. An egg that throws insults has taken offense - has perceived a challenge to its greatness - and acted as if under fire by producing verbal violence. *He hurts.* Identifying which aspect of greatness fell will pinpoint an egg's growth edge. (For egg-sample: An offended egg producing the word “nigger” - used here only for reference - has perceived a challenge to the greatness of his “color” and needs to grow into Compassion by adopting perspectives of “color.”)

An egg that refuses to identify its falls from greatness is a threat to himself and to others.

An egg that doesn't hold himself accountable for his fall has an aspect of himself that he does not Love... An egg that does not Love himself by holding himself accountable can be dangerous to both himself and to others.

Message from Mother

Healthy language is a treasure. As a mother, I wondered how best to raise my son to be a good person, and to protect him from those who were bad. As a nursery riddle, Humpty Dumpty helps with both: When I can more readily recognize that I have become a threat to myself, I can see those signs in others.

After Mother Goose teaches the definitions of vice and Virtue, pride and Humility, offense and Accountability, she uses the riddle to encourage her egg's healthy, virtuous growth. The metaphor helps a child *visualize* INTERNAL falls, which identifies spiritual growth edges. (In other words, any time an egg perceives an offense, a Virtue can be identified to grow into.)Words matter. What we say leaves a legacy. How we use language shapes not only ourselves, but our environment.

Without the ability to name the aspects of a disease, a cure will not be found.

Without precise definitions, communication fails.

Without accurate metaphors, abstract concepts can be impossible to grasp...

When it comes to raising healthy, ethical eggs, without the ability to visualize an internal fall from greatness, an egg has no way to put itself together again. As I solved the riddle and applied it to my life, I became wiser. Identifying fallen pride is a survival skill - it teaches you how to read a room. It is also necessary for moral and mental health and maturity. Recognizing and writing the definitions here has become my life's passion... in the name of world Peace.

Everybody falls. Everybody wants to be the greatest. Taking offense is a natural reaction when things don’t go your way. It's the vice that chooses to follow the fall with physical or verbal violence, and an adult egg that holds itself accountable.

The question of Virtue is not only about whether you’ve fallen. Everybody falls.... When you DO fall, it's about whether you acknowledge and grow.

The question of evil is not whether you’ve been bad...but whether you persist and refuse to hold yourself accountable.

The question of maturity is not one of age...but one of strength of resilience in Humility.

The difference between a child and an adult, between mental illness and mental health, and between evil and good... is the difference between pride and Humility:

Accountability. It is written in a riddle for every egg to solve and apply to their lives.

It is my hope that this knowledge humbles humanity. 

May you have the wisdom to recognize an internal fall from greatness, Compassion for your weaknesses, and the Humility to put yourself together again.

May you see the opportunity for growth in every moment of friction.

May Love, Forgiveness, Patience, Compassion, Humility, and Grace be spiritual growth into Virtues when your greatness is challenged. 

Piece be you. (sic)

-Egoomelette

“To enchain syllables, and to lash the wind, are equally the undertakings of Pride, unwilling to measure its desires by its strength.”

- Samuel Johnson (preface to 1755 dictionary)

The following egg-sample is based on a true story and is meant to show parents how to use Humpty Dumpty to raise their children:

Once upon a time, Mother Goose drove down the highway, pondering the mysteries of the universe with her 8-year-old egg who was safely strapped into the backseat.
"Why is the sky blue?" chirped the egg.
"Sometimes it's not," Mother Goose replied wisely. "Sometimes it's purple. Sometimes it's pink. Light comes in many colors."
"What IS light?" the egg asked.
"That's a good question," she replied. "I don't have the answer right now," said Mother Goose, humbly aware of her limitations.
"Why?" her egg pressed.
"I have to find the right answer," Mother said. "You may not be old enough to understand," she remarked.
"But I AM old enough!" the egg whined, offended and cracking his own shell at the idea of not having achieved the great age he wanted.
Mother Goose recognized the symptoms of fallen pride from her egg and felt her own internal shelf begin to crack as well... She wanted a peaceful environment to be greater than the friction on her ears.
"Humpty Dumpty fell," she quacked. "Please put him back on his shelf."
The little egg saw that he was tearing himself apart... and stopped rocking in his seat. After a few moments, he smiled patiently and said, "OK, mother. I like that metaphor."
Mother Goose looked in the rear-view mirror at her egg. He had humbly acknowledged his limitations - he couldn’t be any older than he was - and had grown up just a little. She smiled as well, humbled by his ability to put himself back together again.

Piece be you. (sic)

-Egoomelette

"I am not insensible of the Impossibility of pleasing all, but I would not willingly displease any; and for those who will take Offense where none is intended, they are beneath the Notice of Your Humble Servant."

- Silence Dogood

Are Your Feelings Valid? Genuine vs. True Emotions

All emotions are genuine, but only some emotions are valid. Just because you feel something, doesn't make its source true.

For egg-sample: If you tell a girl she's getting a bike for her birthday and she's happy, her emotion is genuine. But if you lied to her, she still had a true, genuine emotion... but it's invalidated due to its basis on misinformation.

Both pride and Humility have feelings of greatness... but one falls when its greatness is challenged, and the other doesn't... One has a sturdy wall and the other is crumbling...

An offense is a feeling. An aspect of greatness is a feeling, but feelings don't dictate facts, so it's important to understand the difference.

MORAL: Question your gut reactions - even the positive ones - or you could be misled... by your own feelings.