The abdomen is the reason why man does not readily take himself to be a god.

Hunger, digestion and the plain needs of a body keep grand self-conception in check. Whatever you believe about your own significance, you still have to eat, sleep and manage an ordinary animal life, and that gets in the way of thinking of yourself as above the rest of it. There is comedy in this and also relief, since a self that must be fed cannot get too far from everyone else’s condition.

When you feel either inflated or worthless, start with the physical facts. Ask when you last ate, slept properly, or moved, before you decide the problem is your character.