Humility Month

[XLFD]

"It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels."  --St. Augustine

In case you missed it, this June was widely celebrated in many venues as "Pride Month".  This isn't a new phenomenon, but it seems as if it has been given new momentum this year from corporate and government agencies that proudly brandish their rainbow flags and offer their unequivocal support of alternative lifestyles.  

Pride can have positive connotations.  A parent can be proud of their child's accomplishments, one who takes pride in their work will generally provide a better good or service.  Yet self-pride itself is one of the Bible's seven deadly sins and recognized as the greatest sin by such renowned church leaders as Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, and Luther.  Novelist C.S. Lewis recognized this:

"According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil:

Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind…… it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began."

Unchecked pride leads to a very bad place and history abounds with examples of this happening.  Such pride can be summarized as an attitude of contempt and indifference towards others and an attitude of self-sufficiency, self-importance, and self-exaltation in their personal 'religion', which has little room for any deity other than the all-important self. 

Devoting a whole month to pride in anything is apt to grow that pride to dangerous proportions, especially when all humility is crowded out.  Humility and the humbling of oneself is out of fashion in today’s world and seems unappealing to most of us, especially those who consider themselves successful.  Rick Warren explains what humility is by saying:  "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less."  

Being humble, is being selfless rather than selfish.  We see this quality in our best people who may ultimately sacrifice their life for others by serving honorably in the armed forces, the police, the fire department, etc.  In history, we see that quality in those who lead peaceful movements that change the minds of others, consider Gandhi, MLK, and Jesus Christ along with many nameless individuals participating in wars defending their homeland or participating in other just causes.

This is why D-Day (June 6) begins and exemplifies Humility Month.  About 156,000 Americans, Canadians and Britons stormed the beaches of Normandy to earn a beachhead on the European continent that would ultimately lead to the liberation of France and the winning of World War 2.  The valor of the American troops at well-fortified Omaha Beach, a half-world away from their homeland, reflects the selfless ultimate sacrifice made by thousands that day in an effort to defeat the Nazis, led by the very proud Adolph Hitler.

June 14, known as Flag Day, is the national holiday when we celebrate the American flag and the next milestone in Humility Month.  Taking pride in your flag and country is humbling yourself before them, much like you humble yourself by being proud in another person's achievements or in the quality of your work in helping others.  The day commemorates the day when the first American flag was introduced, it also coincided with the two-year anniversary of the US Continental Army's formation back in 1775.  Those who joined that army selflessly proffered their lives for the ideals of the republic-to-be, a very humble act.  This date also coincides with Donald Trump's birthday, who arguably acted with impressive humility during his presidency once you look past the trademark bombast.

A 'new' holiday officially called "Juneteenth National Independence Day" on June 19 is another topic that could be argued about for appropriateness.  Originally, a local Texas holiday recognizing the day when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger led soldiers to Galveston back in 1865 to deliver the message that the Union had won the war and the ending of slavery would be enforced, as per Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, effectively an executive order.  The 13th Amendment officially passed on December 6th of that same year is a more appropriate time to celebrate the ending of the institution of slavery in America.

Nevertheless, the holiday recognizes the courage and sacrifices made during the Civil War period by Union soldiers, Republican officeholders, and slaves in order to achieve freedom for all, so the brand-new holiday Juneteenth recognizes these humble acts.  It should also be noted that the bloodiest battle of the Civil War took place at Gettysburg during this month period (July 1-3).

Humility Month has additional entries this year courtesy of a more-constructionist Supreme Court that has decided to follow the principles of the Constitution rather than create new powers for the federal government.  Over the last two weeks, the court has returned the abortion issue back to the state, limited the power of regulatory agencies to make rules outside the legislative process, expanded the rights of gun owners to carry guns outside of their property, and strengthened the role that religion can play in public life.  

American government is at its humblest when it preserves or reserves the rights of the people and/or the powers of the states, and these rulings all follow that motif-- especially when the six members of the court most responsible have come under fire from most media and the currently dominant political party following the unlawful early release of the Dobb's abortion opinion draft.  This action led to one justice getting a visit from somebody out to kill him and illegal protests at the residences of those other justices which seem fully sanctioned by the same people who are unfazed by having other differently aligned protesters imprisoned in a DC gulag for trespassing charges for 18 months. 

Humility Month ends with a bang this year and all others, literally.  July 4 is traditionally known as Independence Day, but historically, a lot happened on the two days prior that some founding fathers wanted an event longer than one day.  In 2022, we have the nicest coincidence where July 2nd and 3rd fall on the weekend, and so most can celebrate all three days.  At the heart of Independence Day, Thomas Jefferson crafted a declaration that humbly prostrated itself before the Creator, the consent of the governed, and the Laws of Nature, before listing the offenses of the prideful king of England-- left unnamed as if to poke that veneer of regal pride.

As you can see, Humility Month is humble enough to begin in the midst of a month and continue into another, allowing both months to retain their integrity.  Humility Month is humble enough to last only 29 days (June 6-July4), coming in loud early on the beaches of Normandy and going out loud in the nighttime skies of your neighborhood, but with a lot of quiet moments of humility in between.  

In conclusion, people proud of themselves because of their alternative lifestyle, is as bad as the white supremacist proud of himself due to the color of his skin, perhaps worse because the former has some independent control over their lifestyle.  It is an often-hard lesson to learn, but humility is more attractive to the world than pride is and too much pride in oneself leads inevitably to a fall.  As Jesus Christ is quoted in the book of Matthew: “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.’”  Whatever your station in life, avoid self-pride and embrace humility whenever possible.

[XLFD]

It's hard to humbly reply to that other than by saying thank you very much for your overestimation of my modest talent.

[Willy]

I agree, very good article X. The left has hijacked many words and have used them to manipulate any political exchange that arises. "pride, gay, rainbow, woke, gender, phobic, assault rifle, justice, equality, climate change, diversity, feminism, white privilege, etc,  the list goes on and on. Changing the meaning and definition of words is one of the  main tactics used in spreading their lies and deceit. After researching just how much of the language has been altered by the left it's no wonder they are winning the war on words.

 

[XLFD]

The lefties want to erase all your rights and the easiest way to take away speech is to take away the different ways to express yourself, especially in any meaningful way that goes against their own dicta.  Orwell's dystopian masterpiece 1984 shows exactly how that's done and how government, media, and education can all work in concert to do it, just like they are doing now, 38 years later than 1984.  You need to fight back while you still can.