It might be thought that I am almost the last person in the world who is in any position to offer advice on the subject of attaining humility!*
The fact is that I don't even attempt to be humble; because I don't believe that humility is something which can be attained by striving, therefore people should not even attempt to be humble.
Furthermore, those who urge humility upon others are usually trying to manipulate - or dis-courage - them; it can be an aggressive act to urge humility on another, and an act of self-hating, demotivated nihilism to strive for humility in oneself.
It seems particularly important at present that people do not get tricked into striving for humility; because these are times when the world at large is (wittingly, or self-deceptively) in service to evil; therefore a large majority of people - including the bulk of 'experts' - will falsely be informing, advising and instructing us.
Anyone who does not go-along-with the prevailing ideas will likely find themselves accused of arrogance, and urged to be more humble:
"Who are you? A single and a lone voice - to go against the consensus of both the mass majority and the (apparently) unanimous judgment of the experts, the professionals, those who are are far more educated and experienced in such matters. Isn't that extremely arrogant - if not crazy? Shouldn't you (as A Christian!) acknowledge that these others know-better than you do?..."
Christians need to be able to withstand such pressures, and resist the calls for greater humility (among those who dissent). And they need to be able to do so on the basis of Christian virtues - because motivations are primary; and only Good motivations tend towards Good outcomes.
Humility is indeed virtuous, but it is a sort-of side effect of other virtues that we can and should strive for; one of which is honesty.
Thus humility is Not a 'primary' virtue; but a secondary consequence, an inevitable outcome, of pursuing the genuine primary virtues**.
Desirable humility (the actual virtue) needs to be based-upon conscious and responsible acts of personal discernment. It should never be automatic, unconscious, nor done on the basis of external factors. Nor should our well-considered judgments be abandoned at the first sign of any opposition.
Desirable humility is therefore a deep and structural thing; which has nothing to do with manners and personality. Someone who asserts his own humility and urges it upon others, is nowadays likely to be someone who shirks his ultimate responsibility for salvation.
He is superficially humble, affects a 'meek and mild' demeanor; but is deeply prideful - because he has taken the side of the devil against God; opposes the loving harmony of divine creation; and seeks solidarity with the Empire of Lies - and he structures his life and behaviour accordingly.
This may be evidenced by the phenomenon of doubling-down - whereby a sin is compounded by denying it is a sin, where an error is amplified by refusing to acknowledge it, where a lie is excused then covered-up to become a mutually-supporting system of untruths - rather than being admitted...
While, on the other side, someone who digs in his heels and refuses to be persuaded by (dishonest) propaganda from (lying) Establishment sources - who indeed may publicly and forcefully assert what he judges to be the truth - may in fact be humble in the desirable and deep sense: as evidence by his commitment to truth, and willingness to admit his errors and expedient untruths.
But errors will be admitted on a timescale of being personally worked-through, and known from within - not by 'humbly' submitting to the pressure of public opinion or official sanctions.
Such a person is likely to become aware of his own sins, cowardice, misjudgments, missteps; and to acknowledge and repent them - to turn-around when he is going in the wrong direction, has taken the path towards evil.
In sum, we can discern the desirable kind of real and deep humility when we observe someone over-time self-correcting - something always necessary; and self-correcting into-line-with real-reality, not conforming into-line-with the expedient fakes and lies of the mainstream and powerful.
And we should learn to detect and reject those who affect humility as a style, and deploy the demand for humility as a cloak for domination.
In sum: desirable humility is only possible to those who acknowledge and discern correctly about the nature of spiritual war in this mortal world.
Notes:
* Or if not me, the "last person" to advise on humility might be supposed as Vox Day... The rest of the post is intended to show the error in such a judgment!
**It is common to regard Pride as the worst of sins; and to regard Humility as the opposite of Pride - which, if true, would make Humility the greatest virtue. But this is not true. If Pride indeed has an opposite virtue, this virtue would be Faith: Faith in and commitment to God and to God's will. In other words the First Commandment, as applied to the Christian understanding and knowledge of God.
