Pride and Humility in Geopolitics

Underlying the two main geopolitical systems in the world – the Western unipolar model and the BRICS+ multipolar model – are the opposing spiritual realities of pride and humility. The Western model, having its foundation in satanic pride – that Western civilization, especially the United States, is superior to any other, whether past, present, or future – shows that the Western elite and many of the plainfolk are spiritually sick and blind and have doomed themselves to destruction. The BRICS+ countries, on the other hand, are content to let each country in their bloc and elsewhere in the world develop according to her own logos and telos, to not impose, to show restraint. This is a mark of humility, which will bring the blessings of God upon them.

The remarkable spiritual writer of the Orthodox Church, St Ignatius Brianchaninov (+1867), lays bare the character and motivations of the proud and the humble, and these in turn give us the keys to understanding the actions of the major geopolitical actors today. He begins Chapter 36 of his book on monasticism, The Arena,

‘A monk must be extremely cautious of carnal and animal zeal, which outwardly appears pious but in reality is foolish and harmful to the soul. Worldly people and many living the monastic life, through ignorance and inexperience, often praise such zeal without understanding that it springs from conceit and pride. They extol this zeal as zeal for the faith, for piety, for the Church, for God. It consists in a more or less harsh condemnation and criticism of one's neighbors in their moral faults, and in faults against good order in church and in the performance of the church services. Deceived by a wrong conception of zeal, these imprudent zealots think that by yielding themselves to it they are imitating the holy fathers and holy martyrs, forgetting that they—the zealots—are not saints, but sinners.’

Who are the ones constantly, harshly criticizing country after country around the world for shortcomings of one kind or another? The Western countries, who, as we have said, are blind to their own sins, making them hypocrites:

‘If the saints accused or convicted those who were living in sin or irreligion, they did so at the command of God, as their duty, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, not at the instigation of their passions and demons. Whoever decides of his own self-will to convict his brother or make some reprimand, clearly betrays and proves that he considers himself more prudent and virtuous than the person he blames, and that he is acting at the instigation of passion and deception and diabolic thoughts. We need to remember the Savior's injunction: "Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye,' and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

‘What is a plank in this connection? It is the earthly wisdom or carnal outlook, hard as a plank, which deprives the heart and mind of all capacity for true vision, so that one is quite unable to judge either one's own inner state or the state of one's neighbor. Such a person judges himself and others as he imagines himself to be, and as his neighbors appear to him outwardly, by his carnal mind, mistakenly. And so the Word of God is extremely just in calling him a hypocrite.’

Having rejected any thought of submitting themselves to the commands of God the All-Holy Trinity, the Westerners have made themselves servants of their fallen passions and of the fallen angels. The actions of people dominated by such forces will never bring forth anything helpful in the world:

‘A Christian, after being healed by the Word of God and the Spirit of God, gains a true view of his spiritual state and that of his neighbors. The carnal mind, by striking his sinning neighbor with a plank, always upsets and confuses him, often ruins him, never does any good and cannot bring any benefit, and has not the least effect on sin. On the other hand, the spiritual mind acts exclusively on the soul-sickness of one's neighbor, compassionates, heals, and saves him.’

On the contrary, the Western peoples constantly exaggerate little faults and offenses into world-threatening catastrophes, which leads to overreaction, sanctions, wars, death:

‘It is worth noticing that, after acquiring spiritual understanding, the defects and faults of one's neighbor begin to seem very slight and insignificant, as redeemed by the Savior and easily cured by repentance—those very faults and defects which seemed to the carnal understanding so big and serious. Evidently the carnal mind, being itself a plank, gives them this huge significance. The carnal mind sees in others sins that are not there at all. For this reason, those who are carried away by foolish zeal often fall into slandering their neighbor and become the tool and toy of fallen spirits.’

If the Western powers want to be a healing presence in the world, they must judge themselves harshly and show leniency toward their sister countries:

‘If you want to be a true, zealous son of the Orthodox Church, you can do so by the fulfillment of the commandments of the Gospel in regard to your neighbor. Do not dare to convict him. Do not dare to teach him. Do not dare to condemn or reproach him. To correct your neighbor in this way is not an act of faith, but one of foolish zeal, self-opinion, and pride. Poemen the Great was asked, "What is faith?" The great man replied that faith consists in remaining in humility and showing mercy; that is to say, in humbling oneself before one's neighbors and forgiving them all discourtesies and offenses, all their sins. As foolish zealots make out that faith is the prime cause of their zeal, let them know that true faith, and consequently also true zeal, must express themselves in humility regarding our neighbors and in mercy toward them. Let us leave the work of judging and convicting people to those persons on whose shoulders is laid the duty of judging and ruling their brethren.’

St Ignatius’s warnings against the proud become even more incandescent as this chapter closes:

‘Self-opinion, presumption, or conceit is a great calamity. Refusal of humility is a great calamity. A great calamity is that attitude or state of soul in which a monk, without being called upon or asked, merely from a sense of his own fitness or aptitude, begins to teach, convict, reproach, or blame his neighbors. When asked to give advice or express your opinion, either refuse to do so because you know nothing, or else in extreme necessity speak with the greatest caution and modesty, so as not to wound yourself with pride and vainglory, and your neighbor with a harsh and foolish outburst.’

When in recent history have the West refrained from teaching, convicting, reproaching, or blaming others? Thus do they wound themselves and their neighbors, and justly gain the reproach of those they constantly berate. But true love for God and for others brings forth better fruit:

‘When for your labor in the garden of the commandments God grants you to feel in your soul divine zeal, then you will see clearly that this zeal will urge you to be silent and humble in the presence of your neighbors, to love them, to show them kindness and compassion, as St. Isaac the Syrian has said.

‘Divine zeal is a fire, but it does not heat the blood. It cools it and reduces it to a calm state. The zeal of the carnal mind is always accompanied by heating of the blood, and by an invasion of swarms of thoughts and fancies. The consequences of blind and ignorant zeal, if our neighbor opposes it, are usually displeasure with him, resentment, or vengeance in various forms; although if he submits, our heart is filled with vainglorious self-satisfaction, excitement, and an increase of our pride and presumption.’

If the Westerns countries want to continue in their service to evil forces, the people of Dixie at least should leave that fetid camp and return to the wisdom of her bygone years, before her conquest by the Yankees, when she sounded very much like St Ignatius:

‘Charity ought to begin at home. As long as it can find there, anything to do; it ought to stay and do it. It may travel when its work is done; it may use its feet, when its hands are idle. The whole power of the society, ought to be applied to its ends. After they are perfectly realized it may help other societies. It must not be generous to others; while unjust to itself. It must perfect itself, before it perfects others. There is little room for charity abroad; if there is much room for charity at home. Home duties are highest. If one community tries to better another before it betters itself; it worsts both. It does a wrong. It wrongs those who are nearer and dearer. That wrong is atrocious. If our state or family are not perfect; they need our means. They must have preference. If there is any giving or helping; it must be for them. Everything must go to them. If they have no needs, the surplus may go to others; but the first needs must be first answered.

‘ . . . Progress deliberates. It must be patient. It is slow. Agents must be habituated, before actions can be habitual. Hurry disorders: it is not wise: haste is anarchy. Progress does not sweat; it does not run; it walks with a lame heel, and handles with a sore hand. It hastens slowly’ (Henry Hughes, Treatise on Sociology (1854), Book I, pgs. 74-5).