HUMILITY

In ISKCON there is an idea that true humility means you have to conjure up a kinder, gentler version of yourself so you can all just get along. It's a humility that says you have to straddle the fence, not offend anyone, and "make nice" with everyone. What a phony-baloney load of crap that is!

As I was raised a christian before I was introduced to ISKCON, I studied the Bible and so will refer to the Holy doctrine for reference:

Am I to believe that John the Baptist was not humble because he confronted the Pharisees and called them a bunch of snakes? Did Paul lack humility because he appeared to be unkind when he sharply confronted the Judaizers in Galatia and hinted they should all do themselves bodily harm? And in the Old Testament the Prophets of God probably never understood the concept. Where was Elijah's humility when he confronted Ahab and Jezebel, and slew the false prophets of Baal? Surely Elijah wasn't putting forth his best efforts to get along.

Webster's Dictionary is always an interesting place to start when you want to know what something means.

"Humility n. the state or quality of being humble"

See what I mean? Short and to the point, just like I said.

"Humble adj. 

1. Having or showing awareness of one's defects; not proud; not self-assertive 

2. Low in condition or rank; lowly"

 Now I have a problem. Webster's Dictionary gives me definitions that don't seem to jive with the Biblical information I have. Should I assume that men in scripture who followed the Lord and served Him faithfully were used even though they seemed to lack this quality? I mean, here we have men questioning other men's motives, resisting authority, being sarcastic and unkind, and even killing people!

Do we have a contradiction? Yes, we do! Where does it come from? I think from the fact that God did not write Webster's Dictionary. Is the definition wrong? No, not technically. At least, not if you're trying to define it from the context of morality or worldly reason.

Let me try to explain what I mean. The definitions above describe a quality that can easily be misunderstood. In the world, apply a little wrong thinking and humility becomes weakness, compromise, accommodation, or peace at any cost, something to be avoided, if you plan to get ahead in the world. The world-view is that humility is a sign of weakness. I suspect it's just the opposite. That's usually the case when you're dealing with the world's opinions.

In religious circles, especially in ISKCON, humility is something the so called pious try to wear on their shirtsleeves where everyone can see it. They walk around saying things like, "I just want to love everyone", "I just want to serve", or "Let's not be critical, we're all brothers and sisters in the Lord". They always have a kind word to say (well at least to your face). They'd be “mortified” if they were ever accused of offending anyone..  They also have a false sense of humility.

Let’s take a look at Jesus’ lifestyle. The definitive passage on humility has to be Philippians 2. The full passage runs from verse 1, all the way to verse 16. In the midst of Paul's presentation, he offers Jesus as the supreme example. We'll cut to the chase. This is verse 8:

"And after He had come to earth in human form (as if that weren't enough), He humbled Himself in an even greater way, by carrying His obedience to the Father to the fullest extreme - through His willingness to die on the cross"

What is Paul saying? And what are we missing? Let's revisit Webster's definition. Is humility the simple understanding that we're not everything God wants us to be? Sure I have defects. Who doesn't? I even know what a few of them are. But does that make me humble? O K, so I won't be self-assertive. Does that make me humble? Some would say it only proves I'm lazy. Can I cultivate the attitude that everyone else is better than I am, or more important? Then will I be humble? I don't think so. If I try to blend into the landscape, not give anyone a problem, not offend any brothers or sisters (even though with most I doubt they are brothers or sisters), and not hand out any grief, then will I be humble? If I quit using sarcasm, will I be humble? I don’t think so.

You know what? Jesus proved His humility by the death He was willing to die. John the Baptist died because of his humility. Paul eventually died because of his humility. Scores of great men not only from the Bible but other Religious scriptures, and countless others we've never heard about, have died because of their humility. Elijah was spared physical death, but not because he lacked humility. In the case of Elijah, you just have to accept the sovereignty of God. God does what He wants to do. Nothing is for sure. But, in this world, there's a good chance this is true - Christ-like humility will get you in trouble, not keep you out of it.

So, what is it? How can we define humility? It is simply the willingness to be obedient to the will of the Supreme Lord, regardless of personal cost. And understand this, your humility will never depend on what devotees think of you, or what they say about you. That is irrelevant. Your humility will always be founded on what the Lord thinks of you. Period!

Humility has nothing to do with devotees opinions. And it’s not based on their selfish sentiments. That's why Webster's definition is wrong.

Does the Blessed Lord put a requirement on us that says if you're going to be humble, you can never offend?

John the Baptist lost his head, spoke the truth, offended many, and lost his head (no, that's not a typo, you read it right). When the Pharisees heard about it, they probably had a drink to celebrate, because poor John had offended most of them too!

But, in reality he was only standing for what was right. That's what God called him to do.

His obedience cost him everything, except early entrance into the presence of God (not a bad deal, when you think about it). When Paul met the Lord on the road to Damascus, he said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" This began Paul's life of humility, suffering and personal deprivation. Did he make enemies? Did he offend? Did he see the need to confront? Yes, to all that and more. But, was he humble? Of course he was. It was his humility that caused all those things to happen!

Jesus is an example of true humility. He was direct, confronting, divisive, sarcastic, evasive, critical, assertive, uncompromising, and bold. He was also soft, loving, compassionate, merciful, and unassuming. He could be patient, then, seemingly impatient. At times relaxed, other times agitated. Sometimes marvelled at the good qualities he saw in in others and sometimes disappointed. He could accept people who were unacceptable, or go into an angry rage. From the world's point of view, He could be very un-humble. But aside from all that, he was totally focused on the Will of the Lord, fiercely loyal to the Him, and obedient. And that was His humility!

Oh, that I could be that humble! Humility takes real courage. As I've already mentioned, it requires loyalty, perseverance, and obedience to God.

Humility is not for wimps. The namby-pamby need not apply. Compromise is not a characteristic of the truly humble. If you castrate yourself straddling the fence, I doubt God will ever commend you for your humility, it would be a contrary to His Truth.

Those who fear the opinions of devotees, instead of the opinion of God will never even come close to it.

In fact, those who exhibit true humility towards God will always run afoul of devotees' opinions. God will see to it. God has convinced me that He, in fact, uses true humility in His servants to upset and confound the world and bring glory to Himself. After all, the world is opposed to God. And when you put all devotees' pretence and deception aside, true humility becomes the dividing line that separates the true servants of God.

Now, there will be those who think I've presented a somewhat unbalanced view of humility. And if you think that, you may very well be right (see, I’m trying to show my softer side). But I wanted to emphasize the point that humility, in fact, has two sides. And both are valid. Mr. Webster is, at least, partially correct. Humility can be defined as non-assertive, not proud, and low in condition or rank. But humility can also be seen in acts of confrontation, defiance or even violence. What's the difference? It's simply this. We can easily see these qualities in Jesus. There is no real contradiction. He came to do the will of the Lord, had no agenda or ambitions of His own. On a personal level, He was gentle, unassuming and compassionate. But, when He was engaged in carrying out the instructions of the Lord, He could be as bold, unyielding and fierce as He needed to be. Either way, His humility remained intact.

Do you see the difference? I'll make the application.

Humility doesn't come easy. You'll never be truly humble if you think you are. You'll never be humble because devotees say you are. I don't know how long it takes to become humble. And I don't know what God will require of us as He forms this humility in us.

The following instructions of Jesus found in Mark 8:34. Here's a paraphrase:

"Then Jesus turned to the crowd that had been following Him and said, If you intend to go the same way I'm going (the way to the Father), you'll have let go of your own self-interests every day and submit your life completely to God. You'll have to take up your cross every day as well, so you can die to self - your flesh has to go. And you'll have to follow Me continually. I'll have to show you the way, you'll never find it on your own."

True humility comes when you're dead to self and alive to God. It manifests when your own selfish interests are gone, and you're focused only on the purposes of the Lord. Humility will probably take us places we don't want to go, to do things we don't want to do. But, we'll go. If we know in our heart and in our spirit that God has raised us up, trained us and hardened us, not for our purposes, but for His.

And most importantly that true devotees of the Lord don't abuse others because they want to or because they can (I think this should be the first principle of the Hare Krsna movement!).

The very idea will be repugnant. And, then they will be obedient to a Holy God, regardless of the cost.

Some or most devotees in ISKCON are determined to do what they want to do with their lives, with their money, with their relationships, with everything that constitutes their existence. They give lip service to God, show some interest in the things of God, and fit Him in wherever it's convenient. But, they betray themselves continually by their lukewarm lives. They have no intention of ever understanding the meaning of life, placing the Lord in the centre of their lives, or follow the instructions of the Lord etc... They want to believe that it's OK. I'm reminded of the verse in Revelation 20:12 that tells us that the day will come when the books are opened and we'll be judged according to what has been recorded in the books. When my name comes up, I hope it says something about my willingness to be obedient.

In ISKCON the word Humble is thrown about loosely to try and keep members quiet and tolerant. The true definition of being humble should not be used as a means of control, rather it is a quality that one should aspire for, to be brave and walk the path of righteousness. Devotees are not humble in my opinion, they place themselves on pedastals high and mighty that they have created for themselves and demand respect by mind control, belittlement and word trickery. I say this as as soon as you have an opinion that is contrary to theirs, immediately they are offended and blast you with insults rather than considering the fact that just maybe you could have a point. This is especially true if you are a lady, the exact same message could be made by a man or better still a guru and suddenly everyone is on board (tried and tested in random social experiments). Humble individuals do not abuse and manipulate their followers for their personal gain, I hope this blog will inspire many who find themselves in similar positions to step forward and speak out. It is time the real ISKCON is revealed for all the world to see, to stand alone is difficult, join me in exposing the true ISKCON and together we can make an impact and simultaneously be saving many innocent people from incredible suffering that is rampant within the Hare Krishna Society.

written by an Ex-Hare Krishna devotee