The cure for pride is humility

“Do not love the world or things in the world. If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides for ever” (1 John 2:15-17)

Recently, it came to light, that some “right wing” or “conservative” influencers were allegedly being paid via shell corporations by the Russian government; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA V. KOSTIANTYN KALASHNIKOV, a/k/a "Kostya," and ELENA AF ANASYEV A, a/k/a "Lena,"

Before we get started, I'd like to ask those who called me all these mean names one thing, When do I get an apology?

I’ve been saying for YEARS that it seems like this is being coordinated. 1) Putin doesn’t have all that much in common with American conservatives, 2) Putin has praised communism and socialism, Truth matters, You have the obligation to speak out against evil, Stop living by lies, Standing up to dictators is thoroughly Catholic. 3) I used to be a vatnik.

And I had to admit I was wrong about something I sincerely believed in. I honestly thought Russia was this great country. I didn’t know they had one of the highest abortion rates on earth. I didn’t know they thwart democracy at every turn. I didn’t even know they persecuted my friends’ families.

I know fascism, communism, and socialism are wrong. What do you call a mix of all of these with a dash of imperialism?

So many people in the west think they know Russia. They know nothing.

We listen to Russia, but not the people they persecute.

They (The Russian government) lie about their neighbours being Nazis and Banderites, and seem to be ignorant of Hitler and Stalin’s joint invasion of Poland. Invasion of Poland

(I maintain that socialism and fascism are two sides of the same coin)

Of course, this doesn’t mean I think all aspects of Russian culture are bad, St. Seraphim of Sarov remains amongst my favourite Saints. And you can’t trust polling in Russia (because it’s a dictatorship), there are laws against criticizing the government (if Tucker thinks it’s so great, maybe he should go live there).

So, what does this have to do with humility or pride?

Well, we all love to be right (ask my mom), and I cannot tell you the amount of times I’ve been called a Banderite or a Nazi (especially funny, as my mom is part Jewish and I have family in Israel). I’d say calling someone all of these things, when they are simply trying to educate you, is quite prideful. I honestly thing the cure for this is education. Please note, while I do use the term “vatnik”, it’s supposed not supposed to be pejorative, it’s just a useful word.

I’ve found with many of these people, they will refuse to believe the massacres in Irpin and Bucha, and claim it’s a CIA hoax. (It isn’t, I’ve seen the bodies in pictures, no hoax, I won’t share those, but, I will share this, The Survivors: Ukrainians From Bucha And Irpin Recall Russia's Brutal Occupation

Many of these people are reminiscent of Holocaust denier. In fact, some of them are genocide deniers, when it comes to the Holodomor, just like the Russian government, that admits it happened, but lies about it not being a genocide (it WAS), How Joseph Stalin Starved Millions in the Ukrainian Famine

I’d say there’s something prideful about that.

So, here’s how we cure this pride, with humility. It’s a real smack in the face, to find out you were so wrong about something, especially something causing people to lose their lives.

Remember, I WAS that person. I feel like, because of what I supported, I causes people to lose their lives.

“Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourself” . Philippians 2:3

Pride is selfish.

Adam Charles Hovey is the founder of the Catholicism, News, and whatever community and the weekly Bible study, Coffee and Christianity