Humility and social ethics
"Lay first the foundation of humility."
Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility. — Saint Augustine
It may come as a surprise to many that there's a good bit of writing in military circles about the importance of humility. There are a number of relatively recent articles by officers in the Marine Corps, Navy, and Army on humanity. Capt Jeremy Carter, USMC identifies a gap in the Marine Corps culture “because we are not emphasizing, measuring, or acknowledging the importance of humility,” he wrote, “Semper Fidelis, Always Faithful, requires humility. One cannot be faithful to anything but themselves without humility. A non-humble Marine cannot put their fellow Marines, the mission, or the Corps above their desires, pride, and ambitions.” Army Maj. Andrew M. Clark wrote, “Only through adequate self-awareness and humility can a leader best combat the uncertainties of war by leveraging collective team experience to build mastery, being flexible and prepared for uncertainty, and truly understanding the enemy.”
I'm going to explore the virtue of humility in the leadership of our institutions and draw on illustrations from the American military.
Humility is one of the most important attributes of leadership because it helps connect the leader to followers through their common bond of humanity. Leaders who have humility build trust, and trust is the essence of leadership. Merwyn A. Hayes, Michael D. Comer, Start With Humility: Lessons from America’s Quiet CEOs on how to Build Trust and Inspire Followers
Let’s begin with Saint Benedict
Saint Benedict worked to shape a community in which people might grow into the maturity of Christ. That community was to engage in a set of practices that would lead to self-awareness, humility and holiness. The monastery was a “School of the Lord’s Service” where the monks might learn to love God and each other. It was a balanced life of prayer and work nurturing humility through obedience and stability. There were the routines of Eucharist, daily office, lectio divina, and manual labor fostering a constant awareness of God’s presence.
Our movement into humility begins with listening. It is the first word in Benedict's Rule. We are to listen with the ear of our heart. A listening that involves our whole being - mind, emotions, and spirit. We are to set aside, at least for the moment, our own judgment, agendas and biases. All so we might humbly hear God’s word, see Christ in others, and finally respond with an open and loving heart.
Father Kenneth Leech spoke of our need for “an inner core of silence.”[i] It is that internal stance in which the noise is made quiet and we hear the Lord say, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind within us ceases, the chaos of our desires, fears, and anger dies away. Then we can listen.
Which brings me to Ulysses S. Grant ..
Ulysses Grant was the commanding General-in-Chief of the Union Army who led the North to victory in the American Civil War. A few years later, he became President of the United States.
Grant knew something of that “inner core of silence.” He was known to have a quiet certainty, to be unflappable, and described as being “silent in several languages.” He could remain composed during extreme chaos and danger. This gave him the ability to listen and process information rapidly which allowed him to stay focused and take decisive action. He was known for taking in ideas and information from those below him in rank
During the 1864 Battle of the Wilderness in a dense forest, Grant sat on a tree stump remaining stoic and composed, smoking a cigar, and whittling a stick as sometimes panicked officers reported from the field. Grant would sit “as silent as the sphinx” while listening. After hearing the reports, he calmly asked questions. Then he made decisions. “An inner core of silence.”
Humiliation and humility
God puts in front of us daily humiliations
The Rule of the Order of the Ascension includes this quote from Helder Camara who was a Brazilian archbishop during the military dictatorship in Brazil. He engaged in social and political work for the poor and for human rights. “I ....have the impression that God knows the importance of humility for man. He knows our weakness, our pride, and. ..He purposely sets in our path each day four or five humiliations, and in the course of our life, four or five great humiliations. If we do not comprehend them, if we do not accept them, it is a serious matter. But if we accept them, then we learn the generosity of God.” (See Humiliation and humility: learn the generosity of God)
Prior to the Civil War, Grant suffered significant personal, professional, and financial humiliations. By the time he was 38 he was working as a clerk in his father’s leather-goods store. His pre-Civil War life included a forced resignation from the Army, failure as a farmer and in business ventures, and poverty. The Civil War saw Grant return to the military and become one of the nation’s most successful generals. Historians credit aspects of his character that helped him turn around his life - determination, resilience, and being calm under pressure. All of that rooted in a humility in which he did not hide behind his rank. It was his practice to walk among the troops and listen to them. He had an unpretentious, quiet demeanor. He wore a simple uniform, listened to subordinates, shared credit for successes, took personal responsibility for failures, and refused to gloat over the surrender of his enemies. It appears that in his life the Holy Spirit moved as described by Archbishop Camara, if we see and accept the humiliations we can change and “learn the generosity of God.” Grant viewed God through the lens of divine providence, a belief that God was actively involved in steering the destiny of the American nation towards unity and prosperity. Grant recognized limitations in himself and others. In his memoirs, he wrote, “Mistakes have been made, as all can see and I admit.”
Humility and accepting our humiliations is a choice
I ....have the impression that God knows the importance of humility for man. He knows our weakness, our pride, and. ..He purposely sets in our path each day four or five humiliations, and in the course of our life, four or five great humiliations. If we do not comprehend them, if we do not accept them, it is a serious matter. But if we accept them, then we learn the generosity of God. Helder Camara
It’s become routine to hear an analysis of the Israel–Hamas War and the current Israel/US-Iran War –claiming that the Palestinian and Iranian people will carry a sense of grievance and hate into the future.
That, of course, is possible, maybe even likely. That argument fails to note two things. First, individuals and nations have choices when they experience humiliation. And second, the Islamic tradition has a different method for coping with humiliation that at some point might come into play.
Choice
It’s simply not true that following defeats and humiliation in war, nations will inevitably follow a path of grievance and resentment. Individuals and nations make decisions about that. They have a choice. Japan and Germany transformed their humiliation into societal renewal after the Second World War. Both had suffered a massive number of civilian deaths during the war. Both accepted the terms of unconditional surrender. Germany saw between 12 and 14 million ethnic Germans and German citizens displaced or expelled from Central and Eastern Europe after the war.[ii] Yet both countries became prosperous liberal democracies.
There are also examples going in the other direction. After its defeat in World War I, Germany experienced an intense sense of humiliation because of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. A myth emerged that they had been “stabbed-in-the-back,” that the army was betrayed by Jews and communists at home, not defeated on the battlefield. Hitler’s Nazi Party used the sense of grievance to manipulate the nation and that led to a totalitarian state and World War II. After the Civil War, many white Southerners developed a “lost cause” narrative that fueled decades of racial violence. Serbia is seen by historians as having developed a national narrative rooted in feelings of humiliation, victimization, and grievance.
As nations respond to extreme humiliation there are two broad pathways: grievance or acceptance.
The grievance pathway often includes: a “national humiliation narrative” that frames the nation’s difficulties as something caused by external forces, as when China uses past humiliations to justify contemporary aggression or the when the Nazis blaming the Jews for Germany’s defeat in World War I and the economic problems and corruption of the Weimar Republic after the war. The pathway usually involves mob street violence as a way to purge the nation’s internal and external enemies and an aggressive foreign policy that includes claiming land or territorial expansion.
The acceptance pathway involves a degree of humility among leaders and a critical mass of citizens. Such humility allows people to accept the new reality and turn away from seeking to avenge the humiliation toward a focus on the present needs of the nation. Such a stance can, over time, lead to reconciliation. That pathway prioritizes long-term development and stability over short-term revenge. It’s not that the feelings of grievance are not present, but somehow choices are made to not nurture those feelings and to put the nation’s energy into shaping a better life.
The factors that enter into choosing a pathway include: whether the current regime is seen as legitimate, economic stability, and whether events are framed as humiliations or opportunities for reflection by the media, influencers and politicians.
This is about making a choice. Choosing a pathway for humility, for the transformation of humiliation and grievance into hope. It is grounded in the work of the Holy Spirit that invites us into a pathway of grace – “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us.” (Romans 5:3-4)
The Islamic tradition
As far as I know, and I don’t know much, in the Islamic tradition, humility is a spiritual virtue of submission to God that includes gentleness toward others. Humiliation is a disgraced state caused by arrogance and sin. Grievance, resentment and hatred may arise in those experiencing humiliation. The tradition encourages the faithful to transform the humiliation into spiritual humility by being patient and trusting that honor will be restored in God’s ultimate justice. Humility is a choice of submission to God.
Our movement into humility begins with listening
Let’s look at an example of not listening. What we see in the exchanges between some reporters and the White House Press Secretary is a microcosm of what is happening in much of the United States. There are intense, adversarial exchanges, such as those between Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and reporters like CNNs Kaitlan Collins. in this short exchange.
What if both of them are right and both are wrong?
The journalists see themselves as asking challenging and necessary questions. The WH staff see some outlets as avoiding reporting on administrative success and seeking to make the president look bad. It’s the Gotcha Game. Questions are asked to show how the president and the administration are mistaken, lying, incompetent and are responded to aggressively by the press secretary as she offers an insult to the reporter, along with a statement of the administration’s position on some matter. People are in the same room. They hear the words. But I doubt that St. Benedict would think they were listening with the ear of their heart. That they were actually trying to understand one another and respect one another.
Ulysses S Grant was the commanding general of Union forces during the American Civil War. He was noted for his humility and willingness to listen to people. Grant had a reputation for listening to people in the lower ranks. It was a practice of humility that appears to have been both an expression of his character, and also a pragmatic utilitarian approach to success on the battlefield. He was known to invite junior officers to report first in meetings, rather than last. He sought to avoid the filter of more senior officers in his attempt to get a more accurate picture of the situation. He was known to sit on the ground with soldiers and listen to their concerns about army life.
His listening included people with opposing views and even his enemies. The first day of the Battle of Shiloh was a disaster as Union forces were surprised by a Confederate surprise attack that led to a chaotic retreat with Union soldiers running in panic from the battlefield. Grant listened to General Don Carlos Buell suggesting a further retreat. He ended up deciding to not retreat and had Buell bring his forces into the battle which resulted in a victory.
When he was President after the war Grant engaged in a conversation with a young Confederate veteran during a train ride. He expressed concern for the conditions in the South as described by the young man. As the war was coming to an end Grant maintained respectful communication with Gen. Robert E. Lee on the treatment of southern prisoners by providing Union rations to starving Confederate troops, allowing cavalrymen to keep their horses for the spring planting, and offering surrender terms that allowed them to return home immediately.
The habit of listening with the ear of our heart can be enhanced by learning certain communication skills and practices. But nothing will come of it if it does not rest upon an attitude, a stance.
Behavior and Stance
We can see humility in outward behavior. In World War 2 George Marshall and Dwight Eisenhower were known for their humility. George Patton and Douglas MacArthur were known for their arrogance and pride.
George C. Marshall as the Army Chief of Staff was possibly the most modest military figure in American history. He organized people and resources for the victory while avoiding the spotlight. He recommended Eisenhower, his junior, to lead the D-Day invasion instead of taking it for himself and turned down a one million dollar offer to write his war memoirs. He lived a quiet life, avoided social attention and focused on his responsibilities.
Dwight D. Eisenhower had a quiet, composed leadership style and prioritized the collective Allied effort over personal glory. Instead of staying in his command post he spent time with troops on the ground, talking with everyone from privates to generals, Ike’s humility is seen in a message he wrote the evening before D-Day. He wrote two statements that night. One if things went well and the second if the invasion failed. The failure message was, “Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold, and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air, and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone.” Eisenhower took responsibility for what could have been one of the greatest military disasters in American history. “Blame or fault … is mine alone.”
Douglas MacArthur was known for his theatrical appearances -- sunglasses, corncob pipe. He often wore every medal he had received. He was known as arrogant, vain, and proud. He showed contempt for the chain of command, during the Korean War challenging President Truman’s authority. He frequently took sole credit for military successes and refused to acknowledge mistakes.
George Patton believed in his destiny in a manner that led him to see himself as the smartest person in the room with a responsibility to dominate and lead. It was seen in his appearance -- highly polished helmets, horse riding pants, ivory-handled pistols. His contempt for what he saw as “weakness” was famously seen when he slapped and verbally abused two shell-shocked soldiers in hospitals.
Humility in military leaders results in better military outcomes
Some scholars claim there is evidence that humility among military leaders results in better outcomes. That such humility enhances unit effectiveness, fosters trust, and makes for better decision-making in chaotic environments. The humility of leaders fostering a culture where mistakes can be admitted and learned from, rather than hidden.
In my approach here I’m accepting the mainstream Christian view that war is sometimes necessary to protect the innocent and in self-defense. So, I wondered, is a humble general likely to be more successful in war than a prideful general?
Our problem is that the prideful MacArthur and Patton were at least as successful in military operations as the humble Grant and Eisenhower. If we are just measuring battlefield success it’s obvious that we can include generals of great hubris and great humility. However, if we broaden our measurements and ask about the impact on the human dignity of soldiers and noncombatants, we may see the value of all the listening, collaboration, and patience.
Humility in institutional leadership
Two areas we might consider. There are understandings we have about the nature of God and humanity and there is our behavior within the institutions of society.
God and humanity
We are made in God’s image. We are mortal and fragile, sinful and limited, too easily tempted to turn away from truth. And yet, we are able to “become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” and as that develops “we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12-15)
In Anglican Social Theology: Renewing the vision today we are encouraged to avoid utopian solutions and show humility and modesty. “The incarnate Jesus is crucial and radical. His teaching of the kingdom of God demands unlimited forgiveness, love of enemies and exacting standards for the treatment of the poor. The resurrection of Christ and his continuing presence in the Spirit restore an unshakeable hope to the world. But the kingdom is not yet complete. We live in the interim between the resurrection and the last things, in the dynamic tensions between realizations of the kingdom of God and the persistence of sin. Grace is at work not only in the Church but within the common life of society, making for healing in human relationships. But we must recognize our continuing entanglement in sin, notably in the pursuit of self-interest by persons and especially groups. We therefore have to avoid utopian solutions and show humility and modesty.” This is an acceptance that despite our expertise or experience, we do not possess a monopoly on wisdom. We decide and we act — and we also acknowledge, possibly just to yourself that we may be mistaken.
The nudging of the Holy Spirit is always toward a stance of humility. That work of God is universal and eternal. Our hope is that in our life within the Body of Christ, fed by the Body of Christ, we become more able to know and cooperate with that nudging.
Our behavior
In Pacem in Terris Pope John XXIII noted that it is not enough for Christians “to be illumined by the heavenly light of faith and to be fired with enthusiasm for a cause; they must involve themselves in the work of [every] institution, and strive to influence them effectively from within.”
The effective use of our influence in the sphere in which we find ourselves was the task. “Every day provides a more important, a more fitting enterprise to which they must turn their hands—industry, trade unions, professional organizations, insurance, cultural institutions, the law, politics, medical and recreational facilities, and other such activities.”
The Pope’s call to influence the institutions in which we work and participate is a necessary understanding and commitment for applied social ethics. It’s an affirmation that the primary ministry of the baptized in their daily life as friends and family members, workers and citizens.
(See Explorations: Ministry of the Baptized and the Renewal-Apostolate Cycle in An Energy Not Its Own: Three cycles of parish life and the purposes of the parish church)
The stance we assume as we engage in the holy work of shaping the institutions of society matters. Luke Bretherton, proposes a stance toward in regard to our political institutions tha would seem to apply to all institutions,, “Politics thereby involves a vision of a common life that can be sustained and renewed through time and as something more than the aggregation of individual choices. Yet moral conviction without humility, often arising out of a belief in our innocence and the absolute rightness of our cause, inhibits the kinds of negotiations and neighborly relations necessary to forge a common life between friends and strangers. Moreover, the use of political authority not simply to restrain evil but to enforce virtue can be as much of a problem as is its use for corrupt and oppressive ends. Terror and totalitarianism are as often born of zeal for righteousness as from a malevolent desire to dominate. (From Christ and the Common Life: Political Theology and the Case for Democracy)
So apparently, listening takes more than simply sitting in the same space and hearing the words of another. Bretherton picks up the task of listening, “To truly listen necessitates taking seriously who is before us and attending to the situation. Against the ideologically driven, often paranoid politics of the extreme right and left, and their polarizing rivalries, political action born out of listening acts in trust that others not like me might have something to teach me. In short, it demands the humility to recognize that, whatever the justice of my cause or coherence of my program, I could be wrong, and I don’t know all there is to know about how to live well. A condition of truly hearing is the ability of those speaking to talk freely if they are to speak truthfully. Free speech, in the sense of the freedom to speak our mind, is therefore the complement to the need to listen. Such speech can take the form of passionate cries, stirring lament, polemic, impatient invective, and angry speeches, all of which are often vital forms of democratic communication. This is true particularly when agitating those who hold concentrated power or who are acting oppressively but who refuse to listen. Voicing and enacting (in marches, sit-ins, etc.) what we grieve for or what we are angry about is crucial for generating change. From the Hebrew prophets and Psalms onward, personal lament, anger, and grief birth public speech and action that contest an unjust status quo.” He goes on to note how our listening needs include an openness to hear from “strangers may be the bearers of God’s presence to us.”
He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Philippians 2:7-8
General Colin Powell
And at the heart of this life stood our church, …I was following in my father’s footsteps, counting the collection and depositing it in the bank; Alma [his wife] was following in her and my mother’s footsteps, working on rummage sales and the altar guild. I watched Mike and Linda assisting at Mass, and saw myself in my cassock waving the incense burner before the altar on Kelly Street. The tradition had been passed to the next generation, from one St. Margaret’s to another, like an endless stream. Powell wrote in his memoir.
I’m ending this with one of us — a life long Episcopalian in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of the church. He was raised in the Anglican tradition by Jamaican immigrant parents. Powell was known to say, “The higher the church, the closer to God; that was how I saw it”. His funeral was at the Washington National Cathedral. He served the United States as an Army officer, wounded in battle, rising to become a four-Star General, then as National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and as the Secretary of State. When he died, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry said,”I give thanks for his model of integrity, faithful service to our nation, and his witness to the impact of a quiet, dignified faith in public life.”
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8
Hubris and humility
In his life I see the mix of hubris and humility common to us all. Moments of overconfidence yet an overall reputation of a principled and humble approach to power. He rarely used the term “servant-leadership" about himself but it was often applied to his work by others.
He was known for listening, “Powell is very deliberate and methodical as he sets out to spark change in his organization. Even as he lays out his new agenda and starts the change ball rolling, he spends an enormous amount of time listening, learning, and involving people in the change process” (Oren Harari, The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell.
Powell used the “40-70 Rule,” in making decisions. He would act on the 40% to 70% of the information available. He understood that total certainty was impossible while decisions had to be made with the information available at the time.
The same 40-70 Rule failed him when he made the 2003 case to the U.N. Security Council on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. When after an intensive search none were found he felt a deep regret. It wasn’t the lie some conspiracy theorists claimed but it was a failure of intelligence and of his excessive confidence in the intelligence community’s work. His humility was seen in his acknowledgment of regret and why that ended up costing in American lives and status.
Still, the overall picture of General Powell was of how he had a down-to-earth manner, experienced by others as practical and realistic, straightforward and grounded. He prioritizing the needs of others, put service above self, engaged with soldiers of all ranks, encouraging his commanders to challenge his viewpoints, emphasized integrity, teamwork,
His wisdom and humility were seen in his 1995 decision to not run for president. Both parties wanted him as a candidate. He was leading polls for the 1996 election. At a press conference he said, “Such a life requires a calling that I do not yet hear … And for me to pretend otherwise would not be honest to myself, it would not be honest to the American people.”
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Philippians 2:3-4
This abides,
Brother Robert, OA
[i] Any authentic priesthood must derive from an inner core of silence, a life hid with Christ in God ...Only those who are at home with silence and darkness will be able to survive in, and minister to, the perplexity and confusion of the modern world. Let us seek that dark silence out of which an authentic ministry and a renewed theology can grow and flourish. -Kenneth Leech during the 1988 OA retreat
[ii] 12 and 14 million ethnic Germans and German citizens were displaced or expelled from Central and Eastern Europe. making it one of the largest forced migrations in modern history. These expulsions occurred primarily from former German territories annexed by Poland and the USSR, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia. Modern historical analysis places the number of deaths attributable to the flight and expulsions between 500,000 and 1.1 million
The picture is Colin Powell attending the ceremony on the 50th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. A public domain photograph from the U.S. National Archives and Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
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