The seventh step of humility is that a man not only admits with his tongue but is also convinced in his heart that he is inferior to all and of less value.
The Rule of St. Benedict, 7:51
Now we are really getting into the hard stuff. A lot of modern Christianity has been infused with what has been termed “therapeutic moral deism”, a pseudo-self help, personal betterment scheme, akin to any other modern self-improvement plan. And a key part of this is a dismissal of any idea of self-critique, or really, anything less than absolute self-affirmation.
And I do get that, and agree that much of the church’s historical record on self-talk is pretty bad, and has been used to oppress. At the same time, there is also a strong Scriptural tradition of reminding ourselves that we are sinful, we are limited and mortal, and we do have a tendency to make mistakes and cause harm to others and the world around us. Reminding ourselves of this fact, as a way of providing a check on our tendency to seek power and dominate the world around us, becomes a good and important habit. We shouldn’t declare ourselves inferior as a way of tearing ourselves down, but as a way of reminding ourselves of our limits to do good and our ability to do harm.
Justin DaMetz 