Social Media Kills Humility

In our previous post, Raphael Peters reflected on the parable of the wedding guest and urged him to start at the lowest place in the hall, lest he be embarrassed if someone more prominent than he arrives. Through the story, Jesus reinforces the importance of considering humility’s supernatural virtue and obtaining it for spiritual growth as Christians.

Even though much was mentioned, the space constraints did not allow further discussion. The lack of humility in secular society is so prominent that it leads people away from God without ever even being aware of how subtly they are straying.   

It is indeed a complicated subject; however, some obvious reasons that should be considered that exacerbate the problem. Humility is never taught in schools; quite the opposite happens. Young children are instructed not to let anyone derail their dreams.  Individual desires are elevated beyond a healthy level, suggesting greatness comes through human agency alone, without ever considering that the gifts and talents God gives us are the source of human excellence. We can do nothing without those gifts, but the source is overlooked and often deemed superstitious babble.

As our last blog mentioned, humility is how “a person gains a proportionate and fitting thought of his proper relationship to God. It accepts that all good comes from God and that his grace cannot be attributed to human agency.” It is a vital virtue for a Christian that the lack of humility is antithetical to Christianity. Yet, what religious education books or lectures spend time developing the virtue in the young?

Faced with a lack of understanding of humility, secular society admonishes any belief in God as the source and instead replaces Him with self-centered notions of grandeur. The contagion spreads quickly through social media, and even those who were brought up as Christians are tempted to use and fall into the traps of improper self-worth. When social media began, it was a tool to help connect with family and friends in an ever-complicated society, where family and friends might live miles away.  Once the public was hooked on social media and used it often, the objective of the technology began to evolve into something quite different.

Instead of just posting events and connecting, social media became a platform for personal self-aggrandizement and a place where bragging and manipulating one’s reality could be achieved. Tiresome posts about how great the poster’s life is are nothing more than allusions. Stemming from the steady stream of misrepresentation, making it possible for a new genre to be born—influencers.

Influencers are individuals who become popular on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. They significantly impact our youth by shaping their perceptions of beauty, success, and lifestyles, often leading to unrealistic expectations. Most of these influencers never mention their success due to God’s intervention. Quite the opposite, their human condition, by their own energies, is the reason for their success.   The constant drumbeat of human achievement (if you can call it that) begins to seep deep into the psyche, pushing the idea that all comes from God steadily decreases.

Regardless of how much social media you engage with or not, the lack of humility it produces affects everyone because it has poisoned all of our culture. More than ever, individuals seek guidance from an anonymous online source rather than accepting advice from their closest friends and family who have experience and wisdom. The lack of humility in many people has led them to believe that those closest to them couldn’t possibly know more than they do, and if, by chance, they need an answer to a problem, Google is their go-to.  This mentality inevitably hurts relationships and fosters disrespect, as observed between members of many families. Disrespect is not of God, and a Christian must realize the dangers of the lack of humility.

A Christian who recognizes the potential threat of the rotten fruit it produces has spiritual tools to help. One of them is to remember the story of St. Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas, one of the greatest theologians who authored the Summa Theologica, a treatise with precise logic and faith, is regarded as the most excellent theological work of all time. His work is so vital that it is used by modern theologians now, even though his thoughts are centuries old.  Oral tradition dispels the view that the Summa resulted from Thomas’s brilliant mind, which is all his own doing. It was said that when Thomas completed his work, in humility, he said. “This is all but straw,” meaning what he wrote is nothing compared to God’s greatness and inspiration given to him by the Holy Spirit. St. Thomas Aquinas is a good candidate if anyone should be the patron saint of humility.

The next thing a Christian can do is pray. A great way to fight the problem is to pray the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. This prayer encourages humility while giving glory to the source of our goodness, God Almighty.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.