The Humiliation of Humility
I am promising myself to pivot in my writing here in the near future. The change of direction is inspired by my recent relocation to Florida, the land of the Free for those few Canadians in the know, and the land to be Feared by those unfortunately stuck in their continuing Covid trance.
It is time to look forward and upwards - not backwards and sideways. But before I do so, one more parting shot….
My exit from the The People’s Republic of Kanada was fraught with endless delays, blizzards and cold, nervous crowds, incompetent overly zealous authorities, massive expense, all aided and abetted by compliant, fearful and humble consumers. In other words, a typical Canadian experience.
The day before I left I was in getting my obligatory and overrated Covid test at the Pharmacy. The drugstore was packed by masses of sad, nervous, agitated and hysterical Canadians, all with sleeves rolled up and eyes ablaze with the fervour of a drug addict looking for his next fix. It looked like the set of The Dawn of the Dead.
‘Do you have my booster yet?’ ‘ I had the Moderna'!’ ‘ I had the Astro Zeneca’! ‘No I had the Pfizer!’ ‘Can you get me in right away for the booster'?’ ‘I think I might be a few days overdue’ ! ‘Please fit me in ‘! ‘Commandant Trudeau says we can mix and match!’ ‘please’!…. Suddenly the refrain of ‘dose’ has morphed to the chant of ‘booster’. I watched with astonishment, as these putative grown adults - in physical terms anyway - were rushing the poor Pharmacist like Lemmings, their faces ashen and gaunt, their bulging eyes protruding over the tragic masks like two headlights on a car.
They all looked so defeated, so shrivelled and lifeless. They have given up any semblance of autonomy and just thrown the towel in. I could not stop thinking of my Father and Grandfather, both of whom fought and risked everything for the freedom of these people who now are blithely surrendering themselves and their children, without a whimper, to a cold virus and to the dictates of Big Government and Big Pharma. I confess I am almost glad that the two old Warriors are not alive to see what became of their heroic efforts.
Canadians are well known for their humility. The funny part of it is that, while in most cases the emasculated people take it as a compliment, it in fact is meant in derision with a pair of rolled eyes. This is the pathology of Humility and the denial it creates at its most insidious.
Humility is like Wagner’s operas - in small doses it is tolerable but in large amounts it is tedious, embarrassing and even contemptible. Admittedly, humility can be useful in some ways, and charming in others. It is also an excellent tool to feign during important interactions like Detective Columbo did in his iconic series. Certainly some cultures, such as Japan, have developed the ritual of it, but it is only theatre.
However, Canadians have embraced humility to the point where it is a required core value that has generally reduced them to a sad lot indeed. Humility involves a lowering of expectations and a reduced feeling of self - importance. But an excess of humility is humiliating. In effect, when used as a cultural virtue signal like in Canada, it leads to a vastly reduced standard of what is ‘normal’ in so many human metrics. Communication becomes nothing more than a farcical storefront and the populace a mere servant to the Party Line.
The New Normal.
What has happened to this country of Kanada where the only thing they can speak about with national pride is the extant ‘Nature’ across its land- in itself nothing to do with an achievement of the people themselves? What country would keep its flag at half mast ( at the sole direction of Trudeau with no blowback from the supposed ‘opposition’ ) for six months now and counting? Singular among all nations, the hapless Canadian people compulsively apologize and regard themselves with so little pride that they cannot demand any accountability from Government, any ‘consistency from the ubiquitous ‘experts’, and any personal responsibility in their own lives, nor even a bit of pride in any national achievement whatsoever.
The logical result of pathological humility is the Nanny State that we see growing in Kanada. Skepticism is not allowed. The woke mobs who scream about ‘diversity’ do not allow any diversity of thought. The concept of ‘inclusion’ is only open for this who join the group think. Discussion itself is viewed as aggressive heresy in this Lotus Land of the Humble. The corporate and cultural institutions have bowed in pathetic reverence to the present tide of self flagellation and faux ‘rehabilitation’.
As I sat on the tarmac for the ritual, symbolic ‘de-icing’ of the plane before leaving, I had only a glimmer of hope for this defeated people. Hope springs eternal.