One perk about living in Canada is how easy it is to apologize, even for trivial things.
In recent months, I came to realize one of the reasons why Canadians are stereotyped as being polite: This national quirk of ours. Apologizing is an act of humility, keeping us from becoming too prideful. It is basically the Mr. Miyagi approach in learning humility: Wax on, wax off.
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Doing little acts of humility like this at every given opportunity really does make a difference! After doing so enough times, it becomes reflex.
Think of the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector:
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
~Luke 18:9-14 (NIV)
Bible Gateway passage: Luke 18 - King James Version
Bible Gateway passage: Luke 18 - New King James Version
Bible Gateway passage: Luke 18 - New International Version
Bible Gateway passage: Luke 18 - International Children’s Bible
From this parable, I have also learned a better way of doing comedy: Go for self-deprecation rather than making fun of someone else. One of the most important rules of stand-up comedy is learning how to laugh at oneself. By doing so, it teaches us to be honest with ourselves and become more comfortable with our own flaws. Otherwise, we are training ourselves to become victims needing scapegoats.
By making fun of others, we are simply encouraging and even rewarding bullying. North America already has enough bullying in our schools, the very places we are trying to teach our children that this is NOT OK. This younger generation appears to really enjoy 'relatable' humour, and the older generations catering to this are only encouraging this current social climate.
When it comes to academics versus entertainment, more often than not, entertainment wins. Use this form of influence wisely. James 3, Luke 16:1-15, Matthew 5:21-22, and Proverbs 16:18, 18:21, 26:18-19 are also very good reads related to this subject.
Finally, I would like to encourage everyone reading this post to read, study, and KNOW Scripture on a daily basis. An overreliance on others to do so carries an outrageously high level of risk. Having Bible studies with at least two or three people really does help with provoking discussion and debate, as long as it remains respectful (1 Corinthians 14:33, 1 John 4:1-6, 1 Peter 3:15-17). If it simply will not remain respectful, then know when to walk away from it (Ephesians 4:25-32, Matthew 7:1-6, 10:11-16, 2 Timothy 3).
I had to learn this the hard way.
- "Special training through menial work." - https://tvtropes [dot] org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WaxOnWaxOff- POSSIBLE LANGUAGE WARNING!!!
- The Karate Kid (1984) - IMDb
On May 1, 2021, at roughly 12:35 AM Eastern Time, I have added Scripture to these disclaimers, and am planning to continue doing so (John 13:1-17, Luke 16:1-15, Matthew 7:13-29). My apologies, I am still learning because I am a flawed human being who is predisposed towards selfishness.
On February 22, 2021, at roughly 11:50 AM Eastern Time, this post has been edited to reformat a citation. My apologies, I am still learning because I am a flawed human being who is predisposed towards selfishness.