Our Lack of Humility is Corrupting Us - Dostoyevsky's Message in Brother's Karamazov (7 min read)

The Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky described Hell as “the suffering of being unable to love”. [1]

In Dostoevsky’s view, learning how to love indiscriminately, regardless of the person’s perceived shortcomings, is the only way to avoid falling into hateful patterns. Unfortunately, we are quicker than ever to throw judgement onto others whilst at the same time falling short ourselves. In other words, we can't judge someone unless we also judge ourselves with the same scrutiny. As Dostoyevsky writes “remember that you cannot be a judge of anyone. For no one can judge a criminal until he recognises that he is just such a criminal as the man standing before him”. [2]

Understanding and respecting other people’s choices no matter how obscure they may seem to you is the right choice. Besides, they know themselves better than you know them. If we show humility as opposed to judgement we can move away from hypocritical acts of corruption and move towards a more compassionate perspective, one which is rich in meaning and based on understanding.  The primary understanding we get from this compassionate outlook is that we are all responsible for one another. Once you implement this perspective and choose the humble approach even with the most egregious individuals, the more likely they will be persuaded to see the error in their ways.

In this article, I will discuss a passage from Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Brothers Karamazov in order to unpack the importance of showing what he calls ‘humble love’ to all people. This love starts with animals for their inability to sin as they live purely through instinct and ends with the most difficult compassion to feel: compassion towards a man who has sinned, in spite of it. I will begin by discussing these two ends of the spectrum until after, considering the benefits for both ourselves and others of putting this understanding into action in our own lives.

‍Love All Animals‍

In the book Brother’s Karamazov, there is a monk named Father Zossima who, at the end of his life, is reflecting on the lessons he learnt on his journey. At one point, when speaking to his followers, Zossima stresses the importance of loving animals for (as he says) “God has given them the rudiments of thought and joy untroubled... Do not pride yourself on superiority to the animals; they are without sin”. [3]

Animals are pure in intent and can do no wrong in the eyes of Zossima. This is because they do not have the capacity that we have to rise above their instincts but are primarily bound by survival motivations and, therefore, they cannot be blamed for their actions. Zossima believes that young children also fall under this category because they are living purely moment to moment, without thought of the complex nature of their actions. We are fascinated seeing a child immerse themselves in an activity because, when they play, they are not planning and scheming like an adult but are letting their imagination run wild. Seeing this can inspire us to be less serious in our own lives. As Zossima says, they "live to soften and purify our hearts”. [4]

Men With Sin

‍Men are with sin because of our faculty to reason and reflect on our actions. This faculty to reason means that we do not have to be bound by our biological instincts and should we choose to, can rise above it, changing our behaviour for the better, influencing and inspiring not only ourselves, but those around us.

Instilled in us then is the responsibility to show respect, humility and grace.

To Zossima, greedy rich people fall short of this target and, being obsessed with status, money and other superficial desires, are merely "peasants corrupted" in disguise. [5] We know these types of people, the ones who horde their wealth and rarely help others. In many cases, they don't even know how to spend their wealth themselves. Eventually this selfishness will leave them unfulfilled and empty of compassion.

Not only is this bad for the individual but this hollow persona will be passed on to their kids. This hereditary risk is reiterated by Father Zossima when he states that “kids from the father’s drunken abuse sending them to work in a sunless environment with no room to be a child”. [6] The child is set up for failure, with their uncorrupted light having no space in a sunless world.

This makes it clear why we need to be forgiving: we are all influenced by circumstance, living with decisions made in our childhood.

If you can’t help but let these selfish people get under your skin, Dostoyevsky would go as far as to say that you are not suffering enough yourself and should actively seek it out.

In the words of his character Zossima:

If the evil-doing of men moves you to indignation and overwhelming distress, go at once and seek suffering for yourself, as though you were yourself guilty of that wrong. [7]

Dostoyevsky recommends this as, when you tread the path of another’s suffering, your empathy for the struggle of man will grow as you gain a personal understanding of another. To Dostoyevsky, this is what true equality is. As he writes, "equality is to be found only in the spiritual dignity of man”. [8]

A Peasant Uncorrupted

In comparison to the greedy man with sin, a peasant who is uncorrupted by low pleasures/desires which only serve to momentarily distract is spiritually richer than the greedy rich man; they are not bound by their desires and, as a result, they can maintain their virtues of being respectful, humble and appreciative of the little they have.

In an online world where you are bombarded with other people’s ‘perfect’ lives, it is easy to feel ungrateful for your share being smaller than theirs despite the work you put in. However, these ‘perfect’ lives are always a mirage and all it takes to shatter the illusion is to find a man poorer than you who is happier than you. This experience will either be a wake-up call or result in a doubling down on the road to selfish desires.

The benefit of checking yourself when you show signs of ingratitude is that once you see how susceptible you are, you will be more understanding when other’s make mistakes, instead of throwing judgement onto them.

Also, if you maintain a humble appreciation for your fortune, and share it with the more unfortunate, you will eventually learn to pity even the most egregious people who horde their wealth for themselves.

As alluded to, in Brother’s Karamazov, Dostoyevsky describes this challenging task as “show[ing] humble love” to those who have lost their way. The pity comes with realising how, in the end, they will see their greed for what it was, and will feel shame for playing the wrong game. [9]

If you are tempted by the cruel pleasures of a wealthy, corrupted man and have lost your way, learn to be willing to serve someone or something for the betterment of them (but it must be of your own free will, of course).

What we often underestimate is the impact that our actions can have and so we decide to step back from helping someone in need with the expectation that someone else with more power will help.

However, if we all thought this, we would live in a dystopian world full of powerless bystanders who are happy to be controlled by the elite.

Instead of opting for inaction, Zossima implores us to "find joy in deeds of light and mercy". To make this sustainable, we must maintain our empathy for others less fortunate and “have] mercy on all who appear before thee today". [10]

Closing Thoughts

‍If you consistently remind yourself of the importance of humility and respect, show humble love indiscriminately, and help others regardless of their circumstances, only then will you grasp the mystery of life and marvel at it with the wonder it deserves.

No matter how much we try to kid ourselves, we have immense power and one act of kindness has the potential to convert people who are seemingly stuck in their ways.

To deny this responsibility is a rejection of your gift and you will become corrupted by the low pleasures.

If you find yourself gripped by selfish desires and have lost sight of your potential for helping others, the monk Zossima extends an enlightened perspective:

Every day and every hour, every minute, walk around yourself and watch yourself, and see that your image is a seemly one. You pass by a little child, you pass by, spiteful, with ugly words, with wrathful heart; you may not have noticed the child, but he has seen you, and your image, unseemly and ignoble, may remain in his defenceless heart. You don't know it, but you may have sown an evil seed in him and it may grow, and all because you were not careful before the child. [11]

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Thanks for reading!

Brandon Bartlett

Newel of Knowledge Writer

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Sources:

Fyodor Dostoyevsky – Brother’s Karamazov – Pgs 340-360

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