In the Name of Love?

About five years ago my father was on a church committee, conducting a search for a new senior pastor. He generally kept me abreast of the process, any progress, or lack thereof. As the committee began formulating questions for potential candidates, my father shared an interesting one with me: If you could rid mankind of any single sin, what would it be?

While you consider that question (and perhaps even whether or not you believe in sin...I suggest you should, but more on that another time), I'll mention this entry's photograph. For several years I was a public school teacher, and during the end of my most recent tour of duty, I decided to start collecting eyeballs, with the express purpose of possibly using them here. Above you'll find an interesting specimen: The ubiquitous teenage male. This one possesses above average intelligence. (By the way, he's most likely going to read this entry and maybe even post a comment...so I'll avoid libel and/or slander at all cost.) But this one fits a preexisting mold. I mention his intellectual ability because it was (and surely remains) a source of pride for this young man. He regularly spoke what many would call "trash talk" about his computer skills, the lack of effort he put into maintaining excellent grades, his athletic prowess, and even his love life. Here was a prideful individual.*

The Black Keys (a band from Akron, Ohio), their song "Just Got to Be," sing a little about this:

When it comes to pride
And other sinful matters
You're gonna be misled
Let feeling tattered...

...Evil hides
In dark places
But now I find it
In familiar faces...

My answer to the question: Pride. And Thomas Aquinas agreed when he wrote that pride is "inordinate self-love...the cause of every sin."

What would happen without pride? (By the way, of course I'm referring to Thomas Aquinas's description, not the way you ought to have some pride in yourself...or a pride of lions, for that matter.) Look at the fallout:

• Eradication of competition. Many people (myself included) enjoy good, clean competition. But without that competition, one would not be permitted to boast.
• Without competition, the nature of business would change. In fact, I would venture to say that business would begin to focus more on service.
• Politics. I've always thought that anyone running for an elected office must be incredibly prideful. To refer again to The Catcher in the Rye, there's a section where Holden Caulfield discusses his lack of interest in becoming a lawyer, like his father. He says that he would only be the kind of lawyer that helps people. But how would he know if he was helping people so others would see him as a great, humble individual? Indeed. But without pride, we would, gratefully, no longer endure political campaigns.
• War. Gone. Even wars that stem from patriotism are based on pride.

Our culture encourages us to focus on the way we do things. While our minds tell us that to "look out for number one" is selfish, how many of do something other than that? Truly. The things we do, however, the choices we make, gravely affect other people, but that rarely changes our actions. In fact, most of the time we ignore other people in order to please ourselves.

I don't have the answer. In reality I know that the most prideful of hearts is my own. All too often I get caught up in my own desires, creating unnecessary conflict. While I would like to think of myself as unselfish, mostly I'm self-deluded. Another of my favorite bands is the Vigilantes of Love, sing about selfishness and pride in "Black Crow" (You can buy the record here).

"Thought I killed the sin of pride...a hundred rounds I must of spent
Now everywhere I turn my eyes I'm all over the pavement.
It whispers from the furnace, offers a disclaimer
Justifies the falsehood and leaves you the remainder."

So pride enables us to be self-deluded, self-interested beings. I hate when I discover the root of my selfishness. It's too hard and painful to dig up.

"There ain't no goin' back when your foot of pride comes down,
Ain't no goin' back."

*Note: In all reality, this young man generally has a good head on his shoulders, and I always saw his arrogant posturing for what he intended--sarcasm, tool for the insecure, and a good topic for a future post.