Sin of Overweening-Pride

St. John Cassian, an early fifth century monastic who studied with the Desert Fathers of Egypt, wrote of eight vices. These vices make humans vulnerable to acting badly. He wrote of the eighth vice: “… the demon of pride, a most sinister demon, fiercer than all that have been discussed up until now. He attacks the perfect above all and seeks to destroy those who have mounted almost to the heights of holiness…. Pride corrupts the whole soul, not just part of it.” I found myself reflecting on this over the weekend, in light of a military parade and uncoerced attacks. Those who have achieved the highest level of power, be it spiritual, political, military, ideological, or economic, are utterly vulnerable to the demon of hubris.

Overweening-pride (aka ego, selfishness, arrogance, hubris) was described by the ancient Greeks as the root of failure. “Pride before the fall” has been repeated innumerable times over the millennia. Literature, music, and art have described the humiliating course of overweening pride. Yet, after all this time, humans are still vulnerable to it. All of us can be coerced by our stupid pride. Most of us can readily give examples of when pride got the better of us. But those with power, an attainment of “the heights”, struggle with hubris most of all, and may do harm to others under its spell.

Fate may appear to be generous to the powerful and privileged, but the wise avoid letting it go to their heads. Fate also has a way of taking things back.

A couple things to know about the sin of over-weening pride:

1.     The difference between confidence and pride is that a person who has developed confidence is still curious and flexible in their thinking. A person who is prideful does not listen to others or ask open questions.

2.     The difference between reckless arrogance and true courage is humility. A reckless person will commit acts that imperil themselves or others out a belief that they alone know what needs to be done. A brave person looks at a difficult situation, asks for input from others with humility and curiosity, and then acts. A brave person asks for help.

The sin of overweening-pride is dangerous, and it can be difficult to tell the difference between pride and confidence or pride and courage. To tell the difference one must ask themselves, are they humble? Are they asking for help? And are they willing to act from a place of self-sacrifice? Guided by wisdom the powerful can be brave and confident while avoiding (for the most part) the self-aggrandizement and ultimately humiliating fall brought on by hubris.