On Arrogance and Monsters

“Writing is the act of saying I, of imposing oneself upon other people, of saying listen to me, see it my way, change your mind” – Joan Didion (emphasis added)

There is a supreme arrogance to be found in writing one’s opinion, which is why I find Ms. Didion’s quote so very fitting for this particular blog. I decided to write about two topics this week since I wanted to run in so many different directions, so without further adieu, let me begin…

First of all, let me start by saying that I hate arrogant people. Strike that. I loathe arrogant people. But the reason I can say such a thing is that I myself am quite arrogant. If I weren’t I would not be writing this blog, nor would I offer my opinion in order to change yours. That being said, I have trouble tolerating pride in anyone.  If “Envy is the ulcer of the soul” (Socrates) , then surely pride is the tumor of the mind. It rots away our personal dignity, to the point that when we ourselves have none left, we loose ourselves like dogs upon others and tear them down. We tear others down because the embittered soul cannot stand the thought of anyone having what they themselves do not, so they seek to rob others of their self-confidence, their happiness, their security. The arrogant are quick to find the faults of others but blind to their own follies and fallacies. They cannot see beyond their own reflection.  Maybe the description I’m giving doesn’t fit you, maybe it does, who knows? But what I do know is that I am stinkin tired of seeing people run around acting like they’re God come back to earth, whether it be because their athletic prowess or the intellectual capacity, etc. It’s tiresome, and it just makes me want to punch people in the face. Now, obviously that is not the answer. The answer lies in God, and Him alone. It is to God that I must constantly come to be humbled. It is before His holy throne that I must prostrate myself and say over and over again, “I am not God.” Because, in reality, only God has the right to pride, so in being arrogant we are making an implicit claim of being God. You may not think so, but as a friend of mine once told me, “God doesn’t give a crap about what you think.”

Now for part 2-

“How easy a man turns monster with a little bad weather” – Anonymous

During this past week, I have been reflecting a lot about my strengths and weaknesses, and the more I think about it, the more I am struck by how many weaknesses I have. I am not a strong person. I am sensitive, gullible, and easily broken. But so are many people. Perhaps not those exact weaknesses, but many people have more holes in their armor than they would care to admit (and I’m not even talking about total depravity). The point that I am trying to make here is that we are weak because we are too easily broken. We place our trust and worth in things that do not matter. Let me provide an example. Say you are the most beautiful person on the face of the earth. You therefore place all your self-worth and confidence in your beauty. But then one day you break out in the worst case of acne imaginable, and your face becomes covered with nasty blemishes. Take away the beauty, and you have nothing. It is the same for any other instance. If you are smart, take away the understanding. If you are athletic, take away the skill. What are you left with? Nothing. And why? Because we place our faith in empty, meaningless things. That quality which you hold most dear will fade away, and once it does, you will be left with nothing. However, there is hope, but only if you find something greater and more worthy than yourself to put your trust in, namely God. Consider 2 Corinthians 12:9, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” God alone is the foundation for a life of worth. God alone is the one you should place your faith in, for He will never fade nor let you down in your time of need. God’s grace is so amazing that even our weaknesses become strengths in His hands, and thus are we redeemed from our pitiable states. Therefore, place your trust on the mighty Rock, the ever-gracious Redeemer, and not on yourself. For therein lies the secret to a resisting being broken down by the trivial and unimportant. If you managed to read this whole thing, hats off to you.

 Sources: Room 41, www.biblegateway.com, and my own personal brillaince (See? More arrogance)

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