Monday Musings: Pride and Selfishness

Normally, I make these posts on Monday a little more formal, but today, I couldn't resists ranting about something I overheard on the bus.

I commute to work on an express bus and there are two individuals in motorized scooter style chairs that regularly ride. There seats are across from each other and today I was sitting just in front of them. They began talking about the various features they like about the motorized chairs and then the older of the two gentleman mentioned that the scooter he is on is his wife's not his. He is traveling up to the Veteran's Hospital for treatments and has to have a scooter to get around but is now using his wife's because his was stolen.

Can you believe that??? Who could steal a wheelchair? What kind of person does that?

Which brings me to my musings. C.S. Lewis wrote an essay on pride being the universal sin. President Ezra Taft Benson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints then reiterated many of his words. Both of their comments boil down to this. People sin because they are prideful. In their pride they believe they know better than God. I wholeheartedly agree with this assessment. Most of my major failings come down to me thinking I know better than God and his Prophets. I like to express this a little differently though, Selfishness is the simplest form of pride. When I want my way despite what the consequences are for others I am sinning. Pride and Selfishness become the bitter bite that drives people to seek their own desires above the concern for others. Nearly all the commandments in one way or another drive us to consider others before self. Selflessness is the sign of a man of God.