I previously posted that I would be researching more into each of the seven deadly sins. The first is very relevant in my current career, in the makeup and modeling industry. Vanity. Pride. Ego. Narcissism. Conceit.
Here is the dictionary's definition:
noun
1.
excessive pride in one's appearance, qualities, abilities,achievements, etc.; character or quality of being vain; conceit: Failure to be elected was a great blow to his vanity.
2.
an instance or display of this quality or feeling.
4.
lack of real value; hollowness; worthlessness: the vanity of a selfish life.
5.
something worthless, trivial, or pointless.
I have always been interested in the seven deadly sins. In high school I took AP Art with a concentration in 3D design and sculpture. My thesis was discovering the consequences of the choices we make. One piece, I made was somewhat inartistically titled, "Seven Deadly Sins" and consisted of seven ceramic masks shaped and glazed to represent each of the sins. My mask for vanity had high cheekbones, blonde curly hair, full red lips, and tan skin, no other details. Everyone associates vanity with appearance, but you can have excessive pride in a variety of things other than your image. You can have conceit over the car you drive, the job you hold, your degree, your lack of education, your children, your food consumption skills, the color of your nail polish, anything really.
Vanity is stereotyped as something that all model's have. It is a makeup artist's job to make a model look as beautiful and confident as possible, which often gets manipulated and transformed into a type of vanity. Don't get me wrong. There are plenty of vain models, just as there are plenty of vain athletes, lawyers, doctors, garbage men. Any profession can yield prideful participants. I happen to be in the business of beauty, which is often compared to vanity. Heck, the mirrors we use to apply makeup and prep for shoots or shows are called vanities.
Clearly, this is because we use the mirrors to adore ourselves. But, are we guilty of the deathly sin of vanity every time we ponder over our reflection in a mirror with good thoughts? Are there varying levels of vanity, such as stage 1, thinking fondly of yourself, stage 2, telling your boss you deserve a raise, stage 3, tweeting how good you look in your new business dress, stage 4, telling your boss he should've gave you the promotion, not Susie-What's-Her-Face, stage 5, telling Susie-What's-Her-Face that you'd be better at her job than she is, stage 6, tweeting the entire office, and the entire world, that you are better than Susie-What's-Her-Face?
Would you say that an act of stage 6 caliber is worthy of death? Does God think in levels or are all sins counted as the same? We know that God says his ways are not our ways, that man cannot begin to understand his ways and that we should not try and test God.
So, why is holding such a high regard for one's self a bad thing? After all, we were made by the Creator! And he placed us above all other things on Earth. That surely means we are something special and should look at ourselves as such.
Why not be vain? You can find the answer in humility. Being humble makes you relatable. Humility makes you human. When you put yourself above others, it makes them not like you. Do you like people who act like they are better than you? Who are constantly tooting their own horn? Do you appreciate them? We are told to strive to be Jesus-like. I know Jesus was not going around from town to town lifting his nose and turning his cheek at the poor because, hey, he is the son of God.
I want to put a clear difference between confidence and vanity. Confidence is having courage. Vanity is being a coward. Those who display the largest egos typically have the lowest self-confidence. They use excessive pride as a cover up for their low self-worth. Having confidence means you are a go getter and you are sure of yourself and what you can accomplish. Truly confident people, know what they want to achieve, and then they actually achieve it! Simply having vanity does not make moves, it does not create progress. Actually, you're likely to turn off everyone around you and regress. Having such high pride creates distain for you in others. Think of how many people hated Kanye West after he stole the spotlight from Taylor Swift in the most widely talked about cowardly, vain, acts of 2009.
As far as your soul is concerned, being vain from time to time may not make you a terrible person, but it doesn't make you a good one either. Strive for greatness, but earn it. You will shoot yourself in the foot if you are too prideful on your journey to the top, and your visit will be brief if you are too prideful once you're there. Give thanks to those around you and always believe that there is someone better than yourself out there. This will not only keep you humble, but keep you striving to achieve more.
xoxo
No comments:
Post a Comment