Ego and why it's a bad thing

If there is one bad behavior that can screw anyone up worse than anything, it's having an ego problem. When you deem yourself above others and free to cast scorn upon them while not allowing you too could be at fault, that's when you need to remind yourself you're not any less human than they are.

Unwarranted ego leads a belief you can do no wrong. This is both emotionally stupid to assume of yourself, not to mention the most rudimentary amount of rational thinking should tell you "I'm a flawed being who is not omniscient and immortal, I'm not perfect by extension".

Unwarranted ego has led to all sorts of historical facepalm worthy nonsense. Things like the Divine Right of Kings was born of this sort of hubris. Practically all forms of racism and bigotry have this sort of foolish thinking as their key pillar, and everyone who tells themselves they have a right to treat other people like dirt, in general, is Exhibit A of this very flaw.

One of the things Christians like myself are forced to remind ourselves by the creed we follow is that we are all, by ourselves, utterly pathetic and unable to save ourselves. On our own, we are a pathetic lump of flesh that will one day die and without external assistance, the grave is final. Our existence ends when we die, and a mortal life where constant pain and suffering attends our existence alongside any fleeting temporal pleasure is the best thing we can hope for,

Having an unwarranted ego means we have NOTHING better to look forward to. However, being willing to put that ego aside for the glory of someone greater is supposed to do us a favor, like how Jesus put it:

Luke 14:7-35 New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus Teaches about Humility

⁷ When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: ⁸ “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? ⁹ The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!

¹⁰ “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. ¹¹ For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
12 Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. 13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”


Now, even if you toss out the spiritual implications, there is a lot of basic common sense in this. Attention whoring for recognition tends to backfire IRL, and like Jesus put it, those who can't repay your kindness immediately will be a lot more grateful to you for giving to them without expecting anything in return as opposed to those that can and will mean a lot more.


Of course, being egotistical comes with it God's contempt on sheer principle too:

Proverbs 16:5 ESV

Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished. 


Proverbs 8:13

The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate. 


Basically, having an unwarranted ego is a great way to offend the last entity you ever want to offend.

Instead, we are advised to act like this:

Philippians 2:3 ESV 

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves


Even Jesus followed his own advice on this:


John 5:19 ESV 

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 


And this is the outcome of being a devout follower of the same creed to avoid the sin of pride that attends unwarranted ego:


Isaiah 11:2-5 ESV 

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. 


tl;dr: Those who act with humility of God will be blessed and have the discernment to show mercy and charity to those who deserve it.

Besides, here's a good reason why we should do so


Romans 12:16 ESV
 

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 


After all, if it's considered really dumb in professions like medicine and the law to be your own client, then in matters of knowing whether your head is swelled or you really do have reason to toot your own horn, it's better to have a second opinion, like so:


Galatians 6:3-4 ESV
 

For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 


So, with that all in mind, my advice to fellow Christians is the same Jesus gave concerning who is the only one who has any reason to have an ego:


Luke 18:18-19 ESV
 

And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 


So, with that in mind, keep this verse with you as a guide against the pitfalls of ego:


Proverbs 16:18 ESV
 

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.