CAPITAL SIN 7 : PRIDE
"ALLEGORY OF THE TOWERS OF BABEL"
#Pride@FA
Pride, or vanity, is the excessive love of self or one's own abilities or accomplishments, leading to an inflated sense of one's importance, superiority, and entitlement. Pride is often seen as the root of other sins, and worst of the seven deadly sins on almost every list, the most demonic. It is also thought to be the source of the other capital sins. Pride has been labeled the father of all sins and has been deemed the devil's most essential trait. The British theologician Lewis wrote in the 20th century that pride is the "anti- God" state: "Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice !
"The Tower of Babel" is a painting by the Flemish Renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, completed in 1563. The painting depicts the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, which tells of a group of people who attempted to build a tower tall enough to reach the heavens, but were punished by God for their hubris/pride by having their languages confused and being scattered across the earth.
The attentive viewer may recognize a second tower in the painting.
Growing like a big sprout out of the first Tower of Babel. The second tower is much higher and looks like the Burj Khalifa, which was intended to be the largest tower in the world when it was built. With the sole intention to be the highest tower.
The second tower of Babel?
Or should we be more understanding and have more appreciation for this small country which built this huge tower out of nothing in the desert ?
After all, the Burj Khalifa is a testament to human perseverance in the face of great challenges. The building's construction faced numerous obstacles, including high winds, extreme temperatures, and logistical challenges, and its completion can be seen as a triumph of human determination and resilience. On the other hand, the construction of the Burj Khalifa required enormous resources and a vast amount of energy. This can be seen as a wasteful use of resources and a disregard for environmental concerns, which can be seen as a manifestation of human hubris…
The very attentive viewer may also observe some skydivers.
Are they not a bit a contemporary version of Icarus ? Like a modern Icarus, they tend to reach the sun at risk of their lives.
Icarus, the mythological figure from Greek mythology, is often portrayed as a character with extreme pride, also known as hubris. Icarus was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, who created wings made of feathers and wax so that they could escape from the island of Crete. However, Icarus ignored his father's warnings not to fly too close to the sun, and as a result, the heat melted the wax on his wings, causing him to fall to his death…. Pride comes before the fall …. Is that not arche-typical for falling angels ?
So the towers of Babel and their "angel like skydivers" expose the extreme pride and hubris in human beings.
But at the same time, is it not a celebration of the ingenuity and perseverance of human beings in the face of great challenges ?
What did Breughel say about this ?
Latin : "Superbia in omnibus, in omnibus infirma" ("Pride is in everything, and in everything it is weak.")
And in old Dutch : "Hovaardij komt voor de val." ("Pride comes before the fall." )
For more information : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BZbodklWa7Q_k1cwv1Efjs9c-aRD_88r/view?usp=drive_link
