Raglan Road

Vanity

Let's face it.

I am vain.

I am too sexy for my shirt.

All is vanity!

Today's first reading:

Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,
vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!
Here is one who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill,
and yet to another who has not labored over it,
he must leave property.
This also is vanity and a great misfortune.
For what profit comes to man from all the toil and anxiety of heart
with which he has labored under the sun?
All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation;
even at night his mind is not at rest.
This also is vanity.

You know I thought a lot about vanity while I was sitting there in church. How vain we all are and all the crazy things we are vain about. Our intelligence. Our talent. Our looks. Our probity. Our integrity. Our position in life. Our blog?

I think one of the main components of the big blow up at TOP is vanity. The Evil Blogger Lady is the epitome of vanity. She thought her pearls of wisdom were so great that everyone should bow down to her and worship every peep. Her commenters added nothing. Just background noise and an embarrassment to her when they did not voice the politically correct line. They were bigots. Not decent. Not worthy of her attention or of being on her platform. They would  not even pay for the privilege of her thoughts. What fools.

On the other hand many of the commenters were pretty vain. They thought that many if not most came to the site for the comments. The caustic interplay and insights are what made that site. I confess I myself was pretty vain in this regard. So I went over there and picked a fight with them. And now I pick a fight with Leisure Suit Larry at every opportunity. I hate to see his bullshit go unchallenged so I go in guns blazing like Lucas McCain. And for what? Vanity.

Muhammad Ali used to say "It is hard to be humble when you are as great as I am."

It's true it is hard to be humble. To remember that we have a short time on this earth and our time is better spent than in petty disputes with petty people. I search for humility and I always fall short.  The wife tells me that I always think I know how to do somebodies job better than them and that I think I know it all. I don't know it all. But I know a lot of shit. And I can tell when I am being bullshitted.
When we talk about stuff I don't know about I keep my mouth shut. If you are talking about repairing and building something I would listen to what Sixty Grit or AllenS had to say and keep my mouth shut because I don't have a clue. It's easy to be humble when don't know anything about the subject.

I have to strive to be humble and let go of my vanity. I get in trouble a lot because I fight other peoples battles. I am pretty self-sufficient and I am not worried about much but when other people  get smacked around I have to jump in. I doubt that I am going to stop doing that but I can be a little better at being humble. Let go of my vanity.

The only vanity I want to have to think about it that hot chick that Prince used to bang.