Vanity has overwhelmed many leftist minds to the point that conversations like this are not uncommon (quote from instapundit):
Eric Hobsbawm, typical of many leftists, was asked how he felt about his earlier support for the Soviet Union. “If Communism had achieved its aims, but at the cost of, say, 15 to 20 million people – as opposed to the 100million it actually killed in Russia and China – would you have supported it?” His answer was “Yes’.”
This is one way to quantify vanity. A humble person would not want to see anyone die as a result of his political beliefs. A really vain person will cheerfully consign 20 million people to the grave because he thinks his ideals are that important. The super-vain don’t mind that a hundred million of their neighbors were wiped out in the name of some insane political theory.
One might imagine a Judgment Day on which such statements are played back before sentence is pronounced.
Vanity grows as the brain space occupied by demons of that tribe increases. At the beginning, Vanity manifests itself with a few unnecessary “I’s” and “Me’s”. As vanity swells, causing the afflicted mind to believe that it is more important than the lives of millions.
Dictionaries define vanity as: “Excessive pride in one’s appearance or accomplishments; conceit.” The demons of pride are related, pushing those they infect to “A feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements.” Vanity, pride, and death, distracted by pleasure, and self-satisfaction, all march together down the broad road to perdition.
Leftists are obsessed with pride and vanity. They enjoy thinking self-important thoughts, saying self-important words, believing self-important things, and doing whatever displays or increases the feelings of self-importance. When they do so, they are proud of having done so, suffused with a deep enjoyment of what they’ve .
Vanity and pride are spiritual viruses infecting the mind and soul the same way physical viruses and germs do the body. Corrupting viruses are like microscopic termites, eating away at minds. Some termites build large, ugly structures of mud. They think their buildings are beautiful.
Vanity, pride, and death are corrupting viruses that make us think we are more important than we are. Vanity, pride, and death keep those they infect from meaningful accomplishment. As their infection grows, it blinds the afflicted to the higher things. They have no love, recognize no truth, and have no God that does not appear in their mirror.
