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Ego, the most expensive vice (as I see it… humbly)
I had a friend who’s favorite saying was that ego is our most expensive vice. It seems an odd statement given the fact that we usually don’t think of ego as a vice. Vice is generally defined as having to do with immorality or moral failing. But really, what is morality, and why is something moral or immoral?
Examples of vice include everything from drinking to excess, sexual promiscuity, abuse of drugs, and gambling, to smoking cigarettes. The vice squad in police departments usually target prostitutes and illegal gambling operations. So in some respects, we know what vice is when we see it, but why is something a vice?
When you look at the examples we have above, they seem to all have in common that they give us short-term pleasure at the expense of our long-term good will. For example, drinking to excess might make us feel good for an evening. But the next day, we will pay the price. Nevermind the impact that getting drunk has on our weight, our health, our mental acuity. But really, the harm caused by drinking to excess goes beyond all this.
I’m no prude and I’m not going to tell you that you shouldn’t enjoy an occasional beer or glass of wine. The problem seems to arise when somebody relies upon alcohol to forget reality. Alcohol can become a crutch we use to avoid facing our difficulties. That’s when…
