The Self Gives Birth to a Multitude of Sins

1. Perhaps the first sin of the ego is selfishness:
   In it, a person becomes centered around his own self, thinking only of it, and wanting it to have everything it desires. In this, he prefers it above all. If his self collides with the love of another person, he prefers his self over that person. And if the desires of his self conflict with certain principles or values, he sacrifices all principles and values in order to fulfill what his self desires. And if his self collides with the love of God or obedience to His commandments, he prefers it over all of God’s commandments and breaks those commandments for its sake.
   And naturally all this has its consequences in his life in general…

2. Also, one who loves his self may become insistently demanding, exhausting others:
   He wants to carry out his idea or desire by every means and with all speed! Therefore, he resorts to extreme insistence that tires the nerves of others, through repeating the request, and pressing for its execution now, exactly as it is, and quickly, no matter the obstacles that prevent it, and no matter how unsuitable the time is!! But the ego wants, and it does not care about embarrassing the one asked, nor hindering him from his work… And if he apologizes, his apology does not matter, and the ego resumes its insistence and presses again…
   Thus dealing with such a self becomes very difficult…

3. And the self also leads to hypocrisy:
   For the one who loves his self wants people to see this self in the most beautiful image, and to see him as other than he truly is, appearing before them as virtuous and righteous, no matter what is inside him contrary to that, and no matter what hidden sins he has! Thus he receives from them praise he does not deserve. He does not care about the true evaluation of his self; rather the outward appearance suffices him, no matter how deceptive it is to people. And all this is hypocrisy. But hypocrisy must be exposed, even if after a while. And as the poet said: The garment of hypocrisy reveals what is beneath it… so if you are clothed in it, you are naked.

4. And for the sake of self-love he also falls into lying:
   It is known that lying is a cover for the self, with which it covers its mistakes and deficiencies so that they may not be exposed before others. So it denies what wrong it has done. And if its denial is uncovered, it hides it with another lie… and so on, in order for its self to appear without defect!
   Likewise, lying may sometimes be the means by which the self achieves its aims. It seeks tricks and invents reasons to reach what it wants…
   Whether lying is the means of the self to obtain sinful aims it desires, or to hide sinful matters it does not want exposed… the self is the motive in both…

5. Self-love is always far from giving, sacrifice, and serving others:
   The one who loves his self does not want to give, for he constantly wants to take and increase, not to decrease what he has by giving. And if it happens that he gives on some day, it is only so he may receive behind it praise or a good reputation, not out of love for people or a desire to comfort them. He does not know the service of others, because he does not feel their needs due to his self-centeredness. And if he happens one day to enter fields of public service, it is only in search of authority, fame, influence, and outward appearance, to gain a name in society!!

6. Self-love leads to monopolizing authority:
   For the self-loving person, if he enters any administration, wants to gather all authority in his hands. He says: nothing is done except by my permission, my counsel, and my thought. The decision is my decision, the management is my management, and thus he shares authority with no one. He reminds us of the Emperor of France who said: L’État, c’est moi, meaning “The state is me.”
   Thus dictatorial rule in history has its foundation in the self, for it is the rule of one individual, that is, the self monopolizing authority…

7. The one fought by the ego finds it difficult to cooperate with anyone:
   Because he wants his own mind to prevail. So the one who works with him must either be submissive to his thought or at least in agreement with it, otherwise they clash or part ways! Also, from the ego and its stubbornness arise divisions and conflicts…
   And from the ego come family disagreements, where each person clings to his opinion. Matters may reach courts and lawsuits, preceded by discord, quarrel, and agitation. In all this, no one thinks of the happiness of another or of pleasing him. Rather it is the self that thinks only of its own comfort, even if its comfort is built upon the hardship of others! It thinks only of its own dignity and rights, whether inside the family or outside. Indeed, from the self also arise wars, but on the level of nations…

8. The one fought by the self easily becomes aggressive:
   He takes an aggressive stance against anyone who stands in the way of his self—opposing or competing with it, or whom he imagines to be so. For he does not like anyone to compete with him! Thus the opposition of others causes him anger, and the matter turns into hostility. And hostility intensifies and becomes hatred, for he cannot easily forgive an offense! And if time goes on and he feels that his self has not obtained its due… then he may think of pleasing his self through revenge. Here he becomes aggressive…
   There is no doubt that all acts of vengeance have their cause in the self.

9. The person confident in his self imposes this self and its demands even upon God Himself!
   He does not say to the Lord in his prayer: “Reveal to me, O Lord, what You want me to do… and let Your will be done.” Nor does he ask for God’s guidance; rather he imposes his requests on God!
   As if saying: “This matter that I present to You today, O Lord: I have studied it well. What remains is for You to carry it out for me, and to do such-and-such for me!!” He not only imposes his will on God without asking to know God’s will, but moreover he asks that this be done quickly and without delay!! He also watches the deeds of people and tries to impose his will upon them!

10. The one who tries to magnify his self in his own eyes imagines this in daydreams:
    It is an attempt to enlarge the self even in the world of imagination. Or it is the image of the self that is not satisfied with the reality in which it lives, so it resorts to satisfying its self with daydreams. It imagines that it has become such-and-such, and done such-and-such, and received from people various forms of admiration, respect, and glorification!!
    Thus it lives in an atmosphere of vain glory. Then it awakens to see that it has no ability to reach what it imagined in its dreams!!

1. An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, published in Al-Ahram newspaper on 22-10-2006.

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