Cambyses II was ruler of ancient Persia from 529-522 BC. You have likely never heard of him, but he is famous because in history for one characteristic. During his reign he invaded Egypt and declared himself Pharaoh. He was a ruthless, angry and arrogant man. From the throne of Egypt he then set his sights on invading Ethiopia and sent spies into the land to discover their weaknesses.
The spies brought gifts to the Ethiopian king, and struck up a conversation about trade, but the king was not fooled by their ploy. Instead the king presented them with a huge bow and told them that the Persians should attack when they could muster enough strength to draw the bow as powerfully as he could. Until then they should stay away and thank the gods that their lives were spared. The Ethiopian king was not intimidated. As a final dig at the Persians, the king mentioned that their leader Cambyses would live longer if he stopped eating so badly. Word had gotten to Ethiopia that he was pudgy. The spies went back and reported on the confidence of the Ethiopians.
An engraving from the Middle Ages called “the lost army” is a depiction of Cambyses II ill-fated drive into Ethiopia, where his starving men ate each other so that some could survive.
Cambyses II was incensed by the insults. His pride took over. He immediately sent an invasion force of 50,000 men to attack Ethiopia, and reduce the conquered people to slavery, without so much as preparing any provisions for the campaign. The soldiers rushed across Africa, and ran out of food long before they arrived in Ethiopia. In desperation they ate their beasts of burden, and then fed on grass in the fields. When Cambyses II heard of this, in his arrogance he did not recall his army but ordered them to continue advancing. The men, having reached the desert sands, cast lots. Thus one man in ten was selected, and the Persian soldiers, with no food or supplies to survive on, began killing and eating their own.
Eventually the army retreated back to Egypt, badly weakened. They were beaten not by the powerful Ethiopians, but by the pride of their own king, Cambyses II, a pathological narcissist who would let his own men result to cannibalism before he would admit that he was wrong.
You may have been told along the way to take pride in your work. Or to keep your house and possessions in order to express pride of ownership. Maybe when you accomplished something important you were told, “We are proud of you.” The dignity, honor and respect associated with this kind of pride is something that many of us aspire to.
But pride in the traditional sense, going back to the Bible, isn’t a positive for living. Pride is associated in this context more with conceit, arrogance, self-centeredness and filled with strife. Pride is the deadly sin of superiority—the idea that we can pursue our own self-importance at the expense of others. Cambyses II of Persia is far from the only example of the sin of pride.
Pride comes before the fall. It’s an ancient truth, really, and we’ve all heard it before. It comes from Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall”. The lesson here is that pride, sinful self-confidence, leads to destruction. It should be avoided.
As a leader, pride presents a real problem. It can destroy relationships. It can rob you of the joy of accomplishment. And it can keep you from loving things that are really important in life. It can create blind spots that create other problems. Like Cambyses II, it can push you down a road much farther than you need to go, and destroy others in the process. Remember that the opposite of love isn’t hate—it’s self-centeredness. Pride is putting your own self-interest above everything else. So how do we solve the problem of pride? Three simple actions come to play:
Embrace humility. This isn’t meekness or weakness. Rather, humility is the quality of putting others before yourself. To be humble is an active work of the mind, practicing modesty and an attitude that focuses on relationships and rewards beyond self-interest. Author Anna Katharina Schaffner, Ph.D, writes, “The Greek philosopher Socrates held that wisdom is, above all, knowing what we don’t know. He taught an intellectual form of humility that freely acknowledges the gaps in our knowledge and that humbly seeks to address our blind spots.” In other words, humility and wisdom go hand-in-hand.
Some of the common characteristics of humility include:
A willingness to see yourself accurately, including your weaknesses
An accurate understanding of your place in the world
An ability to acknowledge mistakes and wrongs
An appreciation for the value of others
More than anything, humility is a determination to take your focus off of yourself, and place it on others, chiefly for their benefit. This is a core principle of leadership—the ability to pour your energy into making others better. Scripture consistently equates humility with a strong relationship with God. 1 Peter 5:5 says, “In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”
The Bible too often contrasts pride and humility—the first to be avoided and the second to be embraced. Proverbs 11:2 says, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” And again in Proverbs 18:12, “Before his downfall a person’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.”
Express gratitude. Hand-in-hand with humility is an attitude for life that gives thanks in all circumstances. Recognize all that you possess that is good—those things which bring you joy and happiness, satisfaction. Your health, relationships, strengths, talents and abilities, even hardships that have fortified you mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
A leader with gratitude focuses on what is in front of him versus what isn’t there. Thankful people are less stressed, irritated and frustrated that their lives aren’t different. For them, Thanksgiving isn’t just a November holiday. It is a means by which to approach each and every day. Some ways to increase gratitude in your life according to Forbes magazine include :
Be thankful for everything, not just the “big things”. Good weather, good health, a good meal, the fact your mail arrived on time.
Be thankful for negatives. Even challenges in your life can be moments of gratitude. Tough experiences have shaped you into the person you are today. That illness your spouse battled. The business upheaval that helped you make better decisions. Everything can be an opportunity for gratitude.
Volunteer to help others. There’s nothing like delivering Christmas gifts to foster children, or serving in a soup kitchen, or raking your elderly neighbor’s yard, to remind you of the blessings that you have.
Spend time with family. If you are struggling to find an attitude of gratitude, spend timewith relatives or friends. Express to them how thankful you are for those vital relationships. Author Ryan Holiday said, “Pride dulls our ability to learn, to adapt, to be flexible, and to build relationships.” Looking to be especially thankful around relatives and friends helps quell this destructive emotion.
Extinguish jealousy. Do you have thoughts or feelings of insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety? Jealousy can come when our pride is threatened. Someone else has something we want or think we deserve. In the social media age, where everyone you know is posting pictures of their new car, or trip to Tahiti, or bragging on their new job, pride can creep into our minds and we ask the question, “Why not me?”
To get rid of jealousy, first recognize it’s sinful nature. After all, God made it a commandment. “Thou shalt not covet…” (Exodus 20:17). Jealousy is always wrong. The word “covet” in the original Hebrew means lust or a strong desire. You want something that someone else has for yourself. The question to ask is why do you want it? To build up your own self-image. So that others will see you in a certain way? To gain wealth, or independence or some other means of control or power?
Isn’t it interesting that Cambyses II of Persia took over Egypt and then named himself Pharaoh? Why use that Egyptian title? Because in his day, Egypt was the longstanding power. They had existed and flourished for centuries, and Pharaohs were legend. The pyramids were built for them. For Cambyses II, it was a point of pride. And once he was Pharaoh, he started acting like the god-kings of Egypt, regardless of the fact he had no aptitude for leadership.
The ruins of the tomb of Cambyses II in the modern country of Iran. Today he is not known as a conqueror or ruler of Peria, but rather as a foolish man who lost his army because of his pride.
Looking up. C.S. Lewis said, “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.” At its heart, pride concerns our position. If you approach life and leadership from the position that you have arrived, that you deserve success, and that nobody can tell you how to act or what to do better than you, then your pride will keep you from achieving the very thing you really desire. And it may just destroy you or something you love in the process.
Instead of looking down at everyone and everything, look up. Embrace humility toward others. Express gratitude for what you have. And extinguish the jealousy for what you don’t have. Now you will discover your mind is open to others’ ideas and directions. Your sense of position will include a sense that your peers’ success is also important. And your sense of self-worth will include a healthy concern for the well-being of those around you. Cambyses II of Persia was so full of pride that he was willing to let his own people eat each other rather than to suffer a loss. Instead of the title “great leader”, we now look back and call him a madman. The lesson is clear: As a leader, don’t let pride turn you into the opposite of what you really want to become.
