Great Men Fall For Two Reasons & Only Two!

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”-- Ecclesiastes 1:9 NIV

History isn’t a straight line; it’s a circle. If you look closely at the wreckage of the most powerful empires or the most influential modern careers, you’ll see the same two ghosts haunting the ruins. Every great man throughout history who has tumbled from the heights of greatness, did so only for one of two reasons: Lust or Pride. It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing a crown, a three-piece suit, or a tracksuit; these vices are the ultimate equalizers.

Pride is the silent killer because it masks itself as "ambition." It causes men to go further than they ever originally planned, fueled by the delusion that they are untouchable. As they climb, they grow more avaricious and more obstinate, eventually refusing to listen to the very advisors who helped them get there. Robert Greene captures this perfectly in Law 47 of The 48 Laws of Power: "Do Not Go Past the Mark You Aimed For—In Victory, Learn When to Stop." Many great men find defeat not at the hands of their enemies, but through their own inability to show restraint.

Success is intoxicating, and like any drug, it makes you crave a higher high. We saw this with Napoleon Bonaparte and his insatiable desire to conquer every inch of Europe until he reached his breaking point. Even in the criminal underworld, this rule applies. A more modern (ish) version of how insidious Pride can be is seen with Frank Lucas in American Gangster (one of my favorite movies); he built a multi-million dollar drug empire in the 1970’s, but forgot that "quitting while you’re ahead is not the same as quitting." He over stretched his reach, and had been betrayed by his people, causing him to proceed to go to jail for years. As such, he allowed his vanity and hubris to sing sweet whispers into his ear of how he could never be stopped. Until he finally was.

  To survive the high of success, you have to trust your gut and, more importantly, seek the counsel of those who hold wisdom in your specific arena. Pride is the only sin in which at first glance, it’s difficult to notice you are in it, and so seeking advice from trusted allies is always wise. 

Moreover, there is the second trap: Lust. The examples of how lust can derail a great man are ample, but we’ve seen some particularly loud ones just this year alone. Look at Shannon Sharpe or that West Michigan University Coach, Sherrone Moore, who were both caught up in scandals involving OnlyFans models. Lust blinds us, lulling us into a false sense of security while creating discord in our business matters and personal relationships. For these men, a few moments of temporary satisfaction literally cost them millions of dollars and decades of reputation-building.

And don’t think this is a "man of color" issue or a "sports" issue—lust is universal and colorblind. Just look at Andy Bryon, the former CEO of the AI company, Astronomer. He was caught on a "Kiss Cam" at a Coldplay concert embracing his Chief of Staff; both were married to other people at the time. It’s a classic tale of a powerful man throwing it all away for a thrill. While these things happen to everyone, men, by and large, seem to fall into the deadly trap of lust with a unique frequency and devastating results.

It is essential to always be wary of these two evils. Pride and Lust have the potential to corrupt even the holiest, wisest, and strongest among us—just ask David, Solomon, or Samson. If the biblical greats couldn't escape the gravity of pride and lust without a fight, what makes you think you're immune? Experience is a great teacher, but learning from the mistakes of others is much cheaper. In other words: keep ya head on straight and keep it in ya pants, gang!