Pretensions

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV)

“The Emperor’s New Clothes” is a children’s story written by Hans Christian Anderson. It depicts an emperor who is convinced that he is dressed opulently, when, in reality, he is parading around exposing his shame. He surrounds himself with people who affirm his false beliefs as alternate facts.

“Pretension is a poor joke you play on yourself.” (Virat Kohli)

We all know pretentious people who try to impress others by appearing to be important, knowledgeable, sophisticated, talented, influential, or wealthy. It may start as an attempt to mask their own insecurities. Their puffery might work to a certain extent. Soon they start believing their own lies. In order to hold on to their delusions, they surround themselves with people who are equally unaware or indifferent to shame.

Pretension is a symptom of not knowing oneself or a refusal to accept one’s authentic self. It reveals a lack of personal awareness and an indifference to truth. Self-idolatry obstructs our view of reality. It lulls us into imagining that we are self-sufficient supreme beings. It creates a barrier between us and God. Until we tear down these altars of self-worship, we cannot know God. We have a choice: we can continue leading hollow lives where we fool ourselves, OR we can dig deeper into the Truth.