The United States now faces a crisis far more deadly than even the Great Depression. This epidemic is silent, convoluted and most damagingly, ignored. It’s not a lack of evidence that allows such treason to go unpunished, but rather a lack of caution. As the world moves towards a life of complacency and futility, it is now time for a revival of the mind and spirit.

This war we are secretly fighting isn’t fought with guns and bombs, but instead with thoughts, desires and choices. This is a war on pride. Pride, or more specifically conceit, is by definition an excessive appreciation of one’s own worth or virtue. It’s the idea of self-glorification—that your life is the most important thing in the world, and nobody else comes before you. It is the root of many other societal problems, such as greed, narcissism and judgmental character. Most people don’t realize the effects that pride, both their own and others’, has on their everyday lives. Empathy and forgiveness are less common, emotional connections are harder to make and isolation from others is more prevalent. Ultimately, it is a silent killer, damaging relationships with others while hiding from discovery by presenting itself as an emotion of protection and comfort.

Pride has been doggedly warned against in classic literature, but it now seems to go unnoticed and unpunished. One major cause is the absorbing nature of technology. It’s not hard to see why technology has taken over our lives completely. Life is made easier with access to every single piece of information available in the palm of our hands. Entertainment is so accessible and convenient that we’ve developed an addiction to it. It’s hard to argue that everything we see online is positively affecting us. Social media now promotes selfish ambition. It exalts lust and constant entertainment. Boredom no longer exists. We now spend every second of our lives chasing temporary pleasure and stimulus. We are indoctrinated to consume everything we see. This existing gluttony is the definition of pride and conceit. It tarnishes good character and hurts others in the process as well.

Consequently, it’s no surprise that depression, anxiety, and suicide rates have shown no signs of stopping an exponential growth that has been ongoing for decades. According to the American Hospital Association, from 2019 to 2025 alone, the percentage of US adults reported to have depression increased from 12.5% to an astounding 18.3%. We live in a time period where comfort and freedom are at the highest levels ever recorded, and yet we’ve become the most miserable, bitter people in history. It’s understandable why all of this is occurring: social media has molded modern-day culture into prioritizing yourself above all. Why stay in a relationship if your significant other no longer fulfills your needs? Why should you be with them if they don’t give you butterflies and keep the puppy love alive? They can’t control your life, and if they oppose your viewpoints, they must be against you. You aren’t tied to anything except yourself, so why should you put in an effort if it doesn’t benefit you? What many don’t realize is that this form of thinking is the root of all unhappiness. The ideas spread on social media by uneducated, often unreliable influencers have changed how many people view different aspects of life. Loyalty doesn’t exist, love is meant to be quick and easy, chasing money and fame leads to happiness, trust no one; the list goes on and on. It’s no wonder that mental health continues to get worse; people are expecting their lives to work out because they think they deserve it and because they’ve been told it will by random faces on a screen. As the value of serving others and putting others before yourself has almost completely disappeared, a new idea of living life chasing worldly pleasures such as money, popularity and relationships has replaced the age-old concept of modesty and humility. Proud demeanors and excessive vanity have consumed people’s characters, and consequently, the world now questions the meaning of life more than ever before. Pride has made itself into a Trojan horse, dressing up as entertainment, likes, views and comments to hide its true nature of character erosion and unfulfillment. Unless it is identified and fought against, it will continue to pollute the environment of our minds.

So, going forth today in a world where self-love promotes arrogance, remember that while you can manifest superiority, it doesn’t mean you are above all. There is an undervalued importance of submitting yourself to others and choosing to do the right thing for somebody else, even if it doesn’t benefit yourself. You probably don’t want to pay taxes, but you realize that it is necessary to facilitate the world around you. In the same way, view the way you live your life as an act of service. The best way to counter pride is to do things that kill it. Volunteering, reconciling differences during arguments or opting to go to your younger sister’s basketball game over staying at home playing video games are some examples of service towards others. It may not seem like it, but acts of service bring forth much more meaning and purpose than sitting at home staring at a screen. Chasing real-world goals and planning for the future offer equal benefits as well. Life is too short to spend time on things of little value. So, take your aspirations and go make a difference in this world. Overcome all obstacles and be proud of who you are, but never let your beliefs or anybody else’s undermine the importance of humility—the counter to pride—or your potential will be limited.