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Vanity comes from the Latin word vanus, which means empty¸ implying that the source of our vanity is void of substance and will vanish. When the Roman Emperor triumphed in a battle, he put on a victory celebration in which the general of the battle paraded through the street. Behind him on his chariot a slave would hold a victory laurel and whisper in the general’s ear, “All is vanity,” thus reminding the general of the perils of vanity.

It is part of ancient wisdom to remind people that all accomplishments people praise and admire will perish until no one remembers them. Charles Lindbergh, the first pilot to successfully fly across the Atlantic, was celebrated as a great hero for his famous flight. Within ten years, however, he was vilified as a criminal by the American press who falsely claimed that he was a Nazi sympathizer.