When a word is chosen in the process of writing, sometimes I second guess myself about the meaning, or I desire clarity of definition for the purposes of a quote. In one such time, I was in a proverbial deep dive for the word ‘vanity ’ and found intrigue. The data is sourced from the etymology (the study of words) website etymonline.com as well as the ‘Lewis & Short, A Latin Dictionary’ (1879). While all words have proto-archaic roots for which we have no surviving language, our modern word for ‘vanity’ comes from the Latin word ‘vānus,’ whose meaning translates to “empty, hollow, fruitless, or without substance." 

Yet, the classical scholars and lexicographers Charlton Lewis and Charles Short noted that the literal use of the root ‘vānus’ by ancient Latin authors was rare compared to the frequency of it being used figuratively. Furthermore, its abstract-noun version ‘vānitas’, is translated as ‘emptiness, worthlessness, futility, or falsity’; they did not list ‘vānitas’ as being a rare word or usage. The Roman scholar Cicero wrote in his work, ‘On the Nature of Gods’, “There is, therefore, in heaven neither chance, nor rashness, nor error, nor vānitas; on the contrary, there is every kind of order, truth, reason, and consistency.”

The word morphed with the slow dissolution of the Roman Empire in the province of Gaul (France) as it did elsewhere. ‘Vānitas’ became ‘vanite’ in Old French, meaning “self-conceit, futility; lack of resolve.” Early Middle English took the word and used it to mean, “that which is vain, futile, or worthless,” but did not yet have it mean anything to do with one's appearance (Circa 1200 A.D.). About 100 years later, vanity could also be used in Middle English to describe the ‘use of time in which nothing worthwhile was achieved’. Not fifty years later in English (per the Oxford English Dictionary) does the meaning acquire an excessive self-regard in one's own appearance or lust for the high regard of others. About one hundred years pass by, and we get a relatively complete picture of the word, in which ‘objects can be vainly displayed.’  

Throughout my life, sometimes I have used words in conversations in which I have been rebuked by others for the improper use or definition of words which I thought I knew. However, I was eventually able to attribute this to childhood readings from the Bible, from reading literature in Latin and philosophy classes as well as my youthful passion for reading old mythology. From this happenstance, I have come to believe words are not just their definition or their current use in the vernacular, but words are a compilation of their history, and the more history that you read, the more deeply a word will be defined for a reader. 

So together with more than two thousand years of construction, “vanity” as we know it is constructed with: “hollow, futile, false, without resolve; worthlessness and the worthless use of time, as well as an excessive self-regard for one's appearance, importance; the lust for the attention of others; things which can be displayed but otherwise should not be.” 

As per my job of reading the endless news-slop of the 24-hour news cycle, it was on the same day as constructing this article that I read that some CEO said something about “vanity projects” in Washington, D.C., and the thought came to me (or I read it on the news-slop, but can't recall from where): that there are many real problems (some are extreme in their need) facing the United States right now. There are the Iran Affair and all of the problems exposed through its ongoing length (problems exposed to rival and friendly nations around the world): 

• The utter waste of American missile stockpiles, which will take decades to replenish. 
• The failings in caring for our sailors and deployment lengths. 
• The failure to defend American military bases in the Middle East. 
• The loss of around 80 fighter jets. The failure to defend cargo vessels and shipping lanes.
• The inability of the U.S. Navy to make new boats. 
• The high price of food.
• The extreme price of housing.
• The high price of gas and diesel. 
• The rampant price of medical care and insurance.
• Medicare loss for human trafficking victims. 
• Corruption in the federal government. 
• Federal reserves giving away millions of acres to mining and deforestation
• Building a wall through Big Bend National Park. 
• A.I. companies stealing the life's work of artists, musicians, songwriters, authors, painters – and now mathematicians while being protected by the Federal government. Congressmen, the president, and Justices trading in stocks. 
• ICE and their insta-ramen quick training. 
• The president firing and rehiring the whole of the federal government.

All of the above seem like massive problems which our government should attend to.

So, I more than suppose that building a triumphal arch in Washington D.C., “renovating" the reflecting pool, building a gold-gilded ballroom attached to a renovated-into-oligarch-gilded Whitehouse, and most recently turning a historic golf course in D.C. into a "champion level” course seems like it fits the definition of vain – I found myself agreeing with, of all people a CEO, “Skye Perryman” of Democracy Forward, when speaking about the Trump Administration having over 500, aged trees cut down around the historic golf course. 

“This is a tactic we’ve seen before from the Trump administration: Act quickly to irrevocably alter a cherished national landmark, just to advance another one of President Trump’s pet vanity projects." There was a hold on sudden and unannounced work on historic sites by a federal judge, Ana Reyes, who, by multiple sources from the Associated Press and Newsweek, went beyond scolding White House lawyers after the Court’s orders were routinely ignored, 

"I have given the government every single benefit of the doubt that it would not do precisely what it has done. I am thoroughly amused right now. I do not know how I could have made it any plainer that I did not want what was to happen, to happen.” To the lawyers she admonished, “I wanted you to all be better than you have been.” 

Regarding the half-topic of this article, vanity: "The worthless use of time seems to be a staple of the administration lately. There are actively many major problems facing Western Civilization and the United States, and yet the current administration has the vanity to push these expensive ones during an era in which our national debt levels are astronomically climbing. 

TrumpRX, Trump National Park Pass, the Kennedy Center rename attempt, the renaming of the Institute of Peace to the Donald Trump Institute of Peace, the attempt to put Trump’s face on U.S. currency, adding his signature to U.S. currency, renaming lakes and seas to "America’s”; this is all done with an excessive consideration for one's own level of importance. Historically, Alexander the Great renamed hundreds of cities across the ancient world after himself. Just once would have been enough for us to consider him vain. 

“Hollow, futile, false, without resolve;” this is President Trump “draining the swamp” and "not getting involved in wars in the Middle East." 

“The worthless use of time without achievement;” this is the Iran Affair.

"An excessive self-regard for one's appearance, importance; the lust for the attention of others;” this is President Trump’s name being plastered on everything. 

 When Roman philosopher Cicero wrote, 

"There is, therefore, in heaven neither chance, nor rashness, nor error, nor vānitas; on the contrary, there is every kind of order, truth, reason, and consistency,” 

Cicero directly contrasts ‘vanity’ with the qualities of heaven.  

Austin Petak is an aspiring novelist and freelance journalist who loves seeking stories and the quiet passions of the soul. If you are interested in reaching out to him to cover a story, you may find him at austinpetak@gmail.com.

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