Throughout scripture—especially in the Book of Mormon—we find a pattern that repeats with the precision of an ancient clock: the pride cycle. A people are blessed for their obedience to God. In time, that obedience brings prosperity. Then, prosperity gives way to pride. Pride leads to spiritual decay. And finally, the Lord allows affliction to humble His people and bring them back. And so it goes, again and again.
This pattern is not exclusive to ancient civilizations. It continues in our day. We can see it in the most unexpected corners of the modern world: in prosperous cities, in comfortable homes, even in the hearts of those who have been blessed beyond their ability to comprehend.
AN ETERNAL CYCLE IN A MODERN WORLD
President Ezra Taft Benson taught, “Pride is the great sin. It is the universal sin.” And it is, because it disguises itself masterfully. Pride doesn’t always appear as open arrogance. Sometimes it takes the form of spiritual indifference, ingratitude, self-sufficiency, that quiet voice that says: “I don’t need God. I’m doing fine.”
One might think that in a world filled with technology, access to information, and abundant resources, humanity would be wiser, more grateful, more humble. But history shows the opposite. When the Nephites prospered “more than the Lamanites,” pride grew “in their hearts, because of their many riches” (Helaman 3:33–34). Today, it’s the same.
WHEN PROSPERITY DECEIVES
A young man grows up in a multimillion-dollar home somewhere in Southern California. His bedroom has giant windows, an ocean view, a king-size bed, three state-of-the-art screens, and a sneaker collection that would stir envy in any celebrity. Yet one night, he bursts into tears.
“What’s wrong?” his mother asks.
“I don’t feel happy,” he replies. “I don’t know why, but everything bothers me. My room is too small.”
That room, by the way, is over 700 square feet. In some third-world countries, entire families live in smaller spaces. But for this young man, the emptiness isn’t about square footage. It’s about the soul.
The problem is that prosperity, when not paired with gratitude and obedience, inflates the ego and shrinks the soul. Money brings comfort, but also options. And among so many options, the spirit can suffocate. Material things become distractions. Spiritual things become irrelevant.
BORED, BUT PRIVILEGED
Another young man, with successful parents and overflowing bank accounts, receives a $5,000 monthly allowance. He doesn’t need to work or worry about rent. He has a Tesla, organic food, and designer clothes. Yet one day, he walks into a Walmart and steals a pair of $40 headphones.
When questioned, his explanation is as simple as it is disturbing: “I was bored at home.”
How can someone with so many privileges commit such a senseless act? The answer lies in the heart. Boredom is the child of spiritual emptiness. When the soul lacks purpose, the body seeks distractions. When a person doesn’t feel their life has meaning, they chase fleeting emotions… even through wrongdoing.
FIRST-WORLD PROBLEMS: A LACK OF REAL PROBLEMS?
It’s ironic that in countries with the highest Human Development Index—where education, healthcare, housing, and entertainment are readily available—there’s also a sharp rise in antidepressant use, substance abuse, and suicide rates. How do we explain this?
The answer isn’t sociological, political, or even psychological. It’s spiritual.
When a person no longer needs to pray for daily bread, doesn’t depend on rain for crops, doesn’t feel their life is in God’s hands every morning… they forget God. Not consciously, but gradually. Like a muscle that atrophies from disuse, the soul loses sensitivity when it doesn’t need faith to survive.
This is precisely what happened to the Nephites after they were delivered from Lamanite bondage:
“And instead of remembering the Lord their God, they grew proud in their own eyes, and began to build houses, yea, and exceedingly fine houses…” (Helaman 3:9)
Sound familiar? Lavish homes, full wardrobes, smart fridges with Wi-Fi… and empty spirits.
THE TRAP OF SUCCESS
There is nothing wrong with prosperity. In fact, scripture is full of promises of prosperity for the obedient. The problem arises when we confuse prosperity with salvation—when we use God’s blessings as an excuse to stop seeking Him, when outward success makes us believe we are fine inwardly.
This was the same error made by the people of Zoram:
“They became proud in their hearts, because of their many riches; therefore they became indifferent concerning the things of their God.” (Helaman 6:17)
That indifference is, in many ways, more dangerous than open sin. Because someone who sins and knows it can repent. But someone who feels righteous because of success sees no need to change.
FROM PRIDE TO DESTRUCTION
The pride cycle, as illustrated in the Book of Mormon, is not just a theological sequence. It’s a pattern that leads to destruction.
The people prosper → grow proud → forget God → self-destruct.
So it was with the Nephites. So it was with Jerusalem. So it will be with any nation, family, or individual who chooses to walk that path. In His mercy, the Lord then allows trials to soften hearts.
WHY DOES GOD LET US FALL?
The answer is simple: because if we don’t fall, we won’t look up.
As Elder D. Todd Christofferson taught, “God doesn’t just want us to be happy. He wants us to be holy.” And to become holy, we sometimes need to be shaken, corrected, humbled. Not because He enjoys our pain, but because He sees more than we do.
Humility doesn’t always arise from gratitude. Sometimes it’s born from pain. Sometimes, the only way to remember our need for God… is to lose everything else.
EXISTENTIAL EMPTINESS IN THE MIDST OF LUXURY
In a lifestyle magazine interview, a wealthy influencer once said: “I have everything I want, but I still feel like something is missing. I’ve tried drugs, alcohol, parties… but there’s a loneliness that won’t go away.”
What he’s missing isn’t something. It’s someone.
Without God, the human soul remains incomplete. No matter how luxurious the surroundings, we can be surrounded by marble, crystal, gold—and still feel like emotional beggars.
THE ONLY TRUE HAPPINESS
President Russell M. Nelson taught: “True happiness comes from keeping the commandments of God.” A simple but powerful statement. Because in a world that preaches happiness comes from comfort, from limitless freedom, from accumulation—the gospel teaches the opposite: that happiness comes from connection to heaven.
The Savior Himself, during His mortal ministry, had “nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20), yet He was full. Because His life had purpose, obedience, and perfect love for the Father.
BREAKING THE CYCLE: RETURNING TO GOD
How can we break the pride cycle?
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By recognizing the source of our blessings. Everything we have comes from God. Nothing is truly ours by merit. “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)
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By seeking constant humility. Not false modesty, but sincere humility—the kind that prays in secret, serves quietly, admits faults, and seeks forgiveness.
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By remembering the scriptures and their warnings. The Book of Mormon was not written for the Lamanites. It was written for us. It is a mirror showing what we are capable of becoming—and how to avoid it.
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By living with eternal purpose, not material focus. Let our day be defined not by what we earn or buy, but by how much we love, pray, and serve.
IN CONCLUSION
The pride cycle is not an unavoidable curse. It’s a loving warning. It’s the repeated call of a Heavenly Father who wants us to be free, fulfilled, and humble. Prosperity is not the enemy. The enemy is forgetting where that prosperity came from—and why we were given it.
We can be wealthy and still humble. We can live in rich nations and remain spiritually poor if we don’t cultivate faith.
But we can also use abundance as a tool to bless others—to serve, to give, to testify that all good things come from Christ.
Because in the end, we will not be judged by how big our room was, or how many zeros our bank account had—but by what we did with what we were given.
And if we use every blessing as a chance to love and obey… then, and only then, we will have broken the pride cycle.
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