Satan’s Choice
Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.
Milton’s Satan got it wrong. These were not his choices.
Anyone who has worked in an American office or, worse, an American volunteer organization or, even worse, an American academic organization has had the misfortune to meet the power hungry. They lie, cajole, push, slander, and try try try tirelessly without end to eke out just a bit more of their tiny empire.
Its not because they are power hungry. They aren’t power hungry enough. I mean it. I am not just making a sub-Chestertonian rhetorical flourish [Admin–unlike 90% of what you write?].
No one was ever willing to run through a brick wall for a colleague who was good at office politics. These people have a little moeity of org chart power but that is it. There is much, much, much more power in friendship and leadership. But that requires you to care about people. You have more power, but you have to devote a substantial part of if to the good of those people, because you care about them.
You should really read this link. It’s an essay by EDJCB on It’s a Wonderful Life.
Satan was going to reign in Heaven or in Hell, either way. Heaven didn’t even really require his submission. What Heaven required was love.
Satan chose a much smaller dominion so he wouldn’t have to love.
sute
April 1, 2025
It almost sounds like he’s impatient, which is odd for a being that seems to exist out of time (at least as practically as we can conceive it). But maybe he’s impatient in working his devilish works in our lives because he realizes this limited mortal probation is the only hold he has on us — and even more specifically, as is often the case it’s the young impatient, emotional/hormonal years where he can wrap those flaxen cords tightest to bind us in our ways through old age. If he doesn’t get that done in our time, we then become in the Lord’s power, so to speak.
But I like your observation about caring for each other.
If we look at pride as the great original sin — and Pres. Benson’s definition of pride as enmity towards God and also toward man, I think that seems to fit.
I’ve always like the definition of humility as seeing the value in others, which ties in nicely with this thought of Satan not willing to lead through service and friendship, because he doesn’t really care about or see the value in helping others.
The only value he seems to see in us, is how much he can get us to act in a way that causes us to not feel of any value at all. But like salt, it never truly loses its savor unless chemically corrupted — and then it’s thrown out and trodden by men. The Lord can purify that salt and never loses sight of its eternal value.