on pride…

April 2, 2008

In Buddhism, Pride is seen as illogical as no one person or thing can be better or worse than something or someone else.

In objectivist ethics, pride is seen as positive, the correct life-affirming attitude to have, as it celebrates one’s achievements and promoted selfworth.

In almost every list of the seven deadly sins, pride is considered the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins. It is indeed the ultimate source from which the others arise.

In "The Greatest Love of All", Whitney Houston sings of the children: "Give them a sense of pride to make it easier…"

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I suppose this contrast of sorts should fuel a debate whether pride is good or bad. I had trouble coming to terms with it myself. Although I suppose that ultimately, the saying "everything in moderation" rings true.

I think pride in itself is not bad. it’s a self-affirmation of the good in us and about us. But given a free reign and allowed to spiral out of control, an overabundance of pride can ruin a person. As mentioned above, it’s the deadliest of the seven deadly sins, and I can relate as to why that is.

Some people’s motto is: "You’ve taken away everything I have, but you’re not going to take away my pride!" But isn’t this one of the first things that one should give up when in a conflict?

I know firsthand how difficult it is to swallow one’s pride. I have a lot of pride in me, but all for the worst reasons and in its worst manifestations. I will argue with you to the death at times, if only to avoid admitting that I was wrong. Moreso if I firmly believe that I’m right. I will give you the cold shoulder for as long as it takes after an altercation, if only to avoid making the first move towards making-up. I’m stubborn and opinionated.

It’s only recently when I’ve realized that I hate it. It’s hard to bear a grudge; much harder than admitting you did wrong. It’s hard to constantly act tough when you’re hiding a lot of baggage inside; much harder than making the first move towards reconciliation. Pride eats you up; and before you know it, hindi mo na kilala yung taong kaharap mo sa salamin. It changes you, it takes away all your inner peace and it’s a hard fall when you realize that you’ve been fooling yourself all along.

Sana magbago na ako, no?