On the wall of my office I have one of those great Successory Pictures of a majestic looking American Eagle with an American Flag as a backdrop. Under the picture is the word; PRIDE in bold letters with a quote: "Pride is a personal commitment; It is an attitude which separates excellence from mediocrity." I rather like that quote, and I'd like to talk to you about this topic of Pride - specifically True Pride and False Pride, because there is a huge difference.
When discussing this with a good friend, she noted that the definition and quote in my picture is "A very positive quote," and refers to what she calls; True Pride.
Now then, let me ask you; why is that so many people think all types of pride are bad? You see, some tell us that Pride is bad, and I suppose it can be for someone who overestimates their ability while an unearned ego festers inside in search of self-validation by any means possible. That perhaps is problematic. Some religions say 'Pride is Bad' and lately with all the political correctness and 'everyone is equal' motif, those with visible Pride might be called out as arrogant, megalomaniacs, or egomaniacs - indeed all of this name calling is a form of bullying, but it is coming from the Prideful Individual, rather from the politically correct brain-washed society. My acquaintance notes that False Pride is a negative, but True Pride is a good thing.
Okay so, let's look at actual definitions shall we?
Webster's Dictionary:
1.) A feeling that you respect yourself and deserve to be respected by other people.
2.) A feeling that you are more important or better than other people.
3.) A feeling of happiness that you get when you or someone you know does something good, difficult, etc.
My acquaintance notes that; #1 and 3# above are True Pride, while #2 if unearned is False Pride.
In number one, I'd ask; who is to say a super achieved person doesn't deserve respect? And shouldn't everyone respect themselves anyway? My friend notes; "Not necessarily, there are those who do feel they deserve respect and respect themselves, but under false pretenses and are living in a fantasy world, living out their lives doing harm, trying to control and exert power over others only to benefit themselves. When someone like this succeeds in controlling others they take great False Pride (hubris) in their accomplishments, but it is not something to be respected, quite the opposite."
Isn't that the point of brain washing people into believing we are all equal in every way? If it isn't why are we lying to everyone, observation shows us otherwise, should be deny our observations too? What sort of decisions would we make if we start denying all of our observations? In the second definition, it would seem to me that a feeling of superiority should be fine if it is justified, shouldn't Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps be allowed to feel superior in their sport domains? They are in fact; superior. Thus this would be an example of True Pride.
In the third Webster Definition; I believe everyone should feel happy when they or someone they know does something good or accomplishes something difficult. Again, we can mark this down as True Pride, and we see it is a positive, not a negative.
So, far in the definition as long as someone isn't lying to themselves about their abilities, I see nothing wrong with Pride from the actual definition, but let's continue this dialogue shall we?
The WikiPedia definition of Pride is this:
"An inwardly directed emotion that carries two antithetical meanings; with a negative connotation pride refers to a foolishly and irrationally corrupt sense of one's personal value, status or accomplishments, used synonymously with hubris. [Perfect example of False Pride, notes my friend]. With a positive connotation, pride refers to a humble and content sense of attachment toward one's own or another's choices and actions, or toward a whole group of people, and is a product of praise, independent self-reflection, and a fulfilled feeling of belonging [the most positive example of True Pride]."
Apparently, people need to learn the definitions and think this topic through before going around and calling anyone with Pride less than noble. There is nothing wrong with True Pride, nothing at all, there are only flawed individuals who often lie to themselves about their abilities which is False Pride.
Think on this
Lance Winslow: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Lance_Winslow/5306
No comments:
Post a Comment