Pride

No, this isn’t going to be some half-arsed tribute to U2 … or anything remotely close to that. It’s a matter of straight up looking at an attribute that we all, as humans, have … and one that can lead even the best souls to ruin.

Like many things in our world, pride can be a very positive attribute, if held in moderate doses. But what is the fun in that? Where is the true enjoyment of being proud of the hard work you put in to clean up your yard? Or the hours of training put in to run your first marathon? Or the pride one feels when your own child walks for the first time, or says their first word, or graduates from high school top of the class? That’s right – that is tame and lame! To hell with just settling on the feeling you get in your chest – it means nothing until you smear the internet with the news, tell everyone you meet about it, and rub it in the faces of all of your friends and acquaintances and family members. While not necessarily damning in itself (yes, it can be if taken to an extreme), this is merely annoying and might cause new friendships.

Sarcasm aside, pride has a darker side that most people don’t dare to acknowledge. Pride has a tendency to blind us to the world as it actually exists, creating a distorted, myopic view of the world. A distorted sense of pride, often accompanied by an inordinately large ego, can cause someone to be less willing to accept change, compromise, or a situation that puts them in what they view as a less-than-positive light. As was once said, someone suffering from pride and ego will do mental gymnastics to put themselves in the center of any situation, regardless of their actual involvement (or lack thereof).

The “sin” of pride has recently shown its ugly head within the realms of my world – not personally. I work to keep myself grounded, actually. I know the damage pride can cause personally, as I have succumbed to it before and have been severely burned. The problem as we now face, is someone whose ego is not allowing them to see what is going on. Every thought or contact is a personal attack, even when the contact has nothing to do with them. What amazes me is the fact that someone can and wants to live in this manner. Always seemingly seeking conflict, only to use it for attention and sympathy … does one need attention that badly? And if you are one of those people, wouldn’t you much rather have positive interactions, positive attention, and that positive vibe, rather than filling your life with negative poison and infecting others? To me, someone who can look back on this problem personally, this just seems like the fast road to ruin and loss … eventually, that pride and ego will come back to bite you in the arse. Better to deal with it now, than later.