The word “pride” has numerous applications. We see
confidence as a good and arrogance as bad. There is also the annoying trait of false-humility.
Lets take a little time and examine this thing called “pride” to find where a
person ought to be.
Pride gets its meaning from accomplishments that are
universally recognized as being great. A person shouldn't mind being recognized
for these and this is honorable; the proper use of pride. The man who wants
recognition yet hasn't really done anything is a fool and a virtuous person is
not a fool. There is also ordinary satisfaction for day to day things, but we
are focusing on the extraordinary. There are those who stand out in their
physical beauty and those who are normal. A person who thinks more of oneself
than one ought to is vain. The opposite is false-humility. We see that there
can be a distance between the honor one deserves and what one takes. This
distance varies also with the greatness of the accomplishments. The proper
amount of recognition is the target we are seeking. A person who demands too much or asks too little
is in an extreme and has missed the mark.
So what is the end-game of pride? What does one think he deserves?
It would be something everyone recognizes universally and be something above
external goods that even great people aim at. The prize for noble deeds is honor.
Honor is what great people seek after. We
see wealthy people and celebrities that seek honor through charity work or
awards. Their money and accomplishments are never enough. So honors and
dishonors are what healthy pride looks at. False-humility plays down what merits are due
as compared to someone with healthy pride. Vanity will exaggerate merits as
compared to a person with healthy pride.
This is an important subject that is addressed in many ways by
religions and philosophies. We will continue and look at insolence verses gracefulness…
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