Beware of Pride
According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, Pride is an unduly high opinion of oneself; exaggerated self-esteem; conceit, haughty behavior resulting from this; arrogance.
I’m writing this because a close friend recently told me of how he sabotaged his own serenity one day with just the smallest dose of exaggerated self-esteem. So, he warned me to be mindful.
This friend is an artist. Talented but undiscovered. There he was at an exhibition one Friday evening expecting to enjoy himself. And maybe rub elbows with some movers and shakers in the business. However, something unexpected happened. The gallery was modest. And there wasn’t much work on display that impressed him. After he circled the same works three or four times, he found himself bored. So, he leaned on a column in the center of the room, people-watched and started thinking, ‘these people are for the birds.’
To counteract his disillusionment, he aroused his own importance and self-worth as counterweights against the apparent lack of pizzaz at the event. In this way, he dismissed everyone coming, going, circling the room and enjoying themselves as not on his level at all. He told me later that he was not conscious of his incremental descent into a pit of false pride.
Before long he was unable to get himself out of the pit. He found himself very much alone in the center of an increasingly lively party. And just as he had dismissed everyone else earlier, others got wise to his poor energy and refused to throw him a lifesaver.
My buddy’s plans for enjoying himself went straight out the window. He said it took some reflection over the weekend to identify ‘pride’ as the culprit that had stolen the show. When I compared similar mistakes of my own to his experience, I realized a suddenly high opinion of oneself is usually an involuntary reflex. Typically this occurs if we feel challenged in some way by the potential of others in our environment. Pride triggers and indulges a brief sensation of pleasure at the expense of others. And competitive spirit. The misadventures of pride have led to many violent campaigns. It has disrupted life on earth. It disfigures its adherents and distinguishes its followers by a propensity for perversion. Like weeds in an otherwise pleasant garden.
Yet whether we ascribe to evolution or intelligent design, we are rooted in the same reality as every soul we’ll ever come across. We cannot outperform similar beings in any way that might relieve us of the debt of death. But to the self-important man, this truth haunts his life’s every whim and endeavor no matter its genius. Truth is a hydra-headed monster to this man. No matter how many of its heads he severs, another instance surfaces at the very crossroads of life where he fails to recognize the equal value of all human souls. Truth is characterized in many ways; humility, cohesion, understanding, etc. Personifications of these will live and die and come and go without end as one long chain linking human relationships and events. But pride is cancerous. So, with a warranted twist of fate, self-important spirits are distinguished and cut from the human body by virtue of comparison with the integrity they hope to supplant.
So, as my normally meritorious pal discovered, it’s very possible to feel alone at a party. Sickened from lack of exposure to valuable comradery. If that has ever been you, I hope that like my friend you have learned to humble yourself. Enjoy the party where you find yourself. As Prince has suggested, ‘Life is just a party, and parties weren’t meant to last.’ So, beware of pride. Live long and be humble. That way you won’t be responsible for feeding your ego which requires a lot of energy. You’ll attract new friends with this approach and your mental health will be bare much fruit.
But if you are unable to see yourself clear of a disturbing mind, you can always call the Mental Health Hotline at 866-903-3787. If you feel like a danger to yourself, call 988.