>Pride and all its Ugliness

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>The thing about pride is it seems to be a virus that can come back into your life when you least expect it. We all imagine pride as the problem we can face when we succeed, or are esteemed by groups of people. We think of pride as an excess of self-esteem – a form of hubris as Greek mythology likes to put it. If you are in a place between Zer0 & 1ne, I would suggest that pride is not so obvious. Many of you reading this are not above this kind of pride, but know how to deal with this. You have been trained and have battled with this type of pride before. You know how to navigate through human praise and applauses. Many of you realize how futile this is and do not find your worth in it anyway. This is a wonderful thing because much of the world still struggles with this in elementary ways.

There is another type of pride that limits your joy. This is the ugly face that shows itself when others do well – and you are stuck in a rut. This is the monster that appears when you cannot be genuinely happy for your closest friends and relatives when they achieve their dreams. This is the pride that wants to raise up a generation or group of people that do not become greater than you – you are ok with uplifting people so long as they stay right below you. This is the sort of pride that has internal monologues with yourself in confronting an enemy and wanting vindication. This is the pride that tells you that you are right, when in fact you are sadly wrong. This is the pride that replays scenes in your mind of making the person you are upset with feel bad. This is the pride that keeps you locked up in the prison of your own hell, not even seeking a way out. This pride debilitates you in so many ways, that you no longer remember what freedom feels like.

Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism – They all speak against pride. They all understand the need for true humility. If you are not sure what you believe in, and are desperately seeking for truth, here is a place to start. Ask God to help you guard against the world’s greatest enemy – pride. Whatever God can do this for you, follow him or her. Peace and much love to you – John Baptist!

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