'Pride' Articles
Pride is not a vice. Pride is not imbalanced. It’s not over reaching. Pride finds no fault, hubris finds no right. It’s when pride turns into deception that it is destructive. Pride is about what is. Hubris is about what you think is, or what you think should be.
“Show class, have pride, and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself.” Paul Bryant (American football college Coach. 1913-1983)
“Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and importance, although difficult, is the highroad to pride, self-esteem, and personal satisfaction.” Margaret Thatcher (British Politician and Prime Minister. b.1925)
Pride vs Hubris
Pride is not a vice. I always laugh at the ascetics who speak of pride as if it were some great evil, but if you undertake any action with the conviction that it is right, there is an element of pride to it. The idea that your action is right, the idea that you can do right, is pride in and of itself. We don’t remain engaged in what we can take no pride in. Shame is aversive, hence settling for the mediocre, and it drains you of energy. The error in pride is that you can be so engrossed… Seek More
Have Pride
Doctors are notorious for their ego. I’m not sure what you’d call it, conceit I guess. But when your split second decision makes the difference between life and death, I can see how you almost have to be self centered to live like that? Actually, this is why I say pride isn’t to blame. The doctor should have pride in their role. They did master medicine, and should be confident in what they know. It’s the conceit that makes for so much malpractice. They do not need it. Others are often jealous of another’s pride, and try to knock them… Seek More
Pride Finds No Fault
The “no you” idea always sets me off a bit. We are so programmed to be self negating that it seems to be reverse arrogance, false humility. It’s like saying we can’t be involved, or it’s beneath us because there is no us. We are still here. I see you. Who is still here? The buddha, aka the observer. The inner light by which all is seen clearly, if it’s known and given place. I like Zen, if you seem to forget yourself they whack you with a stick. If you are participating with their session you remain seated. It… Seek More
Right to Die
People seem to think a lot is a ‘God given right’, and of the craziest things, instead of being privileges. Yes, it is our God given right to die, want to? In the state I live in, it’s even legal with the proper paperwork. The death with dignity act. We don’t have a lot of takers. You’re lucky. Most don’t have the right to die. That is crazy isn’t it? Well, they will help us die anyway, just more slowly. Cancer and such from acid rain and petro chemical pollution. That’s more dignified. I will be proud to die from… Seek More
Fully Awake
Everything that’s going to happen already has, space-time? Yes, but it’s alive. So yes, blood is going to my feet, it is going to my brain too. You can own up to it all, and be whole in space time. Be all of the energy that you are, rather than just cold feet. I would be proud to be whole. Even Emerson said that he never met a person who was fully awake. If he had, he wondered if he could really look them in the eye. I think the people fully awake are no longer here? Or they are… Seek More
Views of Pride
Pride is really sort of a controversial topic. We are warned against pride, like we will become our own Mr. Hyde if we take any enjoyment in what we are about, or what we do of our own free will. Yet people also say that there is a problem with people having low self esteem. The popular view of pride makes no sense to me really. A lot of the old aphorisms are held as true, and yet when I look at the evidence, I see people falling anyway who are quite humble in everyone’s reckoning. Their lives aren’t more peaceful for… Seek More
Wisdom
Wisdom is beyond men. Wisdom is beyond women. In a sense, it’s beyond the world. We are in it. Wisdom can exclude nothing, because it’s all here. If one gets wisdom they can ignore nothing. You can get knowledge and leave much unexplored. You can be proud of knowledge, but wisdom leaves you in awe, silent. Pride doesn’t reach there, not because pride is unworthy or profane, it’s just not enough to encompass wisdom. Do you think that wisdom is the hardest thing to claim for ourselves? I think when you claim wisdom you realize that you can’t claim wisdom,… Seek More
Pride is Not Evil
Pride is not evil. It’s saying I did this, because well, you did. It’s saying I’m here. You did what you did, and you don’t have to disown it. Just remember, it’s what you did. You aren’t what you did, you did it. You are what you are. As opposed to pride in the self? Pride in the self is pride in being emperor of the world. The world tends to ignore you. What is the self that you are putting forth? Would anyone else even recognize it as a self that you want respect for? If you got respect… Seek More
Hubris
My liver is so proud, he thinks he is better than my heart. Actually, the body can know hubris. It’s called cancer. When a new cell is too deviated, when it’s not acknowledging that it’s in the liver, and won’t in any way do the liver thing, then it’s hubris. Cancer cells are still of the body, and is why cancer can survive and spread. It’s the imbalance that lets your body throw off cancer. We all have hubris, but on a gut level many of us still see that “there but for the grace of God go I”, and… Seek More
I Am That I Am
Do you wonder if you’re real? I do wonder if I’m real. I’m often impressed with the notion that I am a figment of my own imagination, and when I wake up I might be just an idea someone else had. We are all creatures of consciousness, multi-faceted. I am that I am. God is truth. We are just busy squinting, or covering our eyes, and saying to God “You can’t see me!” No error, I am that I am. What is it you think you see? Grouchy old woman in the grocery line, I am that I am. Crying kid… Seek More
