“Pride goeth before a fall.” In short, this translates into the danger of resting on one’s laurels. If one is too self-assured, if one falls into the pit that is hubris (defined as extreme or excessive pride), that’s a pretty high place to fall from. It’s important to note that while a certain level of pride is healthy, too much can be one’s undoing.
Pride can indeed be an asset; however, too much or too little can prove problematic. Too little can leave one in a vulnerable one-down position. Not having pride can result in a person lacking self-confidence and not believing in themselves. Those who don’t develop a sense of pride are at risk for everything from childhood bullying to becoming a “yes” man or woman.
Too much pride and hubris can also be one’s undoing, as it sets one up for a bad fall when not sustained. People possessing too much pride are often narcissists, as they believe in themselves without question (and expect others to view themselves the same way). Note: a narcissist who falls from grace can really come undone, as they are not used to being anything but perfect in their eyes.
An individual with a distorted sense of pride – either too little or too much – is ripe for the Beast’s picking. The Beast loves someone who is out of sorts in any way, and pride is incredibly easy pickings, as either end of the teeter-totter is potential fodder for the Beast that is suicidality.
So, what do you think about pride? Do you think pride is a good or bad thing? I would argue that pride is both, and you need some of both. You need too little when you’re close to narcissist territory; you need too much when you have zero faith and pride in yourself.
Pride can also get in the way of relationships. As I stated above, the more pride one has, the more likely it is for someone to be a narcissist. The less pride one has, the more likely one becomes a doormat. Having been a doormat for most of my life, I now know that having a little pride is not a bad thing, and having a little pride does not mean one is turning into a narcissist.
In fact, I would argue that a healthy measure of pride is not only not narcissistic but a tool in one’s armor against the Beast. And it is important to beat back the Beast whatever it takes. Sometimes, the path to beating bank the Beast is not terribly difficult (one pole is good, one pole is bad); with pride, both poles are bad, and the key is learning to control the Beast by a matter of degree (think Themis’ scales). So, go forth and learn the balancing act that is pride and keep the Beast at bay.
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