The Sin of Pride

Mirror, Mirror On the wall Who is the fairest of them all? Did you know your appeal made angels fall? Why do I listen to you when you call? Could I face my reflection if I failed at all? As another foot adds to my pedestal I rule as my own majestic fool On a peacock throne I mock and I scoff Would an ego bruise well if one were pushed off? DEFINITION- –noun 1. a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc. 2. the state or feeling of being proud. 3. a becoming or dignified sense of what is due to oneself or one's position or character; self-respect; self-esteem. 4. pleasure or satisfaction taken in something done by or belonging to oneself or believed to reflect credit upon oneself: civic pride. 5. something that causes a person or persons to be proud: His art collection was the pride of the family. 6. the best of a group, class, society, etc.: This bull is the pride of the herd. 7. the most flourishing state or period: in the pride of adulthood. Punishment in Dante’s Purgatory-The prideful were forced to walk with stone slabs bearing down on their backs to induce feelings of humility. The world is full of pride. As humans, what separates us from other animals is our incredible sense of self, and with that comes a sense of self-entitlement in which we use to manipulate the world around us. Some of us become so aware of this superiority, that it gets a little out of hand, and a world full of egomaniacs runs a muck. The most famous case of Pride in a Biblical reference could be Satan, the creator of sin himself. Lucifer, the once most beautiful and beloved angels of heaven, fell because of his incredible vainglory in his own perfection against others. This included God, and cost him a seat in Heaven he had to exchange for a nice dwelling of eternal flames. Some say that Pride is the deadliest sin, because it leads to all the others. I don’t believe this is true entirely, but I could see where some of the association would come in. Wrath could come about from injured pride. The desire for Greed could be fueled by the constant reassurance in one’s own abilities. Sloth could be caused by on over active sense or Pride where the person will believe they have no entitlement to do anything since they are “awesome enough as it is.” The list could go on and on. But it leaves nothing to say that we put a certain value on the aspect of Pride and Vanity in human society. We can have the ability to worship those with great beauty or great success because they have built there own pedestals and proclaimed themselves to the world as being of god-like status. A high sense of vanity can also hurt us in these modern times. It isn’t far from the truth when they say beauty is pain. Both physically and financially. We have people starving themselves, and surgically modifying themselves to attain celebrity looks. People poor their money into luxury good just to feel as if they been raised to some kind alternative status quo. This is a false vision. A Prada purse, Gucci shoes, a million dollar car, and the latest in iGadgets will not make you any happier and elevated on the inside than you think you are. That doesn’t go with out saying that no faith or pride in yourself is a good thing either. It all comes from inner motivation and strength. Everything needs moderation. Incredible outward vanity usually roots at a lack of inner self-confidence. On the other hand, true narcissism cab blossom from a seed of blind devotion to ones own needs and desires. The word is a good balance. A grip on yourself and the world around you is different than being consumed in the “glory that is you” while dwelling in the world around you.