Have you ever considered the time-honored question: “What is pride”? And, in your personal definition, is it a good thing or a bad thing to have?
Here at Lifedaily we aren’t really used to starting an article with a question, even if it is a great way of getting our readers’ attention.
Nevertheless, we decided that the question in the title is important and should be addressed at least once in a person’s lifetime.
The word “pride” has many different meanings and connotations and is viewed quite differently by different cultures
For example, pride in Africa has quite a different connotation from how pride is viewed in the west, according to various definitions.
So is pride itself a good thing or a bad thing? The Wikipedia definition of pride is an apt one, and one which is a good starting point for deciding whether pride is a good thing or a bad thing:
Pride is an inwardly directed emotion that carries two common meanings. With a negative connotation, pride refers to an inflated sense of one’s personal status or accomplishments, often used synonymously with hubris. With a positive connotation, pride refers to a satisfied sense of attachment toward one’s own or another’s choices and actions, or toward a whole group of people, and is a product of praise, independent self-reflection, or a fulfilled feeling of belonging.
Interesting we think, as the Wiki definition seems to present the concept of pride in both its positive and negative senses.
Indeed, in a negative sense, pride can be a bad thing as it connotes an inflated ego related to personal status and an egotistical character.
In the positive, pride usually means that a person is satisfied with their life choices or has a proud sense of their family, work or friends.
Do you agree with a definition of pride as being a “disagreement with the truth”? This is how it is defined by some people.
Or, according to St. Augustine, pride is a “love of one’s own excellence,” and not much more.
This raises the question, what is the opposite of pride? Is it humility or, perhaps, guilt or maybe something else?
It is for you to reach your own unique conclusions about what pride is and what it means to you personally.
We hope, at least, that this article will give you some “food for thought” when it comes to arriving at your own conclusion as to what pride is.
