Pride

Essay I wrote at 15.

“Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall,” (Proverbs 16:18). That’s pretty harsh. I personally believe that that means that pride isn’t a very good idea. I’ve met a good many people who agree.

Pride is the feeling that you are better than others. It can spring from many things, such as a talent, appearances, money, or perhaps even friends or family. You might be prideful because you got a compliment on how you look, or you won an essay contest. Perhaps you have relatives who came over on the Mayflower, or your best friend is the richest girl in school. Perhaps you are proud because you have better morals than someone else.

But pride, as I said before, isn’t a very good idea. The question, then, is how should you avoid it. Jesus often said that if one wanted to be the highest in heaven, he would have to be the least on earth, so that would indicate that humility is something we should really strive for.

First, identify your area of pride. If you don’t know what you’re fighting, you won’t be able to fight. What are you proud of? Your house? Your prize? Your freshly baked cookies?

Now, think of how there might be someone or something better. It might not be in your personal sphere, but I will assure you that there is someone or something. Another idea is to think of your own short comings. I believe short comings are a gift from God (and the Apostle Paul agrees), as they remind you that you are human and therefore not perfect. Maybe your parents ignore you most of the time, maybe you flunk at English, or maybe the dress you tried to make was a horrid attempt.

Now, repeat the process. Pride is a sneaky thing. Just when you think it’s gone, you’ll find yourself proud of your humility! Now what a fall is that. There are some people who are self-convinced that they are the most humble people in the world, when in actually they are completely prideful.

Here’s a method of identifying your area of pride that I completely don’t recommend: ignoring it. If you ignore your pride long enough, you will find yourself falling (see verse at the beginning). You might loose your house and find yourself homeless. You might come in last place in the next contest. You might burn your next batch of cookies beyond recognition. There is only one benefit to this method of identifying your pride—the object of your pride will now be nonexistent! Or, at least, not as big a threat.