I have some news for you. Your definition and understanding of pride is WRONG. The same with humility. The title of this blog entry isn't strange to me. It might have been three years ago. That time it would have read humility is a virtue and pride is a vice. That sentence is as strange to me as it would be to get a monkey in tuxedo as a birthday present.
WHAT IS PRIDE?
Pride is the recognition of the fact that you're your own highest value. A proud person by the definition above is one who has a high opinion of himself and his abilities. In other words, a proud person is one who says "Yes, I can do it." NOT "Look at me, I'm waaaaay better than you." That's an ARROGANT person, not a proud person. Being an arrogant person, contrary to popular belief, is NOT synonymous with being a proud person. We'll get to that sometime in this article.
WHAT IS HUMILITY?
 |
| KNEEL before me... you WORTHLESS FOOL |
Humility is the recognition of the fact that you are the lowest value in relation to other people. A humble person is one who has a low opinion of himself and his abilities... in relation to other people. A humble person says "I'm not sure I can do this." NOT "Let me have a go at it." That's a MODEST person, not a humble person. Being a modest person, contrary to popular belief, is NOT synonymous with being a humble person. That's just retarded.
WHAT IS A VIRTUE?
A virtue is an admirable quality that denotes moral excellence and as an extension allows life sustenance.
WHAT IS A VICE?
A vice is a digusting habit that doesn't sustain life and denotes moral corruption.
So, who's responsible for making pride a vice? Oh that's easy... religion.
WHY PRIDE WILL REMAIN A VIRTUE
One commonality among proud people is the presence of high standards. Proud people have a high opinion of themselves and hence, nothing but the best is what they're always after. They give 100% because they know deep down in their beautiful psyche that they deserve whatever goal they set their sights on. Proud people in all they do strive for perfection.
Again, contrary to popular belief, perfection IS possible... NOT a 'godly' ability.
Proud people are the achievers and we have a lot to thank them for: The aeroplane, cars, cellphones and EVEN clothing. It took a man who believed in his abilities, who had a high opinion of himself to step up and create something entirely new and deal with the envy of idiots who have nothing to offer except criticisms full of air. Pride makes you aim for perfection and NOT good enough.
A proud artist will never release an artwork that is not up to standard in HIS own eyes. Pride requires you have an independent mind and look inwards for your standards and values. A proud person is NOT interested in besting other people or comparing himself to them. He's interested in besting HIMSELF. A proud person is too selfish and egoistic to give a damn what his neighbor is doing. People who are proud of their job always deliver the best work. They dress well, groom well, speak well and continually educate themselves.
How can someone with all these qualities be said to be practicing a vice?
ARROGANCE on the other hand is defined as an exaggeration of one's abilities or opinion of himself that isn't based in reality. They're not selfish or egoistic. They're too concerned with how they stand in relation to others. They're interested in besting others as they feel better about themselves once they do... however temporary the feeling is.
If they dress well, it's not because they want to; it's because they want others to know that they can dress better than them. If they work hard, it's not because they want to give a good job; it's because they want to brag about it later and make others feel like lazy bums.
A simple quality that clearly separates a proud man from an arrogant man is that a proud man is selfish and doesn't brag. An arrogant man is a common braggart and bases his opinion of himself and his abilities on what people say he is or on a schizophrenic fantasy with too many blind spots. A proud man is concerned with his character while an arrogant man is concerned with his reputation.
WHY HUMILITY WILL ALWAYS BE A VICE
Why on earth is this quality a virtue in popular religion? How can having a low opinion of yourself and abilities be a virtue? How can not striving for perfection be a virtue? How can your life be worthy of sustenance if you deem it worthless by your actions? How can a statement such as: "The meek shall inherit the earth" be such a calm and soothing consolation for people who are too lazy to get off their butts and make an effort? Truly though, the meek SHALL inherit the earth. They will inherit gutters of the proud rich men with their skin sores. It is still part of the earth and so is the ground where they shall be buried when they are wiped out of existence.
How can being fooled, called a fool or LOSING be a virtue? He was "humbled" by his defeat? They were "humbled" by a 4-0 loss? He was "humbled" by her stupidity? (LOL!) The lecturer "humbled" the student? If being "humbled" were a virtue, then these people who were humbled in various situations should be ecstatic and not dejected. They would burst with pride from within (irony alert) and not want the ground to swallow them up.
A humble person is a weak fool because he believes that others are more important than he is. That his life is not worth taking actions to sustain or make worthwhile.
MODESTY. What do you mean when you say someone is modest? You mean the person doesn't brag. Period. Does that mean he feels others are more important to him? Does that mean he has a low opinion of himself? Does that mean he believes his life is not worth sustaining? NO! He just doesn't brag... like an arrogant person. He doesn't need others to exalt him or make him feel like he's successful. He's selfish and for reasons known to him, he'd rather not talk about his achievements. He feels good about them without needing anyone to validate him. So from the BlindSpot, you can see that pride and modesty are somewhat similar.
 |
| Warren Buffett is a PROUD man who lives MODESTLY. |
Therefore, again from the BlindSpot, you can see arrogance and humility are somewhat similar.
PRIDE, Religion... and humility
Religion has a way of sticking its foot up its anal canal... and regularly at that. Here are some comments: "You should be PROUD to serve the lord." "Honor your father and mother so that they be PROUD of you." "You should be PROUD of your virginity." (yeah right...)
That was just a side note. Here's the meat.
If religion were serious about pride being a vice, if religion had ANY integrity... it would have no followers today... they would all be dead. Let me explain.
Take the 4th commandment. Honor your father and your mother. How do you that? You make them happy they raised you. How? Do something that makes them bless the day one of them pushed you out her birth canal. How do you know you've made them feel that way? They say: "My child, we are PROUD to be your parents."
 |
| I don't know these people. |
Eh?
If pride is a deadly sin - - which means straight HELL FIRE (and fine human roast with an intact transverse colon et al, I might add) - - why in the world would you make your parents proud? Because it is the right thing to do... according to the 4th commandment. If you don't, you're disobeying the ten commandment and you are surely going to hell.
 |
| LOL x 5,000. |
Someone told me we don't use the commandments anymore... they're in the OLD testament.
REALLY?
How come we shriek when someone kills another? or steals? or worships idols? The same idiot said some commandments are still followed and others are discarded. I realized I was dealing with an idiot. So in summary, make your parents proud and go to hell; don't make them proud and go to hell.
How do you sort this "dilemma" out? Go to your local religious leader... mine was clueless and if I state his tangential ramblings here, it would mean I stupidly believed him, even for that moment... and I didn't.
Instead, religion exalts humility when in actuality, they're taking about modesty which is an extension of pride. Holy Moses, I'm so smart. If everyone on earth were humble and put the next person ahead of themselves and never believed that they were capable of inventing stuff or leading people to create stuff, we would be extinct.
The other reason pride is labeled a vice is that proud people have the ability to think for themselves and as such have a tendency to stray for the social norms. They think outside the box. They can follow a leader though the leader had better be rational and not try to fool them at all. With a humble person, you have no problems being as contradicting as you like in your views. They're sheep in human clothing, these humble folks... and have decided before hand to accept whatever is coming out your mouth. They'll even go ahead to defend your inconsistencies... by looking at your lucky breaks as if they were acts of thorough planning and thinking. Your shortcomings, embarrassing failures and acts of ineptitude become coated with a poetic sheen. Humble people are the perfect beings to convince of their worthlessness. Proud people would laugh at your face before asking you to see a psychiatrist.
The Famous Line that popularized humility and (sadly) still does...
Take a very popular saying: "He who exalts himself shall be humbled; he who humbles himself shall be exalted."
I don't need to explain this do I? I do? *sigh*
Let's analyze this statement further.
Exalt himself in what context? In relation to others? In relation to himself? Shall be humbled how? Why should someone who thinks nothing of himself be EXALTED by others? If that were the case, why aren't beggars being exalted? Why aren't we all BEGGARS? Why should someone who thinks he's worth it be made to feel as though he's a FOOL?
 |
| Give me money and make Heaven! |
Let's consider it: If a proud person knows he can do something and gets it done without waiting for anyone put themselves forward, because they KNOW they can is that EXALTATION?
Now, he gets it done and he is disregarded as being selfish and not thinking of other people who could have done the job and as punishment people snob him. Is that being HUMBLED?
The human race has to get their head straight and out their ass if they don't want to be out the loop. Proud people run this world because they dare to be different... and think.
That line has been repeated so many times, you never bothered to reason it out and see if it made sense. By the time you scrutinize it with whatever level of logic you have left, you'll have an epiphany about that line:
It's STUPIDLY ambiguous.
CONCLUSION
Humility is a code of self-abnegation and therefore, the reward of practicing this vice is death. Pride is a code of self-preservation and therefore the reward of practicing this virtue is life. No wonder humble people always talk about death and the afterlife... they're sick of being spectators and not players on earth. Proud people are focused in the now.
Moronic retards.
After reading this blog entry, realize that the quote: "Pride comes before a fall" is as STUPIDLY ambiguous as the one of exaltation and humility. What comes before a fall is arrogance and never pride. The sweet arrogance to not face the reality that you don't have what it takes to get something done. The blinding arrogance that even against all odds - - and the FACT you aren't in a James Bond movie - - you still believe you will NOT lose.
The fall will stand the test of time.
Later.
Robert - - Still ruling.
