Pride: Humility’s Opposite

We use the word “pride” in lots of ways. For example, we might say, “I’m proud of my patriotism,” or “I’m proud to be part of my college.” Usually, there is nothing wrong with that type of pride (but of course we can take even legitimate pride to the extreme where we are obnoxiously proud of our country or college). However, it’s the other
side of pride that is the enemy of humility. It’s that feeling of superiority or arrogance or total self-sufficiency. That kind of pride is truly a burden. People dislike proud people. They tend to cut them out of social groups and act
negatively toward them. Carrying that pride around can be burdensome.  

Here is an exercise to help you emotionally commit to ridding yourself of prideful feelings:  

• Clasp your hands and extend your arms as far away from your body as you can.  
• Imagine that in your hands is your burden of pride. You may not be ready to let go of this yet, so hold it for thirty more seconds.  
• As your arms grow weary, think of all of the other things you could be doing with your hands (and with your life) if you could just let go and move on. 
• Remember that holding this burden is hurting you, not anybody else, but letting go will help everyone. 
• Even though you may not be ready to figuratively let go, open your hands and let your arms fall back to their natural position.  
• Remember the relief you feel, and embrace it when you are ready to be humble.