If you have the emotion pride in your subconsciousness, you will likely react, “That’s not me!” Well, it’s true, your authentic self is not any human emotion, but we must own this human stuff we took on before we can let it go. Pride is a tribal emotion for virtually all Americans. It’s the Western cowboy attitude, “I will do it myself without needing help.”
In Websters’s, Pride is an overly high esteeming of oneself for some real or imagined merit or superiority; vanity (an excessive desire to be noticed, praised, or approved); feeling better than others; arrogant, haughty; non-teachable; has to be right; expects more credit than earned; or treats others with disdain or contempt.
Having a healthy amount of pride (self-respect or self-esteem) is a good thing, and this type of pride usually does not show up as a trapped emotion (although it may show up if oneʼs healthy pride is injured). Usually underneath pride is very heavy emotions a person is afraid to see.
Pride, at times, can be one of the most dangerous of all emotions because it keeps a person from being emotionally honest during critical situations. Soldiers often die unnecessarily because they’re unwilling to admit they’ve been injured or have some other health issue. Pride keeps one from receiving healing support when they are down. They are too concerned about their image, of their need to appear strong in the eyes of others, when inside they may feel embarrassed or even terrified of feeling weak or in some way not good enough.. But without emotional honesty, the natural healing process is blocked. By hiding their inner pain, they become unreachable, as if they wear a suit of armor. This keeps one feeling separate, and lacking intimacy with oneself and others.
Pride is very sneaky, especially spiritual pride. As soon as you feel smug, that you have it together, that you have arrived to a high state of consciousness, and feel sorry for those who are still suffering, pride has you in its grip. An energy of separation has formed between yourself and others. You feel “too pure” to get your hands dirty helping others. Chronic pride always leads to humiliation. An extreme example is the beheading of the French revolution. And, fear of humiliation, often leads to pride. It may feel safer to cling to your status than risk “being foolish” by getting involved with others “of a lessor status.”
Humility
Humility is being virtuously humble versus proud or arrogant; acceptance of one’s human defects, and submission to divine grace or to the Higher Self; self-restraint from excessive vanity, and can possess moral and/or ethical dimensions. Latin root means”humble”, but also means “grounded”, “from the earth”.
Facing our shadows gets us off our “high horse,” back down to earth, and reunites our kinship with others. We all have our challenges, and we feel more safe and inspired when we know there are others like us going through similar issues. When we know we are already perfect at our spiritual core, we have lost any need to prove anything. We have the courage to be transparent with our human issues, and learn and grow from them. While our pride tends to block our healing process, complete surrender to our situation allows our hands to open to a higher solution to allow healing to take place. As we discover compassion for ourselves and others, our judging mind melts way, and we feel a sense of unity with all life. This feeling of unity with all life is a miraculous healing force.
Humility is the greatest strength that renders one immune to reactivity and drama. ––Joa Janakoayas
It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels. ––Saint Augustine
Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real. –– Thomas Merton
