Dear Friends,
It seems to me, our civilizational elites inculcate pride instead of humility. Pride demands comparison and a downtrodden to compare itself to. So excellence must be eradicated because it offends pride. Indeed, dysfunction is preferred because the prideful can compare themselves favorably to the broken. This allows people to self-reinforce their pride. Moreover, the system selects the proud to run the world. Aquinas said pride is the greatest of sins, because all the others are derived from it. Wrath comes from pride just as forgiveness comes from humility. Envy is based on pride, while gratitude comes from humility. Moreover, a drive to rule others is prideful while independence comes from humility. A proud civilization then will be envious, wrathful, greedy, lustful, lazy, and gluttonous.
Pride is advertised everywhere, yet humility is nowhere to be seen. From commercials to the latest movie, pride is a theme. People are humbled all the time in our media, but it’s to mock them. A humble person is rarely shown in a favorable light. Instead, those who are greedy for power over others are portrayed as heroes. Their desire for unearned power is called a strength. Indeed, such a desire for unearned power comes from pride, not humility. The humble need to be asked to lead while the prideful demand leadership roles. The pride our cultural elites propagandize us with isn’t pride for accomplishment, but pride for feelings. That’s a different animal altogether. Accomplishment not credentials suggests merit and pride chafes against merit… especially measurable merit.
Pride demands comparison. That’s why pride chafes against merit. Merit exposes the emptiness of unearned pride. When someone who has no expertise (or has little faith in themselves) compares himself or herself to someone with expertise, they must come up short. This shortcoming can be real or perceived. That damages their ego and ego is what pride inflates. So the prideful choose a sliding subjective scale that’s flattering to them. Charity thus becomes a form of ridicule. The prideful philanthropist’s ego stands on the downtrodden he or she supports. Thus the prideful ego is inflated even as the downtrodden get validation for their victimhood. This asymmetric comparison is harmful in more ways than simply self-reinforcing pride.
The other six deadly sins fall out of comparison and pride. Whole political movements have arisen based on envy, greed, lust, sloth, or gluttony… “justly” leading to wrath. I might add to those, presumption. Presumption is a natural consequence of comparison and pride. Some will always compare favorably to us and others less so. Not because of any intrinsic attribute of them… but because of the measurement we choose. So the prideful will presume to know better than those he or she compares favorably against. Those they don’t compare favorably against damage their pride and so earn their wrath. This allows their wrath to be “justly” visited on those they envy. They then presume to help their “lessers.” Both of which resonate with pride.
Maybe our civilization should eschew unearned pride? Allow for pride at accomplishment while exposing empty pride for what it is. A humble person can be proud of building a house, raising a family, or running a business. That pride isn’t toxic like empty pride. What if humility was inculcated instead of pride? The six other deadly sins as well as presumption would be derailed. A humble people create a humble system and humble systems aren’t despotic. Humble institutions serve instead of extract. Moreover, humble governments don’t start needless wars. People who seek leadership roles tend not to be humble though. They tend to be prideful and so lead us by their examples. A system then that allows people to self-select will become prideful, not by malevolence… but by design.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
