Blogpost 1: Pride

Do you ever feel like being more important than others? Do you enjoy criticizing others and boast your deeds? Such is pride.

Pride is one of the seven capital vices (hubris) and is defined as an excessive love of self. It is the feeling of wanting to be more important and more attractive than others. This vice is considered to be the most deadly and most serious sin in its group. In Jacob Bidermann's medieval miracle play, "Cenodoxus", pride is defined as the independence from God and thus, leads directly to eternal damnation.

According to an epic poem, "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri, "Pride is the love of self perverted to hatred and contempt to one's own neighbour."

 Usually, the proud fail to appreciate the good work of others and instead, criticize others to esteem himself and at the same time, show his superiority which is in fact, a fallacy.

A famous philosopher named Aristotle defined hubris as:

"to cause shame to the victim, not in order that anything may happen to you, nor because anything has happened to you, but merely for your own gratification. Hubris is not the requital of past injuries; this is revenge. As for the pleasure in hubris, its cause is this: men think that by ill-treating others they make their own superiority the greater."

Truly, pride manifests in so many ways and most of the common, yet critical, exposure of this is just like what Aristotle said. Pride loves depriving for own greatness which leads mostly to failure to consider other's opinions. Pride devastates and ruins life in many ways according to an article I have read which is "Problem with Pride" by Dr. Adrian Rogers. The article states the ways pride devastates pride. It also has a list of some characteristics of a proud person.



An example of pride is the Story of Lucifer, wherein Lucifer, the Angel of the Morning Star, defied God in serving humans which leads his fall from Heaven and his transformation to Satan, the Father of the Eternal Night and Darkness. In his transformation, he then compete with God which once he loved.




Another event where pride was exhibited was in the story of the "Tower of Babel". Men desired to create a tower that would surpass the Heaven just so they became known and make name for themselves. Upon the creation, God intervene and confused their language so the creation shall be halted. The men's purpose was clearly selfish and serves as clear evidence of pride throughout history.




How pride is connected to the other sins? When does pride gives rise to wrath?
Stay tuned~