reply to post by halfoldman
The "Seven Deadly Sins", or "Capital Vices", or "Capital Sins", is an early Christian doctrine, and certainly a Catholic doctrine that is less
rooted in Biblical teachings and more rooted in church dogma. There is the Book of Proverbs, that lists certain behaviors as being unseemly or
frowned upon by the Lord, and depending upon the translations one reads, pride is the only commonality between Proverbs and The Seven Deadly Sins.
Some translations of the Bible list pride in Proverbs, others list haughtiness instead of pride. There is a great difference between pride and
haughtiness.
Pride defined:
1. A sense of one's own proper dignity or value; self-respect.
2. Pleasure or satisfaction taken in an achievement, possession, or association: parental pride.
3. Arrogant or disdainful conduct or treatment; haughtiness.
4. a. A cause or source of pleasure or satisfaction; the best of a group or class: These soldiers were their country's pride. b. The most successful
or thriving condition; prime: the pride of youth.
5. An excessively high opinion of oneself; conceit.
Of the five definitions offered, only two correlate with haughty:
Scornfully and condescendingly proud.
Having a sense of one's own proper dignity or value, (self-respect), need not be haughty by nature. Looking down one's nose at others is haughty,
but having pride in ones own accomplishments is not. It is hubris that is deadly, not pride. Pride is dubiously demonized while humility is held up
as a virtue one should endeavor towards. However, pride is difficult to obtain and can only be felt through genuine accomplishment, where haughtiness
or hubris rarely, if ever, stems from a sense of genuine accomplishment. Humility, on the other hand, need not be sought, and will surely find every
person at some point in that persons life, if not regularly. Humility need not be earned, it merely presents itself to humanity in many forms.
Charity, when defined as being a benevolent or generosity towards others, or humanity, is not something that necessarily requires anonymity. There is
nothing inherently wrong with being open about one's benevolence or generosity, and there is certainly nothing wrong with taking pride in being
benevolent or generous. Such a characteristic is worthy of pride as it is an accomplishment to be benevolent or generous. If one were to take a
haughty view of others based upon their own perceptions of their benevolence, their presumed benevolence instantly becomes suspect.
In the end, I lament that pride is so vilified in people, and endeavor to encourage people to earn that most noble experience of pride as much as
possible, as pride can only be earned and does not come easy.