The Dangers of Pride
As a man I am saddled with an abundance of pride. This can be a good thing because my sense of pride in the work I do motivates me to improve and strive to always do better. However, pride can be a very dangerous emotion.
Take for example the situation where out of a sense of injured pride one makes a bad business decision such and severs a valuable business relationship – the old bridge burning. I see this time and time again in my line of work. It’s sad really that we as humans haven’t evolved beyond this silly emotion and all the harm it does.
William Law said in his book Spirit of Prayer, Pt.II:
Look not at pride only as an unbecoming temper, nor at humility only as a decent virtue: for the one is death, and the other is life; the one is all hell, the other is all heaven.
Very true words. We should all do our best to set aside our pride or at the very least monitor when it is motivating us to make decisions that we might regret.
