Pride Protects Dignity

Pride is messy to have. Gotta have it in the right amount. For the right reasons. And even then, not let it take over you.

Too much pride has undesirable consequences. It can lead to arrogance, which blinds and deludes. It can also grant you an unmerited sense of superiority over others, placing you in a position of comparison. Furthermore, it might cause an attachment to what you’re basing it on, making you overly dependent on it and desperate without it. Pride, left unchecked, can be a lousy attempt at covering up and compensating for what you are, consciously or not, ashamed of or guilty about. It may be a defense mechanism that doesn’t hold up against truth.

However, pride does have a role to serve. Although, in my opinion, there should be a different word for this. See, when what you refer to as “pride” or as being “proud of” it is simply a recognition and appreciation of a fulfilling accomplishment or valuable quality, accompanied by the awareness that it doesn’t necessarily make you infallible, it is more an earned validation that you can give yourself. And when you can rightfully validate yourself, you can go from insecure to secure in yourself. It’s not just mere ego.

If you are constantly under attack… Insulted, mocked, ridiculed, and overall humiliated, the opposing force that commonly deflects or hits back is pride. You may automatically look for whatever you may have that could show or prove your worth. And often, this is fine - when you can keep your clarity and take all as it is. Rather than have your judgment clouded.

Usually, malicious and vicious people are skilled at spotting what would cause you to crumble. Maybe by a general script, knowing that others are normally uneasy about what makes them different from most, what makes them stand out and not quite fit in. And this is the case unless they’ve done the work to be completely unbothered. But maybe it is by being specifically particular about you and your profile, noticing what could shake you up or have you shaking. It’s horrendous and merciless.

So, yes, allow yourself to see all the ways in which you, instead, deserve respect, and to be treated with dignity. Let your pride be valid points and arguments that you can make in your defense. Or that quietly dismisses any undue offense.