A Pride Month Primer- What is Pride?
Since 1970 June has been labled “Pride Month”, but rather than just talk about the same old, same old, it is helpful to take some time to consider the most basic of questions: what exactly is "pride"?
When reading a book or article, or watching a podcast on a particular topic, individuals rarely pause their activities in order to ask the most fundamental of questions. Such is the case with the topic of pride. This subject area has produced numerous debates and discussions, and several “modern” cultural realities have originated from it. One example is “Pride Month,” which since 1970 has been associated with the month of June. Another is the “Pride” flag, created in 1978, that is associated with the LGBTQ+ community. After all this time, it is encouraging to see that more recently these progressive inventions appear to be leading many to finally ask: is pride in and of itself good, or is pride something that can be bad? Before attempting an answer, however, it is appropriate to begin by asking the most basic of questions: what is pride?
Vice
In order to gain a clear understanding of pride, it is helpful to start with the question, what is vice? The concept of vice can most easily be understood not merely by repeating a definition, but rather by acknowledging the virtues that it generally opposes. One of the main (i.e., cardinal) virtues, of which there are four, that has a close connection to pride is temperance. This virtue is said to moderate the attraction of pleasure, provide a balance in the use of material-world things, and keep our human desires within reasonable/appropriate limits.
The main vices are often linked to “deadly” or “capital” sins, primarily because they can lead to other vices. There are seven in total, and are fairly well known to some of us (even if that might only be through popular culture, such as the enormously successful 1995 film, Seven). As some may not be aware—although they most certainly should be—pride is included in the list of “deadly” sins, as well as are greed (avarice), envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth (i.e., laziness, which can be either spiritual or physical).
Pride
From an individual perspective and in its most basic form, pride is understood as a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction deriving from one’s own achievements. By themselves, the characteristics of self-love and self-esteem are not inherently bad, and it is only a certain type of pride that is known to be harmful. In other words, pride is not an “all or nothing” concept, much like money, where only the love of money, and not money in general, is something to be avoided.
The key to understanding the unhealthy form of pride involves an appreciation of the concept of “undue self-love.” Specifically, an undue sense of self-love is said to surface only when a person is seeking attention and/or honor, which should be an easy thing for anyone to comprehend as this is a relatively common practice for all humans. To fully appreciate the concept of undue self-love consider its opposite—humility, which can be described as the avoidance of excessive ambition, and which often results in laying a foundation for a turning to God.
The sin of pride (in its undue self-love form) can be particularly insidious because it often leads to other sins. For example, according to Church teaching, undue pride often leads to the deadly sin of envy, which is defined as resentment or sadness at another’s good fortune and a desire to have it for oneself (a main driver of Marxist ideology). Another potential result that can sometimes follow from undue self-love is the idea that it possible to become equal with God. While this is impossible, these types of thoughts are nevertheless permitted to exist through the gift of free will that we have all been blessed to receive. While some see it as a mystery why providence should permit sin to take place and allow people to reject God, the concept is easier to grasp when one considers that the gift of free will necessarily guarantees this result.
Free Will and its Connection to Sin
While many do not appreciate it, free will (i.e., the ability of a person to make choices independently of external constraints or predetermination) is truly an incredible gift from God. In fact, the opportunity that we have been granted to make such important choices for ourselves (and for our souls) is often understood as one specific way in which man was created “in the image of God.” One of the many choices that humans are free to make is to engage in deliberate thoughts, words, deeds, or omissions which are contrary to eternal Law. Fundamentally, sin is a fault against reason, truth and right conscience; but otherwise, it can be described simply as an offense against God.
There are in fact many ways to “sin,” such as by practicing indifference or lukewarmness (i.e., choosing to “ride the fence”), concepts that are often overlooked and/or underappreciated but are otherwise extremely common—particularly in our present day. Practicing ingratitude is another example. Spiritual sloth (also called “acedia”), which involves a refusal of the joy that comes from God, is an additional way to sin and in its worst form, involves being repelled by divine goodness—which unfortunately is becoming more and more prevalent in our society. The final and most extreme way to sin is hatred of God, a hatred that we know to originate from a familiar place…Pride.
Avoiding Unhealthy Pride
Assuming you are not a relativist, to know whether something is either inherently good or inherently bad one must ultimately have a basic understanding of the thing itself. So it is with pride. Upon gaining this understanding, one finds that it is only undue self-love that we should—but being human, won’t always—seek to avoid. Making things even more complicated is the fact that the exercise of undue self-love (or undue self-esteem) can be contagious. Adding to the challenge is the reality that when pride is taken to its most extreme and unhealthy level, it serves to threaten peace and create conflicts that can lead to violent acts.
The education of our conscience is a lifelong task. If done properly, it can guarantee our freedom and create peace of heart. Pride by itself is not necessarily bad, but to overcome the most negative form of pride one must first seek to gain humility, and admit that while we have the power and the will to declare ourselves as gods, we are not.
Photo Credits- Minnesota gov, Flickr and the Nerdy Theologian.