Sunday, March 30, 2014

Pride and Humility


Everybody, Somebody and Nobody – Everybody wants to be Somebody, but Nobody wants to be Nobody.  Have you ever felt like Nobody= unknown, insignificant, marginal, underling or ordinary?  Oftentimes we allow the ‘perceived’ superiority of others to creep into our emotional feelings and give them power; a negative force that gives us the feeling of inferiority in our interaction with family, friends and co-workers.

People that are prideful are arrogant, egotistical, conceited and vain.  They give self-importance to their outward self – appearance and behavior.  These days it appears to be more prevalent in the workforce, perhaps driven by the corporate mindset of ‘attracting and retaining the brightest and best’.  This implies to some that they have more value (experience and knowledge) and are highly rewarded with mediocre performance.  In reality, EVERYBODY has value, regardless of race, gender or age.

The scriptures tell us in Proverbs 16:17-18 that “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall”.  Anyone who is full of themselves and lacking in humility will soon find themselves torn down in some manner.  This scripture points out the consequences of being overly confident and haughty in nature.


Humility or self-effacement, is the freedom from thinking of yourself at all.  Your first consideration is the rights of others before your own feelings and the feelings of others before your own rights (John R. Wooden).    This implies living the Golden Rule, or ethic of reciprocity, that one should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself.  We should strive to bestow gentleness, patience and respect upon EVERYBODY that crosses our paths.  They are SOMEBODY that can impact your life and challenge you to grow into the person YOU were created to become, if your self-worth (ego) will just step aside and allow your soul to be nurtured. 

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