The Myth Of Pride And Greed

According to the theologians, pride is the worst of the seven deadly sins. therefore having pride in what you do is all about motivation. Getting motivated and doing something you love to achieve full potential is in a human nature. Scientifically spoke, it all begins from the bunch of chemicals that is happening in your brain. While all animals produce basic emotions like fear and anger, humans have highly developed social emotions, such as shame, guilt and pride which involve an awareness of what other people think and feel about us. The serotonin is the chemical that produces happiness in your brain.

Pride is the excessive belief that one person has so much belief in himself and his abilities, that\ it interferes with the person’s realization of the grace of God. Pride is also known for the excessive pride in one’s achievements, or in other words, vanity.

Pride without restraint can reduce careful analysis which can be fatal. The sin of too much pride is relatable. It blocks logical processes and without logical process, people are prone to making choices without the knowledge of the consequences. It is evident in all people, including students and politicians. Students are able to overestimate their abilities and neglect studying, only to fail their tests. Politicians can be blind and ignorant because of their escalating egos, only to lose voters. The key to not end up in tragedy is to not allow pride to control

Pride generally means the pleasure or a feeling of deep satisfaction that we get because of our achievements or our skills or some kind of rare quality that we possess. Often times, having pride is considered unhealthy for an individual as it is believed that having pride can lead to internal blindness and finally downfall. This is evitable from “The Tragedy of Macbeth”, by William Shakespeare. Although, we can’t neglect a fact that everything has two sides, a bad one and a good one, just like a two sided coin.

Name the seven deadly sins off the top of your head. If you are like many, one of the first ones that you think of is pride. According to dictionary.com, pride is “a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.” ("The Definition of Pride"). Having pride is a good thing. It keeps us moving. It makes us feel as though we have accomplished something. But with that being said, too much of it can be a bad thing. When you have too much pride that is all you think about. You stop thinking about others and focus exclusively on yourself. This is when too it takes a turn for the worst. When you are absorbed with yourself and your own accomplishments, you disconnect from the world around you. When you are put into stressful or frightening situations your weaknesses are exposed to the world. Pride is a major weakness that is evident in The Cask of Amontillado, A Jury of Her Peers, The Rats in the Walls, and Aliens.

Pride is a deadly sin because people that are too prideful cannot recognize that pride is a problem that has to be dealt with. In most cases people do not realize their pride until a problem presents itself and they are forced to realize the truth. Dr. Maxwell says “Pride deafens us to the advice or warnings of those around us. As Stephen Covey has said, “It takes humility to seek feedback. It takes wisdom to understand it, analyze it, and appropriately act on it.” Without humility, we care about only one opinion—our own” (Maxwell). Even when pointed out people’s ego make them blind to their

Sin has undergone many different definitions because of the dramatic mutation of Christian ideas (Fredriksen). The idea of sin itself has undergone many changes as the ideas grew and changed as Christian ideas grew and changed (Fredriksen). Envy is often regarded as the sin that is at the root of all sins (Epstein). Envy is the deadliest of the fall seven sins because it affects the vast majority of the public, it encompasses the other sins, and envy can manifest into something much worse than simply coveting others (Epstein). Although envy is often referred to as a negative connotation it is also can be views psychologically as helpful and empowering (Laham). These can all be shown through real life examples such as academia and popular culture references. All in all, envy is the deadliest sin of all.

Pride, the extreme certainty in one 's own capabilities. Humans are flattering on their own however the logic of being arrogant can be fuel by the assumptions of others. Looking at the prideful church parishioner, Connie Barett, “My cookies, cakes, and brownies are always the highlight or our church bake sale, and everyone says so.” (The onion. “All Seven Deadly Sins Committed at Church Bake Sale.” 2007. Bake to the Lake. Ed. Thomas Cooley. 3rd ed. New York: Norton, 2015. 257. Print.) It is simply perceived that she is egotistical of herself, “Sometimes, even I’m amazed by how well my goodies turn out. (The onion. “All Seven Deadly Sins Committed at Church Bake Sale.” 2007. Bake to the Lake. Ed. Thomas Cooley. 3rd ed. New York: Norton, 2015. 257. Print.)

What is pride? The dictionary definition of pride is “ a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements…”. Pride is something that can destroy a person. Pride is something that can become so important to a person that it can take over their life. I believe that pride is a bad thing. After all it is considered one of the seven deadly sins.

Pride is a trait of a hubristic person who believes they are superior from others. In the real world when people grasp the concept of something they begin to sense a level of superiority and know it all compared to their peers(pride). This does no good to the individual because in reality what does a person really know? Do they know how to how to solve quantum mechanics equation or the cognitive psychology aspect of people? A person does not know anything when they begin to critical evaluation of themselves they only know the basics. Besides the pride aspect, claiming to know a lot can lead to destruction. From a biblical perspective this can be displayed when Lucifer the highest regarded angel in heaven thought he knew everything therefore attempted to succeed against God.

Pride can cause individuals to be conceded. “There are two kinds of pride, both good and bad. ‘Good pride’ represents our dignity and self respect,. ‘Bad pride’ is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance.” John C. Maxwell, a contemporary author and inspirational leader with his profound view about both good and bad pride.

Pride was believed to be “a high or overweening opinion of one’s own qualities, attainments, or estate, which gives rise to a feeling and attitude of superiority over and contempt for others” (OED 2). This usage of the word pride gives it a negative cynical connotation, describing people as vain, arrogant or belittling other people. An example of this could be when someone famous thanks “all the little people” as seen as in movies and TV as a joke. They are suggesting that they are bigger or greater than others. Pride is not a negative trait to have if it doesn’t get the best of you.

Humans have an insatiable desire to be unsurpassed by all of their peers and when they are the best they begin to take pride in that fact. Pride itself is not always malicious, for example people are allowed to have pride when they have accomplished an arduous task; however, when someone becomes obsessed with their pride and it changes them, it becomes a vice. Pride is not necessarily immoral; however, when humans cling to it and are willing to put other people down for the sake of their own pride, it becomes evil.

Two Sunday's ago in Relief Society we were introduced to three words "but if not". Which I've learned are three words that are a hard struggle for many. Especially when you live with pride and have a shaky faith to your personal circumstances. Living with pride can erupt many emotions during trials, tribulations, happiness, or strong faith. In many areas in our life, pride will spoil the spirit, our outlook towards our circumstances, and the situations we face. It makes us have this "it's all about me" attitude that makes us lose our gratitude. Pride causes us to fall and even fail if we're not careful. Pride makes us arrogant, self-centered, and conceited. It causes us to lose focus on the blessings and who gives us those blessings, our Heavenly

Could too much pride be a bad thing or is pride a good thing? Pride is taking pleasure from the person’s own achievements. I say pride could go both ways. Let’s say you are playing a baseball game and you make a good play, you would have a rush of self accomplishment that makes you feel good because people are congratulating that play. Pride could also make people do something to make sure their pride is still there, but I believe that pride is a good thing.