Warrior Work
Week 29
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PRIDE

1. Feeling great satisfaction regarding a possession, an act, quality or relationship by which
one measures one's self-worth.
2. Excessive self esteem, exaggerated high opinion of oneself, conceit.
3. A measurement of one's value.
4. Arrogant or disdainful conduct. Haughty, acting superior in manners or mannerisms.
Vanity is a manifestation of pride.
5. Magnificent; majestic.

The root of pride traces back from the old English "prud", to old French "prou, prud" to the Latin "prode". Interestingly, all these roots mean "brave,
virtuous, to be good". How then did PRIDE become the first and greatest of the seven deadly sins? What "mark" or "target" did it miss, remembering
that sin "is to miss the mark, the target". How are we to understand the positive versus the negative side of pride since one word can represent such
polar energies? The answer is found in an easily missed every day emphasized perception and intent. Note that in the above definitions, measuring
or qualifying one's place in the societal ladder or "food chain" by one's power, possessions, or even personal achievements separates rather than
connects or joins. A person can do brave, apparently virtuous or good deeds, then be exalted by the community and thus feel proud or pleasurably
satisfied with their achievement, but if the intent behind their behavior was power rather than love, then the pride becomes exaggerated, and
arrogant or snobbish behavior results. The Greeks called this energy "hubris" which was defined as excessive pride and wanton violence. In fact,
hubris was at the heart of Greek tragedy. "Pride comes before the fall", as Agamemnon demonstrates so well in the recent "Helen of Troy" mini
series. .Lucifer, the Lord of Light, fell from heaven because his pride, his measurement of self, would not allow him to serve beings that he
considered beneath him and the other angels. His pride transformed him into Satan, literally from Hebrew, meaning, "an adversary". As Milton put it in
Paradise Lost, " It's better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven." Even Peter, the disciple of Jesus, was prone to pride. When Jesus was washing the
feet of everyone present, a job done by the lowliest person in the household, Peter said, "You can't wash my feet". His perception was that Jesus was
"too good, too high" in the measurement of things to be doing such a lowly job. But Jesus responded that if Peter didn't allow him to wash his feet
then he was not a part of his family, his mission - to love is to serve. Thus pride becomes the parent of discontent, ingratitude, and the other six
deadly sins of envy (jealousy), wrath, sloth, lust, avarice and greed; all of which miss the mark of love and service but promote separation and
exaggerated self importance. From a positive perspective of pride, those who are brave and virtuous connect with their human family through and
with humility and service. C.W. Nicol put it perfectly in his book, "Zen in the Martial Arts, Karate as a Way to Gentleness", when he is told by one of
his instructors that, "Humility is the essential characteristic of the true warrior. Without it, he is a dangerous (wanton violence), ugly brute (conceited
and vain) who has no place in society." He could be speaking proudly of the men and women who are humbly serving our country and the values of
freedom around the globe. They are not gloating over the conquered but instead are looking at ways to serve and empower. Thus the sin of pride
(hubris) separates and misses the mark of love and service. It imprisons and de-presses the spirit. The way to keep our self esteem at a positive,
healthy level and to enjoy our achievements and even be proud of the achievements of others, is to remain humble and focused on the target of love
and service while courageously moving through the roles and worlds of our lives without measuring our worth by what we have or have accomplished
but by the quality of our love in both our own life
and the lives of those we touch.

"Do not starve your happiness for vanity. Do not starve your love for pride."

By Peter Hill, Copyright 2004
www.getittogether.net

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