Is Pride a Sin?

Is Pride a Sin? 

by Ken West

When Jacob got married early and had to support his family, it hurt to be passed over for better jobs because he didn’t have a college degree.  He realized that his lack of a degree was preventing him from getting the work he wanted.

Instead of griping, he did something about it. He enrolled in a large University’s evening program for working adults. He went to school two nights a week and on Saturdays. He discovered that going at night energized him. Coffee helped also.

Jacob was a very motivated student. His grades were better than he had ever achieved before. His life experiences of earning a living and supporting a family had given him a solid understanding of the meaning of work and the importance of education.

It took him years but he graduated with honors. He felt justifiably proud of his accomplishment. This pride carried over into his work and family life.

The reward for your struggle may not always be material. You may or may not achieve the material manifestation that you seek. But, if you pursue your goals with the consistency and fortitude of a healthy ego, your reward can also be spiritual. You will feel a legitimate pride in your struggle and what you have accomplished.

In a sense, a healthy ego is one that has achieved pride in itself. If you have a weaker ego, you can nevertheless work to achieve your dreams and feel the well-deserved pride that you will have earned. As an added bonus, you strengthen your ego.

 “Pride is the recognition of the fact that you are your own highest value and, like all man’s values, it has to be earned….”                               —Ayn Rand  

“

Pride, writes Aristotle—a rational pride in oneself and one’s moral character—is when it is earned.” —Leonard Peikoff

 

 

“Would the boy you were be proud of the man you are?” —Laurence J. Peter

 

 

Questions for Self Reflection:

 

•              Am I proud of what I have accomplished so far in life?

 

•              If not, how might I change the situation?

 

•              What do I want to be most proud of on the day I die? 

Ken West is a former U.S. Army paratrooper and the author of Get What You Want (http://astore.amazon.com/roadbrains-20/detail/0982577702) available worldwide on Amazon.com and other fine online booksellers. West is a former President of the New England Chapter of the National Speakers Association, and Association of Objectivist Businessmen.