Pride

 We’re given lots of different messages in society - he who dies with the most toys wins, look out for number one, be happy, have more, acquire acquire acquire, don’t cry, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, stay young!

When “life happens”, or, when circumstances beyond our control are not what we would desire, we’re conditioned to see ourselves as failures. The truth is, we are shaped by those moments of challenge. 

Pride leads us to think “I’m better than whats-his-name”, but is that true? Is what’s-his-name not subject to the same laws of nature and the Universe? Is anyone irredeemable? Who am I to judge? 

I am learning - over and over again - to look at my own behavior and reactions. I find myself sitting in judgement of those who seem to have lost their connection to Universal Love. How can I know? I can’t. It is simply pride which is whispering “you’re smarter/more clever/more enlightened/better than”. 

Pride eclipses true growth and accomplishment. I can take pride in my work as long as I balance that pride with a healthy sense of reality. Humility allows me to see my strengths as well as my weaknesses. We are not all at the same levels of understanding. We don’t all see life in the same way. We all get to define for ourselves what has value and what doesn’t. 

In my spiritual journey, so very enhanced by my sobriety, I am learning to accommodate more, to “live and let live” while setting my own boundaries, to see where “I” end and “You” begin.

Pride says “no” while humility says “maybe so”; pride screams “Me!” while humility whispers “us”. Pride  allows for no growth while humility welcomes it.

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