I think there’s too much pride, but not enough to be proud of, in a majority of our daily lives.
Pride should be a rare commodity. Being proud should be a spiritual goal.
I want to make that word and the emotion one feels from having it to have meaning.
To be clear: I’m not griping about self-indulgent, self-entitled behavior. I’m talking about taking stock in our lives and really summing up what is worth being proud of, and what we would like to be proud of in the future. What is meaningful? What do we consider an accomplishment?
In that vein, we should stop the thinking of pride like “being proud to be an American”, or “proud to be Gay”, or pride for our sports teams.
Civic pride is another matter, and perhaps doesn’t fit in with what I’m saying. So lets just ignore that for now….
Here’s a thought: If your life is a bookshelf filled with momentos and trinkets, the few things you’re proud of should sit on one shelf.
What do you think?
I think it’s important for people to express pride for other individuals. For example, a Dad being proud of his son or a music teacher being proud of his or her student. That is sometimes what a person needs and can serve as motivation. However, if a person is truly motivated and driven internally (which I think is a certain type of person), then I agree with you – there are only specific moments where he will be proud. Because I think this type of person is always striving to be better.
I agree – I think I’m trying to zone in on one aspect of pride which involves personal acknowledgement. Still in the early stages of thinking about this……..
I like the idea of having a shelf of moments that you are proud of. Being able to return to them in the bookshelf of your mind is a great way to bring your present state to a balanced state when you are down in the dumps. Having moments you are proud of easily accessible to the individual will remind him/her that she is capable of attaining success, whatever that means at the given moment.