What, me proud?
Ok, another small comment that’s gone horribly wrong, this time it was Nathan’s post that was the victim! So may I present to you the essence of another ramble-fest which I have surgically extracted and grafted here with the grace of a rampaging elephant seal:
As you can probably guess from the title, this time it’s (rather ironically?) about pride. Yes, pride, something that the majority of us can probably say we suffer from in some degree, (well, I know I do). And henceforth, here is my distorted perspective:
(Gah, disclaimer overload!)
I guess I’m the most important person in my world, simply because I’m me. Or at least that’s the tendency of thought I have, an ingrained mindset of selfishness. So where does pride come in?
Does pride stem from a basic dissatisfaction in a person’s life, a desire for self-worth? If this is the case, then elevating ourselves makes sense, in that we are trying to satisfy our own desire for feeling important by viewing ourselves as relatively better than others. Without knowledge of, or acceptance of the existence of, a loving God who accepts us as we are, we rely on ourselves for our own self-assuredness of worth. And so pride can separate us from God, as we are relying on ourselves rather than Him, when ironically, everything we have and our very existence is something God has given us.
I think that the degree of pride is relative to the surroundings also. If we actually are better than others around us in a particular aspect, then our “superiority” is justified in our mind, and so we are dangerously susceptible to pride. Whereas if we are “below” others around us, we have little choice but to accept our position.
To tell the truth, I never really considered myself as proud; I didn’t boast or look down upon others. But I’ve come to realise that there is a subtle pride in me that is deeply rooted. I don’t have to actively think of others as being inferior in some way, but the very idea that God has blessed me more than others in abilities, and that somehow I’m of more use to Him than others, is a subtle and disturbing underlying concept that God has shown me in my life. And now that I’m aware of it, I’ve seen it govern so many of my thoughts, and have come to realise just how much of a wretch I am, and how I need to stay close to Him, lest I wander away from His way where my head will most likely puff up in the vacuum of non-reliance on God.
Well, that’s all that I have to say about that for now. If you want to leave a comment, you have my permission to write the longest and most ramblesome one you can devise, if you so desire.
As you can probably guess from the title, this time it’s (rather ironically?) about pride. Yes, pride, something that the majority of us can probably say we suffer from in some degree, (well, I know I do). And henceforth, here is my distorted perspective:
(Gah, disclaimer overload!)
I guess I’m the most important person in my world, simply because I’m me. Or at least that’s the tendency of thought I have, an ingrained mindset of selfishness. So where does pride come in?
Does pride stem from a basic dissatisfaction in a person’s life, a desire for self-worth? If this is the case, then elevating ourselves makes sense, in that we are trying to satisfy our own desire for feeling important by viewing ourselves as relatively better than others. Without knowledge of, or acceptance of the existence of, a loving God who accepts us as we are, we rely on ourselves for our own self-assuredness of worth. And so pride can separate us from God, as we are relying on ourselves rather than Him, when ironically, everything we have and our very existence is something God has given us.
I think that the degree of pride is relative to the surroundings also. If we actually are better than others around us in a particular aspect, then our “superiority” is justified in our mind, and so we are dangerously susceptible to pride. Whereas if we are “below” others around us, we have little choice but to accept our position.
To tell the truth, I never really considered myself as proud; I didn’t boast or look down upon others. But I’ve come to realise that there is a subtle pride in me that is deeply rooted. I don’t have to actively think of others as being inferior in some way, but the very idea that God has blessed me more than others in abilities, and that somehow I’m of more use to Him than others, is a subtle and disturbing underlying concept that God has shown me in my life. And now that I’m aware of it, I’ve seen it govern so many of my thoughts, and have come to realise just how much of a wretch I am, and how I need to stay close to Him, lest I wander away from His way where my head will most likely puff up in the vacuum of non-reliance on God.
Well, that’s all that I have to say about that for now. If you want to leave a comment, you have my permission to write the longest and most ramblesome one you can devise, if you so desire.
posted by Matthew P | 2:50 pm
5 Comments:
This is totally unrelated to anything in yourpost, so sorry for that! But have you noticed that in your gibberish-y title, that I believe you're calling yourself a madnan!! That's kind of amusing! : ) Can we call you CrazyGran??
Duly noted, my representative statement now illustrates me as a madman. A madMAN I say, MAD!
*Blurberubububub*
Oh, and no, you can't call me CrazyGran, although I shall call you an anonymous perry-winkle, you young scally-wag, you! :P
Hmm, whilst we are on the topic of your title, it seems to imply a mis-understanding of the concept of a palindrome.
"bob" is a palindrome.
"madam I'm adam" is a palindrome.
Your title however, as far as I could ascertain had not a whit of palindrominess in it. Of course, that could simply be part of the madness.
Yes, you’re perfectly right. I obviously wasn’t thinking properly (or of sane mind) when I concocted that title. I think that I was referring to the fact that, being mad and all, I could make sense of the statement reading it either backwards or forwards, when in fact the definition of a palindrome is a symmetrical sentence… and I call myself a maths student!
Ok then, time to give the title statement a complete overhaul…
*Ahem* [regains composure in a manner not dissimilar to that illustrated by Katherine, except in a more masculine way]
Alright then, let us never speak of this matter again, but move forth in the serious business of considering whatever it is that this post is about.
I don't have a superiority complex; I just have an inferiority comple bigger and better than everyonelse's.
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