A Conversation on Pride

Me:...and that's why I don't waste my time with those people.

Bob: Wow bro, that sounds pretty prideful.

Me: Prideful isn't a word. Proud.

Bob: See, that proves you're prideful.

Me: Okay, whatever. So what about that makes me proud?

Bob: You're basically saying you're smarter than they are. You need to humble yourself.

Me: Well, I don't think that's pride. Can you give me a definition of pride?

Bob: When you think you're better than somebody.

Me: Well, I don't think I'm better than they are in a moral sense or worth since we all have a corrupted human nature. But I do think it is the case that I am more informed and hence can tackle issues better than they do.

Bob: There you go. That's pride.

Me: I don't see how that is pride if it is actually true though and I am merely stating a fact. For example, if Usain Bolt said he is faster than almost everybody, I wouldn't see this is pride at all. It is a sober estimate of himself. However, if Usain Bolt said "Aw, I'm not that fast of a runner" we would consider that false humility, which is a form of pride. Pride then is an mis-estimation of one self, or more accurately perhaps, it is not recognizing the gifts that God gave you, which implies the sober estimate.

Bob: But saying you're better than someone else at something is just prideful.

Me: Well, would it offend you if I said I was faster than you?

Bob: Probably.

Me: Would it offend you if I said I was not faster than you?

Bob: No, not at all. That's being humble! 

Me: Don't you see how that is YOU being proud though?

Bob: No.

Me: What you're saying is, if I say I'm better than you at something, then I'm being proud, but I say I'm not or less than you, I'm being humble. What are you doing then is making yourself the standard of everything humble and proud. You are somehow making yourself the thing that all other things must measure against. You are making the world revolve around you. And that is an over estimation of your own worth, hence, saying I'm prideful shows that you're the one who is really prideful here.

Bob: Prideful isn't a word.

Me: Now you're getting it.

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