Pride Is The Worst Of The Seven Sinful Sins Essay Example

Everyone has heard of the 7 deadly sins: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. Amongst these sins, the one that has been recognized and considered as the “deadliest sin” is pride. This is because pride is the base from which all the other sins originate. While pride is indeed considered a deadly sin, having pride can also be beneficial as well. There are two sides of this human flaw: hubris and authentic. Hubris pride can be described as a person who has too much pride and it conveys their personality as arrogant and conceited.  Authentic pride can be considered genuine pride and is often related to a feeling of accomplishment and the reaching of one’s goals. Pride is the greatest human flaw because it can lead someone to have a feeling of superiority over others. Pride is the greatest human asset because it can bring someone great self accomplishment or worth. 

An example of hubris pride can be found in the article, Why Pride Is Poison for Your Soul.  It explains, “Arrogant people tend to score high on narcissism. Excessive pride diminishes self-awareness. Like an arrogant leader who’s always exaggerating his achievements to denigrate his rivals. Excessive pride is an exaggerated appreciation of oneself by devaluating others .” Some may consider Donald Trump as someone having hubristic pride. He routinely boasts about himself and what he has accomplished to make himself look and feel important. He tends to be self-centered, above the law and regularly expects special treatment in all aspects of life. His inflated self-image exemplifies the definition of narcissism when he makes everything about himself and belittles those who challenge him. “Donald Trump as an example of someone with hubris, in part because he brags about things he hasn’t actually done and acts aggressively toward anyone who tries to question his accomplishments” (Suttie).  This flawed character trait can also lead to a division of people and social inequality rather than a leadership style that supports inclusion and can bring opposing sides together. 

Examples of pride as a character flaw can be commonly found in literature. For example, in Aesop’s fable The Tortoise and the Hare, the hare exhibits hubris before and during the race with the tortoise. The hare is excessively proud of his speed and has inflated self-confidence that he will win against the tortoise. This leads him to decide to take a nap during the race, while the tortoise moves slowly but steadily and crosses the finish line first. The hare is subsequently humiliated at being beaten by the tortoise, which is the consequence of his hubris.

Even going as far back as Greek mythology and the gods, hubris has played a role in their character traits. Icarus is given a pair of wings made of feathers held together by wax by his father to escape the island they’ve been banished to. His father warns him not to fly too low to the ocean or too high to the sun as the water and heat will destroy the wings. Icarus ignores his father’s warning and over confidently flies as high as he can. As a result, the sun’s heat melts the wax holding the feathers together and Icarus crashes into the ocean and drowns. 

From many different sources, it has been shown that excessive pride has led to the downfall or ultimate demise of a person. Whether due to one’s vanity or foolish belief that they are better than everyone else, hubris is something everyone experiences during their lifetime. It is how one deals with it, that is most important. If left unchecked, hubris pride causes people to be self-centered which results in someone to have a magnified self-image.  They’re irrational pride causes them to become narcissistic and behave in a presumptuous and disdainful manner.

On the other hand, Pride is one of those character traits that can also be considered a good thing to have.  Pride can build self-esteem and self-confidence. This is called authentic pride. It is based on a feeling of satisfaction and self-respect. Accomplishing a task or conquering a challenge is a big moral booster and an important virtue. A person may feel proud of themselves for hitting a home run or getting a good grade on a test when they’ve studied hard for it. Pride can be a positive internal reinforcement.

In literature, authentic pride is commonly shown through perseverance and dignity. In the Old Man and the Sea, it is Santiago’s perseverance that he relies on to go back out into the ocean on a daily basis for 84 days straight only to return without any fish. Manolin’s empathy supports Santiago and keeps him alive. Although Santiago never asks for any help, his dignity won’t allow it, he is grateful to Manolin’s friendship. Despite the enormous strain his body has endured, Santiago takes pride in landing the giant marlin. He is proud of his accomplishment. 

Even though Santiago was way past his glory days and he was being criticized by the other fishermen in his village because he wasn’t able to bring in any fish, his pride wouldn’t allow him to be blinded by the feeling of needing to be respected by everyone in the village.  Santiago’s hardstuck pride that he built up over the years of fishing has allowed him to change and understand that pride and humility can coexist. 

We experience authentic pride throughout our lifetime. This type of pride is a moral booster that is important to a human’s healthy development in life. Being proud of oneself is a key character trait. It allows us to experience appreciation and gives us confidence in trying new things. As a teenager, you can experience the feeling of authentic pride when you get accepted into your dream college or when you finally get your driver's license. Adults also feel this sense of accomplishment when they get into their first/new job. 

Having pride in what you do helps a person to enjoy life. If someone is constantly belittled or bullied, it causes them to internalize their emotions for fear of embarrassment. Internalizing these emotions can lead to a destructive action or deolute behavior which in extreme situations can lead to self-harm or even suicide. When a person has a sense of pride in themselves, it gives them the confidence and support to overcome harmful feelings of exclusion and self-pity. Focusing on something one is good at is positive reinforcement for a healthy attitude.  These people tend to be self-confident, outgoing, calm, creative, and agreeable.  They also have empathy and show compassion and kindness to others. Being understanding and empathetic to another person’s cause can bring different groups of people together to achieve a desired result. For example, when a governing body is inclusive of all of its people, treats those as equals and provides assistance and a feeling of inclusivity to all, great things can be accomplished to the satisfaction of everyone. People can then be proud of what they have accomplished. 

A person can experience both types of pride throughout life. As a child, learning to ride a bicycle can invoke great feelings of pride. Often that child will boast and brag about what they have accomplished to other kids and adults. They are demonstrating both authentic pride and hubristic pride at the same time. The sense of accomplishment and excitement that they gained by conquering this feat can boost their confidence in trying new things. They may also experience illusions of grandeur and express a desire to try something a little more daring, like riding their bike across a tightrope or some other dangerous activity.  In their immaturity, they may experience a feeling of superiority over their friends or siblings who have not yet been able to master the same task. By displaying this grandiose behavior, it can negatively affect another child’s emotions and lower their feeling of self-worth and cause anxiety. As the child grows older and matures, she or he learns the harmful effects this type of pride can have on others and its negative impacts. Once acknowledged, a person can consciously try to change their arrogant behavior or on the other hand, if left unchecked, their ego can grow out of control until they truly believe they are more important than everyone else, are superior to others and are entitled to the best of everything.