“Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.”
– C.S.Lewis
Kabir – The couplet
??? ?????? ? ??????, ??? ???? ????? |
?? ??? ??? ?? ??????, ???? ??????? ??? ||
transliterated:
Kade abhimaan na kijiye, kaha Kabir samjhaye|
Ja seer aha jo sanchare, pade chaurasiya jaaye ||
Translation:
Do not practice pride, teaches Kabir as he explains |
He whose head floats in the clod of pride, is lonely even in the town square||
My thoughts:
Pride is one of the primary cardinal sins we are always warned to stay away from, and yet it is our first resort, our primary comfort zone and our provider of solace for many of our failings.
When I do not make it to the next level, pride tells me the game was designed in a faulty manner. When I fail, pride preaches that success was not an option made available, and my failure was really masked success. When I do not know the answer, pride prevents me from reaching out to seek help and find answers.
Pride distances the individual from the group, when, by design, we are a social being that achieves greatness by participating in the larger whole. We increase our individuality when we fully integrate into the larger society, and yet this truism is lost as we succumb to the lure of pride.
Pride is the hidden poison we need to stay away from.