What Kind of Pride Do We Need?

There seem to be two kinds of pride. Let’s call them Pride-I and Pride-II. Pride-I says you are superior to others. This one doesn’t need you to introspect. What’s the need for it? You can’t have flaws, you’re already great.

Any person that points flaws in you is automatically wrong. How are they wrong? Simple! They’re flawed. They’re clearly ignorant of your greatness. Of course, they are. They’re not as great as you. Or they’re jealous of your greatness. Hence, they have an agenda to bring you down.

Who are they? Everyone who is not you. Damn! The world is out to get you. It’s lonely. It’s brutal. You have to be brutal too to face it. So, you have to take hard decisions which may kill many people. How many times have we seen this script play in the world? Every time it has led to atrocities. The Aryan race is great. Civilizing the world is the White Man’s Burden. People who don’t adhere to a particular brand of Islam. Now there’s a new one — India is Vishwaguru.

Just when you think all kinds of pride are better avoided, there comes the Pride-II, the call of the oppressed. It says — I’m inferior to no one. I belong in this world as much as you.

It’s this pride that uplifts the downtrodden. It gives you hope that it gets better. You can see a version of this in the Gay Prides, the Black Pride movement, and the Dalit Pride. The first kind of pride seems like a path to an atrocity. The second kind seems like a path out of it.

But what if I’m wrong? What if I haven’t noticed the benefits of the first kind of pride? What if I haven’t noticed the flaws of the second kind of pride? That is a possibility. I’m but human.

In the previous article (shared below), we looked into the pitfalls of Pride-I (We’re superior to others) and the benefits of Pride-II (We are inferior to no one). Now let’s turn it around — let’s look at the benefits of Pride-I and the pitfalls of Pride-II.

Let’s look at where having Pride-I is beneficial? I found it beneficial in games. Imagine how dull the games would be if there were no slogans, no challenges, no paybacks, and people only came to watch the best person win. Still, the stakes are relatively lower (not life & death), and even there, we often root for the underdog, the one who’s trying to prove he’s not inferior to anyone, aka Pride-II.

The high-stakes situation in which Pride-I seems beneficial is War. Your survival depends on behaving like you’re superior to others. You have to prepare better. You have to hold on longer. You have to be more resourceful. More inventive. You have to prepare to lay lives because the lives of your people are more valuable. Although, the mindset that helps you survive a war, looks ridiculous if applied without change in peaceful conditions. In war, it’s okay to scream your country’s name while murdering someone. In peace, you want to be silent when murdering someone unless you want witnesses, cops, and jail.

Now let’s look at the pitfalls of having Pride-II. The only scenario I found having Pride-II being a bummer is S&M. One of the two people has to be submissive and take the insults. Or else, there’s no point in this roleplay.

In short, Pride-I is like violence, it’s needed far less than you think. Pride-II is like exercise, you need it far more than you think. That’s it from me. Take care of yourselves.