The Humble Pride
by Tyler Zach
We all know what PRIDE is. It is the kind of attitude that really mean people have. It is also the kind of attitude that really arrogant people have. It is also the kind of attitude that judgmental people have. It is also the kind of attitude that really humble people have. What? Humble people are prideful?
It seems like an oxymoron doesn’t it? Let me explain my case. First of all, when I say “humble” people I mean people who always self-pity themselves and seem to have low self-esteem. These people are often thought of as humble because they are usually really nice and sensitive – just weak in personality.
Thus, there are two types of prideful people:
1) People who like to boast and think highly of themselves
2) People who produce self-pity and think low of themselves.
You might not think that the latter group would seem like “prideful” people. John Piper has come up with some interesting thoughts on pride in his book Future Grace. He declares the following:
Boasting: Response of pride to success
Self-pity: Response of pride to suffering
Boasting: I deserve admiration because I have achieved so much
Self-pity: I deserve admiration because I have sacrificed so much
Boasting: Sounds self-sufficient
Self-pity: Sounds self-sacrificing
“Self-pity does not come from a sense of unworthiness, but from a sense of unrecognized worthiness. It is the response of unapplauded pride.” – John Piper
Do you usually complain about and distort “unfair” events that occurred during the day in order to show how great you were to endure them?
Do you often feel that you are undervalued as a person and have unrecognized accomplishments?
Are you a person who “gives to get”? Do you give and serve and listen to others constantly (which may seem humble and self-sacrificial) but in the end only leaves you empty because you realize that all you were doing was looking for someone to praise you?
Well, just to let you know, my answer is yes yes yes to all the above questions. It really crushed me the first time I realized that I was not the humble kind of guy everyone said I was. I always try to show humility – and usually it is not authentic – but it is a way to get others to praise me for being humble. It is a good trick that many “humble” people have mastered without even realizing it.
Which side of the spectrum of pride are you on?
We all know what PRIDE is. It is the kind of attitude that really mean people have. It is also the kind of attitude that really arrogant people have. It is also the kind of attitude that judgmental people have. It is also the kind of attitude that really humble people have. What? Humble people are prideful?
It seems like an oxymoron doesn’t it? Let me explain my case. First of all, when I say “humble” people I mean people who always self-pity themselves and seem to have low self-esteem. These people are often thought of as humble because they are usually really nice and sensitive – just weak in personality.
Thus, there are two types of prideful people:
1) People who like to boast and think highly of themselves
2) People who produce self-pity and think low of themselves.
You might not think that the latter group would seem like “prideful” people. John Piper has come up with some interesting thoughts on pride in his book Future Grace. He declares the following:
Boasting: Response of pride to success
Self-pity: Response of pride to suffering
Boasting: I deserve admiration because I have achieved so much
Self-pity: I deserve admiration because I have sacrificed so much
Boasting: Sounds self-sufficient
Self-pity: Sounds self-sacrificing
“Self-pity does not come from a sense of unworthiness, but from a sense of unrecognized worthiness. It is the response of unapplauded pride.” – John Piper
Do you usually complain about and distort “unfair” events that occurred during the day in order to show how great you were to endure them?
Do you often feel that you are undervalued as a person and have unrecognized accomplishments?
Are you a person who “gives to get”? Do you give and serve and listen to others constantly (which may seem humble and self-sacrificial) but in the end only leaves you empty because you realize that all you were doing was looking for someone to praise you?
Well, just to let you know, my answer is yes yes yes to all the above questions. It really crushed me the first time I realized that I was not the humble kind of guy everyone said I was. I always try to show humility – and usually it is not authentic – but it is a way to get others to praise me for being humble. It is a good trick that many “humble” people have mastered without even realizing it.
Which side of the spectrum of pride are you on?
posted by Tyler Zach at 8:42 AM
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