Everyone who saw the film “Devil's Advocate” remembered the last scene, where the devil in the guise of a journalist persuades the hero Keanu Reeves for an exclusive interview. And the young lawyer agrees again, so as not to spoil his reputation. Then the devil, again taking on the charming image of Al Pacino, says: "Pride is my favorite sin!"
What do we know about pride
In one person, as a rule, a lot of all sorts of character traits are mixed up, for which he can be loved and hated. His reputation among acquaintances depends on the frequency of manifestation of good or bad qualities. Sometimes you can hear that one and the same person is just an angel for some people, and for others - the devil in the flesh. Who is right? All. It’s just that sometimes a person treats people as his conscience allows him. But often this difference in attitude towards others directly depends on the pride that owns his heart. It’s very difficult to understand right away that this sin has settled in the soul of a person. To do this, you need to know what passions feed him.
Pride and Church
In Orthodoxy, this sin is considered one of the most insidious, so the signs of pride were studied very carefully. It is characterized as a definite superiority over the others. It is believed that precisely with this sin was defeated Dennitsa - the most beautiful, intelligent and faithful of all the angels of the Lord. When he came to the realization that many things that the Lord did were subject to him, he became increasingly immersed in the thought that his skill was even higher than the knowledge of his master. So why should he obey someone who is equal to him or even below him?
Gaining his army, Dennitsa also aroused pride in the angels. This became their banner, under which they went against God. Of course, they lost. Since then, every person who feels himself more significant than everyone else, replenishes the ranks of the once rebelled angels, turned into demons. When a person behaves inappropriately from the point of view of the Orthodox canons, they say about him that he is raging, raging.
The main signs of pride
Is it easy to define it? When a person behaves arrogantly, boasts in front of all his merits, doesn’t put a penny on the opinions of others about himself, this is obvious. This behavior clearly shows that a person is mired in pride. But in Orthodoxy, the signs of pride are understood more broadly.
Exaggerated pride also belongs to them. It manifests itself in a person’s desire to exalt their merits. He considers this a feature of his character, freedom from the opinions of others, his exceptional significance.
Talking about yourself, it’s sometimes very difficult to refrain from informing the attentive listener of everything that happened, is and what will happen to you. If in secular society this is considered ordinary talkativeness, then in Orthodoxy this behavior also refers to one of the signs of a terrible sin - pride.
Nobody wants to admit that communicating only with successful people and scornful attitude towards those who have not achieved anything in this life is called arrogance. It also nourishes and feeds a person’s pride, forcing him to become more and more immersed in sin.
How often can you hear the phrase “If not me, then who?” An excellent reason to think about whether this is really a necessity or another sign of pride? Egoism rules our world, people reject social norms in order to distinguish their personality from the crowd.
Even the banal boasting that many perceive with a smile is one of the signs of sin. Before telling about your successes, it is worth considering whether the audience needs it, what they will gain from this conversation, what you will get.
Sometimes it happens that resentment accumulates in a person’s soul. Touchiness is a sign of pride. This may be due to real cases or people's behavior, but often a person invents grievances that are not connected with anyone and with nothing specifically. Such resentment also nourishes pride. Sometimes, even in a real situation, when a real conflict erupts, the winner does not try to hurt his opponent, but simply opens his eyes to reality. The loser begins to consider the winner as his enemy because of the unquenchable resentment. Having rummaged in the soul, everyone can find similar cases. Do not revel in your emotions. They grow pride like good fertilizer.
Irritability, which has become an integral part of our lives, also has its origin in pride. The people have a clear definition: “Everything infuriates me!” The last word in this phrase clearly shows who our emotions work for.
How can you calmly relate to a person who behaves incorrectly? But this is also a sign of sin. Each person is a person with his own strengths and weaknesses. You can not perceive a person as comfortable furniture. This is a holistic character. If he does not do what you want, this is not a reason to despise him. From his point of view you live incorrectly. But he does not teach you, but perceives as you are.
How often can one hear from young people that the commandments given to people by the Lord Himself are long outdated, that these are not the times to keep them. But even this leads people to cultivate the qualities of a proud man, for whom even the Lord is not an authority.
“Love your neighbor” is the basic commandment given to us by Jesus. Following it, we can say that anger at people and hatred of them are automatically attributed to sins, that is, to signs of pride.
When a person is confident in his incredible significance, this means that vanity has settled in his soul. It is difficult to distinguish it from pride, since it is one of the signs of this sin.
How many signs of pride
You are deeply mistaken if you think that there are only a few. The many sins that a person, as a rule, considers independent, are signs of pride. How can pride and self-abasement be compared? It seems that it cannot be put in one row. In fact, a person who constantly scolds himself for some wrong actions or insufficient results sees himself as better than he manifests in life. This is because it was once instilled in him a sense of superiority over others, but in the life of the poor fellow he faced a reality where many people are better than him.
Orthodoxy singles out 40 signs of pride for a more concrete understanding of this sin. They can be found more, as each sign brings something else to our life. The string of sins can be very long, even endless. In the following list of signs of pride, only the main part of the sins that give rise to it is:
Anger, anger, discontent (with oneself and others), resentment, irritation, condemnation (of oneself and others), disappointment, disappointment, slander, malice, revenge, boasting, fear, anxiety, anxiety, doubt, uncertainty, pity, regret, compassion, despondency, longing, depression, gluttony, gluttony, flattery, greed, greed, stinginess, lies, deceit, envy, hypocrisy, jealousy, fornication, adultery, contempt, dislike (for others and for oneself), blaming (others and oneself), criticism (of others and oneself), hatred (of others and of oneself), claims (of others and of oneself).
What to do to an Orthodox Christian
The church helps a person fight many sins. When signs of pride are revealed in a person, the main thing in this case is that the sinner himself acknowledges this and wants to part with the vices. Priests offer to confess and receive communion, and to read special prayers that help fight sins. Keeping fasts and giving alms can also help a sinner get rid of pride. One has only to remember that no one imposes his will on anyone, because the Lord created man with freedom of choice.
The Church has been given to man to help in the many problems that the world imposes on us. Often, the problems themselves do not mean absolutely anything to the human soul, but in order to understand their worthlessness, a person needs to go a long way of awareness and repentance, which the priests offer him. Not everyone has the desire to get rid of sin, as well as patience, to reach the end. Some will have to spend the rest of their lives on this path. However, it is also worth remembering that neither notes in the temples, nor the most sincere prayers help if a person does not want to give up his sin.
Pride in other creeds
Signs of pride in a person are distinguished not only in Orthodoxy. Many ancient books contain lists of vices that are sprouts of this sin. Often you can see a list of 40 signs of pride from the Mahabharat epos that has come down to us from Ancient India. As can be seen from these sources, the behavior of people who neglect the opinions of others was always considered a deviation from the norm, which led to an understanding of immersion in sin.
If in Orthodoxy the signs of pride are indicated in the names of specific sins, then in the ancient Indian epic it is, rather, an enumeration of the specific actions of a person in relation to himself and to others. This difference made the ancient doctrine more preferable for the inhabitants, since it is much easier to understand your involvement in pride and to work out ways to get rid of it, if you see what specific actions led you to these problems. The following is the most comprehensive list of 64 signs of pride:
Confidence in one's own righteousness (infallibility).
Patronizing others, attitude down.
Feeling of own exclusivity.
Feeling like a victim.
Boasting.
Ascribing to oneself the works and merits of other people.
The ability to put an opponent at a disadvantage, managing people to achieve what they want.
Control over the situation, but without responsibility for the situation.
Vanity, the desire to often look in the mirror.
Displaying wealth, clothing, etc.
Unwillingness to help you, unwillingness to work together with others.
Attracting attention to your personality by voice, manners, behavior.
Talkativeness or constant talk about your problems and biography.
Touchiness.
Excessive sensibility or insensibility. Haste in conclusions, unwillingness to admit facts.
Excessive self-employment, introversion.
Focusing on what others think or say about you.
Using words that the listener does not understand, and you know about it.
Feeling worthless.
Refusal to change or thoughts that you will not succeed.
Unwillingness or inability to forgive oneself and others.
Dividing people into hierarchical levels - who is better or more important. Unwillingness to recognize seniority.
The feeling that you become very important when you are doing a specific job.
Take on overwork, and also find pleasure in idleness.
Suspicion of people, God, Messengers.
A state of concern about how impressed you are with others.
The idea that you are above the ordinary law and fulfill a special mission.
Reluctance to take the risk of devoting oneself to an important cause. There is no ultimate goal and creativity.
Creation of an idol from oneself and from others.
Lack of free time for self-knowledge and communication due to anxiety about money.
Change in behavior depending on who you are dealing with. Lack of simplicity in a relationship.
Superficiality in a sense of gratitude.
Ignoring the "little" people. Taking advantage of one’s position.
Inattention to what you are in contact with at the moment.
Lack of understanding of how each of the listed components of pride appears in you. Underestimating the power of illusion.
The presence of irritable tone, intolerance to manifestations of errors and shortcomings. Splicing with negative and positive mental states.
“I am the body and the mind. I am doomed to live in the material world. ”
Fear to show your emotional state and attitude, speak with your heart.
The thought of teaching someone a lesson.
Misunderstanding of prejudices and unwillingness to clarify them.
Rumors and gossip.
Disobedience to the will of God and elders, dependence on their own desires.
Dependence on all that sweetens the senses, madness.
Lack of self-esteem based on an understanding of one’s essence.
“You don't care about me.”
Recklessness, repressed sense of proportion.
The presence of a relationship: “My group is the best”, “I will listen only to my own, I will serve only to them.”
Individualism, unwillingness to be in the family and in society, to be responsible for loved ones in prayer and practical actions.
Dishonesty and dishonesty in relationships.
Inability to understand others and come to common decisions.
The desire to always leave the last word for yourself.
To resort to the statements of authorities, so as not to deal with specific situations. Stamped worldview.
Dependence on advice and opinions, irresponsibility.
Reluctance to share their knowledge and information with others in order to be able to control them.
Inattention to the physical body under the pretext of spirituality or excessive attention to it to the detriment of the soul.
The thought that it is up to you to do this, since no one else can do it better.
An indication of the error of another in a tone of condemnation or humiliation.
The thought of the need to save others from their problems.
Communication and support of others, as a result of which they become intellectually and emotionally dependent on the mentor.
Change of attitude towards people based on their opinion, appearance and so on.
Neglect of external norms and rules of culture, adopted in society and your family.
A sense of the right to dispose of the property of others, ignoring the norms adopted in another family.
Sarcasm, cynicism and rudeness in statements and feelings.
Lack of happiness.
Should I pay attention to minor details
As you can see, some items from this list have common features, they are repeated. Never rush to discard what seems already learned. Sometimes a problem, considered from a slightly different angle, looks different; it brings more adequate changes to solutions. Of course, you can consider 54 signs of pride, deal with them and come to decent results. This is always better than not doing self-improvement at all.
How pride arises
Nowadays, everything contributes to the development of this sin. From a very early age, the child is instilled with the concept of his individuality and originality, his genius and talents. However, no one tells him that every person who comes to this world is just as unique, in his own way brilliant and valuable. Even if it is very different from the image of the ideal person, which is traced by public opinion in our imagination, it is still worth perceiving it as an equal to itself.
Who suffers from this sin
The answer to this question is as follows:
- Those who are prone to pride suffer.
- Who lives next to this person.
- Who faces him and his ambitions in society.
- To whom the consequences of his wrong actions fall.
As an example, we can take the modern education of women. From childhood, the girl is told that she is no worse than boys. She is raised on a par with boys, taught the same subjects, the same rules of behavior in society. When she becomes a girl, she is told that before building a family and having children, she should go in for education and career. Thus, a woman is initially denied family happiness, which is built on submission to a man.
How to deal with sin
As mentioned above, first you need to realize the presence in the soul of signs of pride. Next, you need to develop a clear understanding in yourself that in order to get rid of sin you will have to change your life, your behavior and attitude towards people and even towards God. Having carefully worked out and clarified for yourself which particular vices have taken possession of your essence, you need to choose the main ones that generate smaller ones. Perhaps it will be easier for someone to get rid of less significant symptoms first, and then take on the main ones. The main thing is to go to the solution of this problem persistently and purposefully.
Humility
In many religions, humility is considered one of the main ways in the fight against evil. What does it carry? Firstly, a person realizes that everything that happens in his life is sent to him by God or Fate in order to become more perfect. In this case, the person does not try to overcome any difficulties. He humbly accepts them, thereby tempering his soul.
Opinion of others
Often pride in the individual is fed by society itself, referring to education, in which it is not customary to speak to a person openly about his or her shortcomings. At the same time, nothing prevents him from condemning the same individual behind him, chuckling at his delusions. In this situation, a person can learn about his mistakes by chance or from a person who is fundamentally honest. The main thing in this case is not to fall into another extreme of pride, that is, resentment. No matter how difficult it is to accept criticism, you should think about every word of the person who has expressed his opinion about you.
Deliverance from sin
Summing up, it is worth recalling once again the main commandment of Christianity "love your neighbor." When this commandment is understood and accepted, there will be no room for pride. A mother who presses a baby to her chest loves him unconditionally. He brings troubles and problems into her life, but a woman will not allow anyone to remove their source from her life. Growing up, children do not always live up to the expectations of their parents. But ask the mother if she agrees to exchange a bad-for-nothing son or careless daughter for successful and famous people? Never.
If such love for every person comes into your life, then you can forget about sins. But to achieve such results, you will have to work hard on your soul.