The Deadliest Sin

(originally published June 20, 2011)
First off, this is just the skeleton of an essay I plan on writing in full later on after I'm out of school (if that ever happens).
Secondly, there will be no sourcing used to back up my arguments, in part because of the first point, and also because Facebook does not allow you to use footnotes.  And no, I did not write this in MLA or APA style even though these were possible alternatives, because as an amateur historian it is my sworn duty to write exclusively in University of Chicago Style. (Interrupt my pros will you?) (With your incessant brackets)
Thirdly, as you can probably tell already, this essay will be informal.
Fourthly, and finally, this is still a serious issue; one that continues to humble me to this day.
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To whom this may concern,
I often find myself feeling guilty whenever I unintentionally intimidate others.  I try my hardest to keep to myself, and outside this profile and my presence in class, very few people actually know anything about me - which is largely my doing.  You see, I purposefully minimize my value, even sometimes sacrificing and denying my capabilities and talents.

"Why would anyone do such a thing?" You might ask - especially in this vocation and credential focused world that's becoming more vocation- and credential-centric every day.  Well, I have many reasons, but the most influential are those relating to my opinion of pride.

Many philosophers, psychologists, etc. argued and continue to argue that the ego is an integral part of a healthy self-actualizing individual.  But you don't need to consult them to justify pride - just look out the nearest window.  There's a near consensus about the moral acceptability of pride - a consensus reflected by how most people cannot even second guess their vanity.  Pride is practically normal.

"But Adam - if it's practically normal?  Why write this note on Facebook?"  Because although it's "normal," excessive pride will only and always cause harm.  Excessive pride, for the purpose of this essay, will mean over-valuing the self.

Many contemporaries and many more predecessors have made and continue to make different versions of the argument I'm about to present. But one must acknowledge, that despite the best intentions of these people, pride continues to cause immense amounts of needless suffering.

"So what's so bad about excessive pride?"  Well, ask any of your local British/Western literature buffs and they'll be quick to denounce hubris.  A major theme in Western literature, especially tragedy, hubris usually takes the form of a tragic flaw in the protagonist or anti-hero.   Hubris as tragic flaw was featured in the biblical genesis story superlatively conveyed in John Milton's epic: Paradise Lost.

Milton's work, like the Bible before it, portrayed the archangel Lucifer's fall and imprisonment in hell and his campaign to take revenge on God by corrupting his most prized children: humanity. The triggers that caused Lucifer's fall were related to excessive pride: he over-valued his self and was jealous of the value of God.  Together, these functions of pride lead him to challenge said omnipotent.  This story, the foundation story of all three of the major monotheistic religions, should have justifiably condemned pride forever into non-existence, or at least that appears to have been the desire of its creators, especially since they suggested that pride was the cause of every other sin.

Now before you get all: "Oh krap, he pulled the Bible/Pentateuch/Qur’an on us" let me assure you, I am not religious.  In fact, I find the condemnation of hubris to be one of the few things that the monotheistic religions, in their infancy, actually got right.

"But if excessive pride has been frowned upon since the first ‘recollections’ of the Bible/Pentateuch/Qur’an, then why is it 'normal' today?"  To be honest, I don't know exactly. I know there are many factors, including influences like our innate biopsychology, certain human drives like the will to power Nietzsche identified, and the development of classical liberalism, secularism, and materialism.  Excessive pride has received varying levels of acceptance and rejection throughout human history, but I digress, this is a Facebook note for another time.

What's important is the harm over-valuing the self creates for the self and for others.  There are many reasons to choose humility.  There are the basic reasons such as how excessive pride leads to over-extending yourself.  For example, you overextend yourself when you believe that you can do something and then try to do it when you objectively cannot do it.  And there are also the more complex reasons, such as how excessive pride can prevent an individual from adequately appreciating the experiences, talents, and actions of their peers.

My personal most influential reasons for detesting pride are its emotional effects: jealousy and shame.  Jealousy and shame are completely dependent on pride; without pride, neither jealousy or shame exist.  For what is jealousy but the over- or under-appreciation of the self relative to others?  And shame, the realization of one’s true value.

I often find myself minimizing my value within the perspectives of others in order to prevent them from feeling jealousy or shame.  I have often questioned the morality of such behavior, but as it stands, ignorance is bliss – in most cases.

Of course, this stumbles upon the ethics of suffering and the question of whether or not there is justifiable suffering.  Can it be/when is it/ justified to knowingly subject people to jealousy and shame?  I'm reminded of what one of my favorite professors stated over and over, “A smart person knows when someone is wrong; a wise one knows when to tell them.” (I usually add “and how” to the latter statement)

All that to say: excessive pride can and will only cause harm to the self and to others.  However, I’m not suggesting we should all under-value ourselves instead.  For under-valuing the self can be just as detrimental to the self and to others as hubris.

What this author favours is what the ancient Greeks favoured – nosce te ipsum – Know thyself – that is, value the self for exactly what it’s worth by doing what’s necessary to further realize the self’s true value.
[…]
There's a potential contradiction in my argument.  One must do what’s necessary to realize the value of his/her self at all times (which includes helping others realize the values of their selves), but I’m minimizing my ability in the perspective of others which prevents them from feeling shame or jealousy: feelings which would eventually cause them to know their selves more accurately.  What I’m saying is we have to be tactful, pragmatic, and potentially, gradualist about it.
[…]
Those trying to be good, virtuous, etc. are subject to a paradox.  They pursue the good by all available means, all the while, they must minimize their actions as valuing good actions and taking them has the potential to tempt them to hubris.