It's one of the seven deadly sins and there's a good reason it is. It has been the cause for some of the worlds ugliest wars, gruesome killings ever. On the flip side, it can be a catalyst for change, allowing us to admire our own creations and work we do for the world. Often times, when we're given too much of something, we don't know what to do with it all. So what do we usually do? Spend it. And why??? To show others around us that we have access to better and bigger things than our friends and family. What's the point?? It doesn't really get you anywhere or anything in the long run. At the end of the day, you really are no further in your own imaginative race than you were yesterday. We are in constant competition with each other and the older we get, this concept of PRIDE is killing us. Literally.
There are times in our lives when being proud is warranted - graduating from college, getting married, having a baby. And then there are those times where, when you have too much pride it hurts you as well those around you. This concept is as old as the world and as long as people have been walking around, we've found ways of belittling and degrading others for our own personal gain and benefit. I have a friend who was in a funk a few weeks ago because everyone he's ever known from Pittsburgh is moving away the pursue endeavors, getting engaged, etc. in short, people are going through life's motions and growing up. What adds to his crazy is that he just got promoted at his job, made a huge financial investment and is having discourse with his significant other. STOP!!!!!! I'm still stuck on his friends moving away! Being lonely just plain sucks but it's comforting to know that we've all been there. I told my friend that I felt this way right after college. After graduation, people moved away, got married and got on with their lives. Who am I to stop them from fulfilling their dreams and destinies? Sure, we'd still talk to each other but c'mon now, it just wasn't the same. It's times like these in life, at least for me, that I remember the most. You rarely find yourself surrounded by a group of people who are working towards the same goal. Unless, you are at your job, you tend to share things and treat each other like family. Luckily, things in my life worked out that way and I work with some amazing people! But even though I have awesome coworkers, they still don't replace your friends. At 31, I know what my role in life is and what I want it to be and remain. While I was at the gym with my friend, I let him talk about stuff. I really didn't offer much other than my ears to listen to what he had to say, but I could tell he needed to get it off his chest. Sometimes all you need is for someone to just listen to you. The problem with being the 'listener' all the time is that nobody ever takes a moment to switch roles with you. So you become the 'talker'. I'm not going to go into details about my friend predicament because it's not my place or intention to do so. I do feel for his stresses though. People around my age have such a high demand placed upon them to be everything to everyone and it's amazing as to how we can micro-manage it all. At the end of our gym time, I told my friend, "Call me if you need me." Whether or not he'll take me up on it is in his court but he thanked me and returned to his work at hand.
Pride is as toxic and lethal as any other negative emotion, drug or stimulus that produces the same adverse effects. It has the potential to get you into a lot of trouble in your personal as well as your professional life. Another one of these emotions that goes right along with pride is greed. Every time you turn around, we have new gadgets, toys, cars and such to help us make our lives 'easier'. The word easier is a relative term, depending on who you speak with on this. For those individuals born in Generation Z, it seems as if they are on the cutting edge of technology. And thy should be because of the time they were born. For us generation Xers and Y's, we've had to adapt to the continuously changing society of iPads, iPods and iPhones. But with all this technology that is out there, it seems that people always want more stuff. Stuff. What exactly is that? Stuff is things that we want at some point as a possible reward for a job well done or just a 'necessity'. Stuff usually ends up on the top of the garbage pile after we've exhausted all uses for the thing in question. But the cycle doesn't stop there, in fact it begins all over again when we find something new and cooler that we just HAVE to have. Greed in its rawest form is so unattractive and obnoxious. True, we all want nice things in our lives but that's just it! THINGS! They don't replace the fact that you can't converse or share moments with things because at the end of the day, these things are not going to give you what you need. Companionship, love and happiness.
The brain inside our heads is a unique and complex piece of machinery. Bunches and bunches of neurons firing electrical signals to various parts of our bodies. We have impulses that our brain emits second by second but yet we still can't get our minds on track and thing about what's important in life other than ourselves and our prized possessions. A lot of people think that the more things you have, the happier you'll be. Well, like Puff Daddy used to say, Mo' money, mo' problems. That adage works with possessions as well. Try for a day going without your iPhone or tablet. Some of my friends have done this just as a test and they loved the feeling of being totally detached from the world. Read a book, go fly a kite or spend time with the people you love. In the end all that counts is what was true; what was selfless.
There are times in our lives when being proud is warranted - graduating from college, getting married, having a baby. And then there are those times where, when you have too much pride it hurts you as well those around you. This concept is as old as the world and as long as people have been walking around, we've found ways of belittling and degrading others for our own personal gain and benefit. I have a friend who was in a funk a few weeks ago because everyone he's ever known from Pittsburgh is moving away the pursue endeavors, getting engaged, etc. in short, people are going through life's motions and growing up. What adds to his crazy is that he just got promoted at his job, made a huge financial investment and is having discourse with his significant other. STOP!!!!!! I'm still stuck on his friends moving away! Being lonely just plain sucks but it's comforting to know that we've all been there. I told my friend that I felt this way right after college. After graduation, people moved away, got married and got on with their lives. Who am I to stop them from fulfilling their dreams and destinies? Sure, we'd still talk to each other but c'mon now, it just wasn't the same. It's times like these in life, at least for me, that I remember the most. You rarely find yourself surrounded by a group of people who are working towards the same goal. Unless, you are at your job, you tend to share things and treat each other like family. Luckily, things in my life worked out that way and I work with some amazing people! But even though I have awesome coworkers, they still don't replace your friends. At 31, I know what my role in life is and what I want it to be and remain. While I was at the gym with my friend, I let him talk about stuff. I really didn't offer much other than my ears to listen to what he had to say, but I could tell he needed to get it off his chest. Sometimes all you need is for someone to just listen to you. The problem with being the 'listener' all the time is that nobody ever takes a moment to switch roles with you. So you become the 'talker'. I'm not going to go into details about my friend predicament because it's not my place or intention to do so. I do feel for his stresses though. People around my age have such a high demand placed upon them to be everything to everyone and it's amazing as to how we can micro-manage it all. At the end of our gym time, I told my friend, "Call me if you need me." Whether or not he'll take me up on it is in his court but he thanked me and returned to his work at hand.
Pride is as toxic and lethal as any other negative emotion, drug or stimulus that produces the same adverse effects. It has the potential to get you into a lot of trouble in your personal as well as your professional life. Another one of these emotions that goes right along with pride is greed. Every time you turn around, we have new gadgets, toys, cars and such to help us make our lives 'easier'. The word easier is a relative term, depending on who you speak with on this. For those individuals born in Generation Z, it seems as if they are on the cutting edge of technology. And thy should be because of the time they were born. For us generation Xers and Y's, we've had to adapt to the continuously changing society of iPads, iPods and iPhones. But with all this technology that is out there, it seems that people always want more stuff. Stuff. What exactly is that? Stuff is things that we want at some point as a possible reward for a job well done or just a 'necessity'. Stuff usually ends up on the top of the garbage pile after we've exhausted all uses for the thing in question. But the cycle doesn't stop there, in fact it begins all over again when we find something new and cooler that we just HAVE to have. Greed in its rawest form is so unattractive and obnoxious. True, we all want nice things in our lives but that's just it! THINGS! They don't replace the fact that you can't converse or share moments with things because at the end of the day, these things are not going to give you what you need. Companionship, love and happiness.
The brain inside our heads is a unique and complex piece of machinery. Bunches and bunches of neurons firing electrical signals to various parts of our bodies. We have impulses that our brain emits second by second but yet we still can't get our minds on track and thing about what's important in life other than ourselves and our prized possessions. A lot of people think that the more things you have, the happier you'll be. Well, like Puff Daddy used to say, Mo' money, mo' problems. That adage works with possessions as well. Try for a day going without your iPhone or tablet. Some of my friends have done this just as a test and they loved the feeling of being totally detached from the world. Read a book, go fly a kite or spend time with the people you love. In the end all that counts is what was true; what was selfless.
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