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By: Freewavemaker, LLC (Jerry Nix Author) Date: November 18, 2023

Pride with an equal balance of Humility

What Dad had to say about pride:

He basically told me … as does the bible … that Pride Goethe Before the Fall. You see my dad was a very religious man that I know right now is up in heaven with his Heavenly Father. There are many versus of the bible that talks about pride and there are none of them that I know that are really positive. The bible … and many non-scholars of the bible – consider pride a doubled edge sword … and it can be.

• Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
• James 4:6: “But He gives more grace. Therefore, it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'”

Here’s a summary of the Bible’s teaching on pride:

Pride is a sin that can lead to destruction. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. We should be humble and seek God’s grace.

What is pride?

Pride is a complex emotion with both positive and negative connotations. In its positive form, it can be a source of motivation, self-esteem, and satisfaction. However, it can also lead to arrogance, hubris, and a sense of superiority. Ultimately, pride is a double-edged sword that can either lift us up or bring us down.

What is Humility?

Humility is the quality of being humble, which means having a modest or low view of one’s own importance. It involves being open to learning from others, admitting when you’re wrong, and not seeking attention or praise.

What did I learn from my military service?

The military is about the only place (or perhaps the military and first responders) where a person can get a “Perfect Balance” of both Pride and Humility. In other words, if a person is going to be proud, they must also be humble. The military teaches members to shoulder both in balance.

When you’re going off to battle (or perhaps to save someone if a first responder) you’d better be wearing pride on one shoulder to give you confidence, motivation and self-esteem to make it through … but on the other shoulder you must carry humility and the understanding that you are not the most important person on the battlefield, the building that is burning or the school that has an active shooter in it. You must balance both Pride and Humility.

The Balance of the two:

This balance is one of the greatest emotions a person can experience. Unfortunately, not many living people will ever be able to experience the great feeling of wearing pride and humility in equal balance. Why is that?

When it comes to the military, only 0.4% of the American population is in the military as I write this.

When it comes to first responders, only 1.6% of the American workforce has anything to do with the Police, the fire department or EMTs/Paramedics.

In other words,

… just 2% of the people in America in any given year will experience the beautiful feeling of having the emotions of Pride and Humility in perfect harmony … and that is a shame in my opinion. Because there is no greater feeling.

Young people listen …

If you want to experience one of the greatest feelings in the world and help to make the world a far better place for yourselves, your family and your neighbors, consider joining the military or becoming a first responder if you are physically able to do so.

That’s all I have to say about Pride and Humility other than I love to wear them both!

Have a great day,

Jerry Nix | Freewavemaker, LLC