I used to have a mantra of "Kill MY EGO!" And that, as it turned out was almost just as bad. As with anything in life I am finding out that moderation is key.

As far as the ego is concerned, it IS a part of me and to totally dismiss it is frankly quite silly. My ego serves its purpose and hopefully on a limited basis.

Now it seems as if I am equating Pride with ego, though they are related they are not really the same.

I think pride to an extent is very OK. I am proud of my work yet humble to know I can always improve. I am proud of the discipline I have created to take better care of myself yet I totally understand that I do not IDENTIFY myself with my pride.

I am not defined by my pride or my actions. I really do not want to be defined by anything.

Some times one can define themselves by their pride and think they do not need anyone else.

My pride does not equal being better than anyone.

I set goals and privately I am proud to reach them.

Michael

Perhaps pride & ego are self-preservation directives to maintain a point of reference of existence.

It is like the individual from the herd decides to separate itself further and further away from the herd mentality to a singularity mentality, but to do so must find a substitute source of guidance as a replacement for the previously familiar herd guidance.

So the now separate individual from the herd relies on the self that is separate from the source to know all that was previously known by the herd.

The separated self cannot know what it needs to know, so it is easily manipulated by hidden hands that provide various "stand-ins" of rather convincing concepts that are slowly built upon like a perfectly stable pyramid with a solid foundation of theoretical stability.

It is its own encyclopedia of circular logic that is astounding in its stability because its secret lies in the rejection of everything that cannot be incorporated within the equation of the discipline.

And that is the trick. To reject what does not make sense.

This is the reference point of separation.

Pride and ego are self-preservation necessities at this point of reference.

They trip us up because they depend on a database of the individual's own construction (OR SO THEY THINK)

The individual that was designed to be driven by soul guidance, now depends on an artificial database of knowledge, which while they believe is foolproof in its logical construction, is in fact cut-off and isolated from a "living wisdom" and now must do all the assessment and authentication within the confines of an invented discipline.

The individual is incapable of truly taking on the task of fully assessing the variables within the entire interconnected "constructed" database of wisdom.

So it must pretend that it knows what it knows as "truth".

Privately it knows that it is lost, but publicly it must pretend that everything is alright.

In this situation, pride and ego become necessary for survival and self-preservation.

When the individual relinquishes this point of reference of built up wisdom in favor of source wisdom the ego will put up a fight, but will eventually relinquish the chains of bondage.

And then how can you take pride in knowledge that came from beyond you?

(I know, the ego will insist “I thought of that!”)

Words seem to be fickle friends.

It seems to take a long time for us, as individuals, to figure out just which of the many options offered by our limited language, can BEST and TRULY represent how we SINCERELY feel about ourselves, in relation to others.

To me, pride, self-love and ego all feel pointed toward the negative to some extent.

Overall, my feelings resonate with the term Self-Respect.

This, to me, is what Jesus consistantly had, that made Him the only man in this world's history, whose personality was always in complete balance.

Understand, I most certainly don't HAVE this quality in such perfection -- but it is my goal.

Conceited superiority? Pride is an emotional response, used to self-inflate a persons identity. Conceited superiority would be a misuse of prides necessity. To "Trip" over an emotional response would mean to misuse or to misunderstand the emotion in use, in this case pride. To understand the extent of an emotional response is as complex as understanding the universe.

Pride says we can go it alone. We don't need God. We can not go it alone, we do need God in a very practical way.

pride when it is in truth and love is good. when it comes from the darkness of ego it makes you blind or acting from judgement it is not good for you and others. it is easy to see when you talk to someone and he does not listen to you because he as pride that he know more then you. you can see it also when someone try to seperate them self from you because they think they know all and they do not need you. with their pride they want to live in their own little universe.

I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. 16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+15&version=NLT