Apparently pride is the deadliest of the seven deadly sins. It is the root of all sin according to the Bible. Eve was too proud and so chose to eat the forbidden apple. Pride created the original sin!
I don’t accept that anymore. You could fill little Cian’s head with all of that stuff about Eve being in the wrong but we know nothing about Eve as a person. We know nothing about the actual garden of Eden. Maybe the apples that they were allowed to eat were absolute shite! Let’s bear in mind that they were the first two people to ever be alive. God was probably giving them grass and twigs as food and telling them that’s what they were to eat for eternity. I’d go rob a mangy apple if it got me away from a breakfast/lunch combo of grass, twigs and grass and twigs.
Pride as a sin has been debated through the ages. As my Nana says, moderation is key. Too much of anything is a bad thing. Some people are too proud and don’t accept any help with anything, suffering in the process. Some bight back at the helping hand because their own work couldn’t possibly be in need of repair. Boom! There’s a sin. But how, in this modern day and age can we put the word ‘PRIDE’ at the end of mass movements such as Gay Pride and Black Pride and then also count it as one of the deadly sins? It is important to realise that it is one of the deadly sins if you are a Christian. I believe in God but I am not the most efficient mass-goer, and while I do believe in God I don’t necessarily need to go to mass or special services to prove my faith. The only person I am proving my faith to is the auld ones that are sitting across the aisle from me clutching their rosary beads for dear life.
It is important to have pride in yourself and in your work. At the risk of sounding like a broken record and bringing up Covid-19 again, we need pride more than ever. Be proud of yourself. Be proud of the fact that you made it through a worldwide pandemic. Be proud of the fact that you are back in work and getting used to the new normal. Be proud of the fact that you made it through a mentally distressing time. To those of you that were forced to spend time with people you aren’t necessarily fond of, be proud of the fact that you got through it without committing a heinous crime. To those of you that worked through the pandemic on the front lines, be immensely proud of yourself. To those of you who worked from home, be proud of yourself. To everyone who kept slugging through the last three months, no matter your level of productivity or creativity, be proud of yourselves.
Of course, it is important to stay humble. Don’t go around telling people how great you are.
“Well bai, how are you keeping?”
“Fucking fantastic man. Did I tell you I made it through the pandemic? Not a scratch man!”
“…Sure so did I like. Why are you going on about it like you’re special?”
“The Rathpeacon Rambler told me to be proud of myself. So I am. Don’t be jealous bai!”
“Who’s the Rathpeacon Rambler? Tell him to go away. We don’t need more fellas like you thinking they’re great. We’ve enough of them in Cork already. It’s actually dangerous what he’s doing.”
Don’t go dragging my name through the mud because you think you’re great again. I have a tiny reputation to uphold. As they say, it takes forever to build a reputation and one reference from an eejit to ruin it!
So be proud everyone, but not too proud or the church will have you in for confession! Let’s finally separate pride from the rest of the deadly sins. We can have a little pride, as a treat.
The Rathpeacon Rambler 