This theme has been a tough one for me to write about because the subject has absolutely no relevance to me.
Yes, I know it's one of the seven deadly sins but I fail to see how it can be deadly.
Pride has to do with how one appears to others as well as to ourselves. A modicum of pride is really self-esteem, isn't it? And I require respect from others. Requiring others to treat me with respect isn't pride, but self-protection.
So for me, the term "pride" has been translated into other, more relevant terms.
It's interesting that I can't write about it because I do manage to put myself into the heads of characters that aren't much like me at all. I suppose that the two sheiks I wrote about for Silhouette Books (a defunct divison of Harlequin) were proud. One was so proud that he plotted revenge for fifteen years against a man who'd bested him. (Okay, maybe he wasn't merely proud but psychopathic). The other one was just kind of a schmuck, but of course, through the love of the heroine he was transformed into a pretty good guy.
It's interesting that I can't write about it because I do manage to put myself into the heads of characters that aren't much like me at all. I suppose that the two sheiks I wrote about for Silhouette Books (a defunct divison of Harlequin) were proud. One was so proud that he plotted revenge for fifteen years against a man who'd bested him. (Okay, maybe he wasn't merely proud but psychopathic). The other one was just kind of a schmuck, but of course, through the love of the heroine he was transformed into a pretty good guy.
To make up for my lack of inspiration, here are a few visual interpretations of "pride":
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| image by Marie-Lan Nguyen |
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| image by Benh LIEU SONG |
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| Bosch's The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things - Pride I have enough self-esteem (a.k.a. pride?) to admit I don't understand this artwork. |
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| image by Alex Pronove (alexcooper1) |
I hope you enjoyed the images and didn't need any insights into pride.
Hi, Suz,
ReplyDeleteActually I was considering writing my post about lions... And I think the "deadly sin" illustration is actually more focused on vanity.
Are you still on the road?
I'm ba-ack! Had an interesting time.
DeleteAs you say, pride isn't always a negative. A realistic evaluation of our accomplishments helps keep our egos in perspective.
ReplyDeleteIt does occur to me that when pride is particularly emphasized in fiction, it's usually a build-up to a fall. Kind of like how gay characters used to be included in stories only to die by the end. Pride shouldn't be a personal negative, but it does fill a need for someone to be brought down in fiction. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteNice gallery of pics, though!
ReplyDeleteI grinned at your pics, Suz, especially the lions! :)
ReplyDelete