Pride
From Editable Codex
| Pride | |
|---|---|
| Colour: | Not applicable |
| Symbol: | Not applicable |
| Principles: | None |
| Explanation: | Anti-virtue of Humility |
| Towns: | Magincia |
| Mantra: | Mul |
| Word of Power: | Not applicable |
| Player class: | Not applicable |
| Dungeon: | Doom |
Pride, in the Ultima series, is the anti-virtue of Humility.
Pride often refers to a strong sense of self-respect, a refusal to be humiliated as well as joy in the accomplishments of oneself or a person, group, or object that one identifies with. However, in the Ultima series, it refers to excessive pride, and is an anti-virtue as described below.
[edit] As an anti-virtue
Pride is also used to mean hubris, or excessive pride, which was usually the defining trait that leads to the tragic hero's tragic downfall according to Aristotle. This negative connotation of pride often appears in a religious context.
Excessive pride also manifests itself as arrogance, the act of obtaining rights or advantages, including vainglorious or rhetorical advantages, sometimes through violence or threat of violence, or through verbal violence.
The New Magincian ghosts also have a few things to say about Humility and Pride, from which the following may be constructed:
The absence of Truth, Love, and Courage is Pride. Pride is the surest measure of goals never attained. Pride goeth before, Shame cometh after. This Shame leads to awareness of Humility, the root from which all Virtues grow. Humility is to strip oneself of all conceits.
[edit] Religious References
Many major religions, using "pride" in the sense of "hubris" or "arrogance", denounce it:
In Christianity, pride (also vanity or arrogance) is the essentially competitive and excessive belief in one's own abilities that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God, or the worth which God sees in others; for example, Psalm 10 verse 4:
`In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.`
Aquinas wrote `inordinate self-love is the cause of every sin`. Pride is listed as one of the seven deadly sins, as superbia.
In Hinduism, Ravana, an evil king who was killed by Rama, avatar of Vishnu, exhibited the sins of pride and lust. In spirituality pride is linked to the local "I" and ego, as distinct from the nonlocal "us".
In Islam, arrogance is also forbidden: According to a narration from Muhammad, he said: "He in whose heart there is as much as a grain of arrogance will not enter paradise," and a man remarked: "A man likes his garment to be beautiful and his sandals to be beautiful." Then Muhammad replied: "God, Most High, is beautiful and likes beauty; arrogance is disdaining what is true and despising people" (Sahih Muslim).
In Judaism and also Christianity, numerous verses of the Tanakh/Old Testament speak to pride or arrogance. "Blessed is that man that makes the LORD his trust, and looks not to the proud, nor to those that turn aside to lies." (Psalm 40:5) "Talk no more exceeding proudly, nor let arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed." (I Sam. 2:3)
In Taoism, according to the Tao Te Ching, pride and greed are human errors.
[edit] See also
