Why Pride Is Unproductive

“Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats.” (James 3:13-16 MSG)

Most of the attributes that we are proud of—beauty, wealth, status, intelligence, strength, etc.—are fleeting. A visit to any nursing home will remind you of this fact.

While pride may make you feel good initially, it makes others feel inadequate in the long run. (Actually, after the first few seconds, it makes you look bad too.)

Pride is like driving a Hummer in the city. It might turn heads and make the driver feel admired. Yet, the cost to the environment is much higher than any benefit the driver might get from it. Even if driving a Hummer can be attention-getting, driving a gas-guzzler through city roads rarely brings admiring glances. Not to mention that it makes other drivers uncomfortable when they have to share the road with such a huge vehicle.

Humility, on the other hand, might make you appear a bit insignificant at first glance. Yet it usually allows others to feel relaxed and comfortable around you. In the long run, you are admired for your true qualities rather than the magnified version that pride nudges you to present to the world. 

Pride comes with a high maintenance cost; however, ultimately, it is unsustainable. Strictly speaking, a cost-benefit analysis of pride would show that the benefits are just not worth the cost—to yourself or to others. Humility is much more cost-effective and productive.