A virtue becomes a sin when we forget where that virtue came from. ~Ghost
(Opinion)
This is one of those times when we need to understand the flaws in using a "this or that" mentality because when you truly become a realist you understand that nothing is ever that simple.
(Remember now, my scribbles are focused on a specific group of people who for all intents and purposes are NOT us.
No arrogance there, just fact. If you see things the way we, do you are by default NOT impacted by the things I scribble about, the manipulation, right?
People who are offended by what I say are more than likely exactly the group of people I scribble about.
I hold no animosity towards you because you are misled, not evil. I do however hold you responsible for the consequences of your actions or non-actions that result in harm to my fellow humans who have stepped up and chose a side.)
If it is that simple, then you are not thinking about it enough.
For a little context, in my life I have had many and often heated discussions with people telling me that I cannot be a Christian and study Ayn Rand who was an open atheist.
Now, really quick for those who may not know, I do not follow a religion and because of that many Christians believe and are very vocal about my going to hell because of it.
These are in my opinion the ones who have been sucked into the trap of groupthink that leads to collectivism.
I follow Jesus, not a religion filled with rituals and doctrines created by men to show that my belief in God is exactly the same as theirs.
"You must do this, this, and that or you will go to hell!" I call bullshit on that and yes, I know that is to the extreme, but it makes my point does it not?
All I have to do is accept Jesus as my savior and do my best to follow the path HE has laid out for me, not a church, not a minister because they do not know Gods mind and intentions for any of us and that is a fact.
Only God knows that and if you listen, HE will tell you what it is. IF we listen.
It goes without saying though, make sure you know who you are listening to.
Due to the revelations, I have experienced in my own life for lack of a better term, I cut out the middleman and things have never been clearer for me than ever before and my belief in God has never been stronger.
It is not religion that I have a problem with as they are simply philosophies and when used with righteous intent can profoundly change and improve people's lives.
I have also seen religions do the exact opposite in people I knew personally.
It is called the "Religious Experience." and I vividly remember my own.
I have a problem with collectivism because it is behind every atrocity committed against humankind by other humans. That is a fact, you can verify it for yourself.
There is nothing inherently wrong with this "process" because it is the time proven best process of creating a congregation after all.
Jesus himself used this process to spread his word and gain followers so I can hardly see where his father God would have a problem with it.
But some people cross the line and religions become corrupted as with the religion of Islam being corrupted by radical extremists pushing Sharia Law and Islamism focused on the utter annihilation of the Jewish race, not God.
Or they are created with the specific purpose of trying to destroy Christianity as with the World Church of Satanism and Scientology.
I went a little further into the "religious" aspect than I intended to, but it is important that we understand that when it comes to sin and virtue we are talking about morality and all morality comes from God, specifically through the religion of Christianity.
Remove God from the equation and all we achieve is the removal of morality itself. If you honestly believe that this is not happening, then I implore you to take a very good look around you.
ONWARD!
Let's listen to Ayn Rands thoughts on pride from an objectivists viewpoint and then I will sum up my first point in this scribble.
I want to make a couple of points here before we move on from this clip.
First, ask yourself what Ayn Rand said that would go against God?
If you think that it does ask yourself why, break it down, in what way does it violate one's faith or religion? Specifically, Christianity.
Now consider the FACT that objectivity (objectivism in practice) was a major part of the process you used to decide to follow Jesus in the first place, or not to as the case may be.
Chew on that piece of grizzle for a while.
Secondly, it is very important that we catch what Rand says in this clip about objectivists are able to agree with some of what people say but not all. (Rand referencing Aristotle)
I do not agree with everything Ayn Rand says either but reading her work was a profound contribution to my understanding of psychology as well as filling my toolbox with some things I needed to keep moving forward in my own evolution.
This is crucial because it is directly related to how we (realists) gather information and that my friends are directly related to why we know so much more than other people do.
We do not arrogantly dismiss people entirely based on what their political views may be, their color, gender, none of that matters to us because it is the information we are interested in, not who said it.
If the information proves valid where it comes from should be considered irrelevant to anyone NOT trying to muddy the waters, right?
The information is what matters.
Unfortunately, the masses care more about how someone says something or who is saying it than they do about what is being said. This is intentional.
Disclaimer
As always, my scribbles are for educational/entertainment purposes only. They are my own opinions and beliefs based on my own research.
It's just something to think about folks. Agreeing with me is not a requirement to listen. ~Ghost
This is our segway into the relevance of the "this or that" mentality I mentioned earlier.
The only way we can find satisfaction or happiness is if we are proud of ourselves for being a "good" person. Pride is part of what drives us to improve ourselves but the thing to remember is that too much of anything becomes a bad thing.
In Christianity Pride is one of the 7 deadly sins and I agree because it has been historically proven.
But I think too many people have taken this too the extreme and get sucked into the whirlpool of malignant narcissism which is of course unhealthy pride on steroids.
I do see pride as a virtue as long as it does not cross the line into narcissism which unchecked will become malignant.
Perfect example, the pop stars of today who are worshipped as demi-gods, they are the focus of idolatry. Reference to "False Gods and Fireflies".
But what people forget is that these celebrities were not always this way. In many, many cases they are corrupted into being the way they are.
Before that these were young children who had a God given talent, they took a lot of pride in because not everyone could do what they did. It made them stand out, it made them somewhat unique and that drove them to expand that special talent.
Without pride the level of talent these young people reach would never have been possible. So how could that pride be wrong?
This is healthy pride and I do not believe that God has a problem with it.
Until it crosses the line when the users and manipulators of the industry get their hands on these young people and prop them up on pedestals, shower them with fame, wealth, and surround them with worshipping fans.
It is an inevitability given human nature that they (not all of course) will begin to see themselves as better than anyone outside of their circle. This is what they are being told 24/7 by the manipulators.
The pride that God gave them in themselves so that they CAN improve themselves becomes corrupted and these people begin to worship themselves.
THAT pride is what I see as the deadly sin, not all pride because without pride in who we are and what we do we will inevitably slip into nihilism which is the playground of insanity.
I hear a lot of people say that Objectivism and Christianity cannot co-exist because Ayn Rand was an atheist.
I disagree with that. One teaches you a belief system (Christianity) and the other teaches us a process of critical thinking.
I have found that they work quite well together myself when one balances things out.
For me Objectivism did not hamper or interfere in my relationship with God in any way whatsoever, in fact, it enhanced it.
Seeing God not through the lens of religious doctrine but through the lens of absolute truth was an indescribable experience for me.
It brought me closer to God, much, much closer because I was able to the see the world exactly how it is, it massively expanded my understanding of human behavior, the concepts of "good" and "evil".
I came to truly understand the force that all existence depends on, balance. This even extends to our concepts of 'Good" and "Evil" that drove the creation of all religions no matter what name they go by or what God(s) they worship.
We humans like to say "everything in moderation" but it means the same thing and is absolutely true.
Pride as with anything else can be called a virtue until it is not, plain and simple. There is a line for almost everything between when something is beneficial or destructive for us.
Some people cross that line, and some people don't and as I hopefully explained with my pop star reference this is not always a conscious choice in the beginning.
The virtuous pride gets twisted into narcissism which becomes malignant, they become addicted to the life and are so awe struck that they fail to realize what is going until it is far too late and they either sign their name or it all goes away.
The trap is sprung and the decision they make at this moment seals their "fate" so to speak. Fate is not something I believe in; I believe in cause and effect.
So yes, I see pride as both a virtue and a sin depending on what side of that line, we as individuals are standing on.
And how do we decide where that line is? In large part by using objectivism.
Ayn Rand did not create objectivism, she discovered it through observation and connecting the dots until it revealed itself.
It is an integral part of our critical thinking processes meaning it is a natural part of us.
Nothing is in itself evil except evil itself until human beings use it for evil purposes.
"Evil" is after all powerless without vessels to perform evil acts.
The same is true for "Good" Those vessels are us as well as our fellow humans who have crossed the line.
They say, "Pride always cometh before the fall". Well, in my mind that fall is caused by tripping over that line as they cross it.
Something to think about y'all, till next time. ~Ghost
Connective Tissue
Cover Image- Crossing the line — Society's Child — Sott.net © Eric Peters Auto