[Pride] It is arrogance, and the thought that one is superior to others manifests as beliefs, ideas, words, and attitudes. It is also excessive self-esteem, or what is known as conceit.

"I: Reality and Subjectivity" by David R. Hawkins, p. 241

It is to be expected that the defects of the ego will surface as one dedicates oneself to the highest spiritual goals.Defects are built into the structure of the innate ego and should not be taken personally. The ego is not the real "you."It is something you inherited as part of being born as a human being.

Pride

"I: Reality and Subjectivity" by David R. Hawkins, pp. 242-248

There is a normal and harmless level of pride, which can be more accurately called "self-esteem" or "self-care." This is, so to speak, moving forward by taking the best approach, and it is a state of being satisfied within a normal range through effective effort and achievement. Such a positive self-image is obtained as a result of effort, so it is by no means wrong, and it is not necessarily due to an inflated ego. Because it is earned, it is accompanied by a realistic foundation.

Pride, which is considered a spiritual defect, refers to an attitude or stance of brandishing pride.It is arrogance, and the thought that one is superior to others manifests as beliefs, ideas, words, and attitudes. It is also excessive self-esteem, or what is known as conceit.If it is not based on any achievements and is obtained without effort, it is very fragile.

Pride is weak, so it must always be defended, which makes one "argumentative." The weakness of pride can also be seen in the proverb, "The arrogant do not last long."

Pride has no power because it arises from an arbitrary stance. It is an ego inflated like a balloon, so it bursts easily at the slightest provocation. Pride is vanity, so it loves flattery.Vanity is the same as self-centeredness in that it is psychologically based on narcissism. The problem is a lack of compassion and love for others.

If we pursue it more strictly, pride can also be said to be an attitude of refusing to dedicate oneself to God as the "Supreme Source" of one's own existence.In other words, it means secretly competing with God for control.

Vanity is also a denial of humility. This is because the ego misinterprets humility as surrender, inferiority, or humiliation.True humility has nothing to do with feelings of humiliation. False humility also arises from the same misunderstanding. True humility is born from an accurate assessment and does not involve valuation. A truly humble and accurate scientist is well aware of the strengths, weaknesses, and limitations of scientific research methods, including theories. A person with true humility can feel deep satisfaction without being conceited, even if they have achieved great things. Therefore, one can accept praise honestly without having vanity disguised as humility.

The antidote to vanity is gratitude, appreciation, and contentment. True humility can convey facts simply as facts without going through pride.While maintaining humility, one can at least acknowledge "yes" to the fact that one has achieved the greatest accomplishment in that field at this moment. However, when an inflated ego intervenes, one shows a feigned humility because one thinks one should be humble. Even without showing off pride, the world will evaluate one's wonderful achievements, greatness, and position. If one is truly great, one can receive the appropriate status and results without being conceited. Therefore, we must separate our personal self from our roles, status, and duties. A personality based on pride inflated by a narcissistic ego often adopts an "entitled" attitude regardless of one's actual achievements.

Thinking that one is allowed to do anything emotionally/psychologically is due to unresolved infantilism and narcissistic self-centeredness. It is the "baby" lurking within the intense emotional swings of borderline personality disorder or in the mind of a self-centered dictator who leads their country and people to ruin. Similar attitudes lead to domestic violence and heinous crimes. Habitual criminals try to force their desires to be fulfilled, believing they are "entitled" to them, even if it means tormenting others or infringing on their rights.

The inflation of the ego that believes it is entitled is the root of the evil we see in society.It is the source of all domestic conflicts and crimes. It is also an expression of a secret "divine right of kings" attitude, which can be seen in the long history of dictators and conquerors who have repeatedly committed massacres with as much brutality as their armies allowed.

Self-centeredness is accompanied by being sensitive to trivial matters, thinking one has been hurt, getting angry, or becoming paranoid. This instability is seen in "short-tempered people," bullies, or belligerent people, and their paranoid perspective finds "trivial matters" everywhere in society. Many such people become litigious and file complaints to correct "evil," but in reality, it often stems from distortions in their own way of thinking. Some people make protesting a habit and participate in every protest rally and demonstration.

It is extremely dangerous to become nervous or overreact to trivial matters, whether they are real or imagined.This is because it can trigger an explosion of intense rage and lead to violent behavior. For example, it can result in killing many people, setting fire to forests or residential areas, shooting one's employer, or murdering a spouse (the term "going postal" originated from a 1986 incident in Oklahoma where a postal worker shot and killed fifteen people, including his boss, colleagues, civilians, and police officers, before committing suicide; it has since become a slang term for "going crazy or becoming violent").

The pride of entitlement forms a personality lacking a conscience, which can be seen in crimes and brutal massacres.The belief that one is entitled "justifies" the criminal act. Looking at street gang culture, this is done openly, and one can see that an "insult" can even justify murder.

For the past few decades, the prevailing theory in sociological, psychological, and political circles has been that "low self-esteem" is the cause of antisocial behavior.However, the reality is quite the opposite; criminals and perverts usually possess an inflated, massive sense of self-esteem.This easily observable clinical fact is now becoming generally recognized, as the media has begun to report.

Conquerors in war justify rape and looting against the conquered people. Furthermore, "justified hatred" robs ordinary citizens of their peace and happiness every day. A similar stance gives rise to jealousy and envy, which form the melodrama of human negative emotions. Malicious actions and feelings gradually erode the human heart, and many people spend their lives in self-pity and resentment, dreaming of revenge.

Self-centeredness leads to constant complaining if one does not receive "special" treatment due to excessive expectations.Society reacts negatively to such a person's conceit and excessive demands. Consequently, those who feel "entitled" become resentful, malicious, and develop very strong vanity, competitiveness, and jealousy, making them prone to hatred.

These attitudes of theirs are persistent and stubbornly defensive, making them difficult to correct by any means. However, since their conceit is ultimately delusional, it can be said that this is essentially a mental illness. The difficulty in correction explains why hardened criminals do not change even when imprisoned. A characteristic of the mentally disturbed is that they cannot learn from experience.

Pride vanishes when one attains the spirit of devotion, willingly surrendering vanity for the sake of God. As one evolves spiritually, self-esteem becomes unnecessary and loses all meaning.Both pride and shame arise from value judgments that prioritize the self.In "Truth," "value" is irrelevant.Everything is as it is, requiring no explanation or description.To an evolved consciousness, what the world thinks or believes has no truth or importance.

The human mind cannot stop grading and qualifying everything according to an arbitrary social scale based on likes, attractions, and values.Life is spent pursuing intangible things, where slight differences are exaggerated and people scramble to acquire social symbols. Thus, they end up endlessly chasing symbols of status, honor, wealth, or excellence, while simultaneously having to be "right" about everything.

So-called spiritual pride is no different in its attempt to gain status, only the classification system is different.Some people take pride in being a spiritual seeker, and such people think they are "superior" to dull materialists. For example, the contradiction of boasting about humility is one such case.To avoid this, it is necessary to see that everyone is doing their best to master a specific level of consciousness and move to the next. It is said that one cannot finish this world until they have mastered it.In other words, the "Scale of Consciousness" does not rank "superiority or inferiority," but merely represents temporary "differences" in the evolutionary process.

Paradoxically, there is also a spiritual pride that negatively evaluates pride, spiritual pride, and vanity, looking down on those who seek status or are worldly.Pride is an obstacle to awakening, but when it comes to practical achievement, it is an excellent motivation to drive the majority of the population.Pride can be cast off later when it is no longer needed. In any case, it is not necessary for inner fulfillment.

In Eastern spiritual traditions, the various workings of the universe, including the human mind, are broadly classified and named in Sanskrit as "Tamas," "Rajas," and "Sattva."Characteristics of Tamas include laziness, lack of desire, lack of ambition, carelessness, lack of interest, lack of motivation, opposition, resistance, refusal, self-centeredness, negativity, predicament, poverty of mind and spirit, and lack of positive emotions. Among these, the representative characteristics are inertia, resistance, and deficiency.Escape from Tamas is often achieved by the emergence of desire, greed, or even anger, and finally, the emergence of pride.

Rajas represents the levels of activity, action, achievement, acquisition, and goal attainment. The next stage, "High Rajas," is the level of peak functioning, which is transcended during spiritual growth, leading finally to Sattva. Sattva is the level of serenity, peace, and fulfillment.At this level, there is no longer a need to prove anything, life's goals become spiritual, and one seeks fulfillment in the inner world rather than the outer.

At the Tamas level, one might not even have a sweater to wear, or if they do, it is dirty and full of holes. A Rajas person has a new, stylish, and clean sweater. At the High Rajas level, they have a collection of cashmere sweaters. At the Sattva level, one might wear their favorite old, holey sweater again. However, it is clean.

One of the invisible effects of television is to draw out the desires and anger of those who remain in Tamas, pulling them up to Rajas and encouraging them to seek a more affluent life. Thus, each level has its own purpose, utility, and value.If each level can be viewed in the context that it is a corresponding stage of spiritual growth, it can be observed with compassionate eyes without making value judgments.

Society is always searching for better ways to motivate those who have fallen into Tamas. People in the midst of despair or disappointment are depleted of energy, so it is necessary to lift their spirits by providing objects of interest, educating them, or showing them better ways of living as models.

The last part seems to have been Sattva, Rajas, Tamas | Yoga, Ayurveda, and Indian Philosophy.

The Scale of Consciousness is a term that appears along the way, and it refers to the numerical representation of consciousness as explained in Power vs. Force, such as 200 for Courage, 500 for Love, and 700-1000 for Pure Will. Pride, in this context, is 175. It is explained below.

It is 175 Pride, the highest level within Force (negative energy). It is said that the leaders of the world's major corporations and organizations run society using this elusive energy of pride. Those currently working within large corporations that appear to be contributing to society with great goodwill are likely the most aware that these companies often hide dark secrets and that it is not impossible for them to be whistleblown. I do not believe there is a single large corporation on Earth that is completely free of negativity.

Small businesses, perhaps, might be operated almost entirely with love. Under the current monetary economic system, that is impossible to begin with. After all, a small percentage of the wealthy hold more than half of the world's money.

I believe it starts with many people realizing that the situation on Earth is strange. And it starts with realizing that the cause is the influence of the animal brain (instinct) = the self (ego).

The answer is so simple, it is almost too simple.

I think that is why people cannot notice it. Instead of believing only in what is visible, believe in the invisible heart, invisible beings, and the power of unconditional love. Every person possesses a standpoint of an aware heart based on love. Every person has already been chosen by God.

There is something called Kazutama, or number spirit, which turns words into numbers. It is said to have existed since ancient times in Shinto. I will write down some that have been converted into numbers recently: Kireigoto (pretty words) 128, Time Bokan 128, Tobira (door) 128, Namara 93, Ofukuwake (sharing good fortune) 93, Toneriko (ash tree) 93, Yggdrasil 252, Kedzumerikugame (African spurred tortoise) 244, Sasuga Tensai (as expected of a genius) 111, Yorokobi (joy) 156, Banzai 137, Mondai Kaiketsu (problem solving) 137, Locomotion 137, Time Bokan 137, Arigato (thank you) 117, Manmaru (perfect circle) 106, Aijo (love/affection) 106, Chowa (harmony) 106, Chikaku (perception) 34, Kansha (gratitude) 58, Gabai 122, Kidzuki (realization) 83, Aishiteru (I love you) 83