Pride and Humility

Pride is the destroyer of relationships.
It lives in the heart of every man's ego.
It's enemy is humility.

Pride says, "I know as much or more than you, so you cannot teach me anything."
What a loss!

Humility says, "I am always learning and always growing, so I will seek to learn something from you."

Pride is the lover of selfishness.

Humility walks in harmony with selflessness.

People are Selfish

We are selfish by nature. Call it a survival tool. But through our selfishness we are left unfulfilled, still searching for more, and without peace. In fact, through our selfishness, we can often be frustrated...

• Absorbed in our own needs, we forget our responsibility to others, then we must make amends, repair things broken or re-work things left unfinished.
• Unfocused, we leave out necessary details and take short cuts, requiring more work in the end as time and circumstances erode any progress we may have made.

The fear of Selflessness

The fear of being selfless is that I will be emptied, my needs will be unmet and I will suffer.

• I cannot be emptied because each time I choose to serve, give or love, the power of that choice, the energy of that act, refills me.
• My needs: love, respect, recognition, peace and security are gifts from God and are not returned in kind from other people. It is fruitless to expect them and a pleasure to receive them. But more so, love, self-respect, peace and security come from the giving, and giving is insatiable once it is established as a way of being.
• Suffering may be the result of some giving. Sacrifice can be fulfilling. I learn, grow and have more experience and more compassion and empathy to offer others.

The mystery of life

The mystery of life is its paradox.
· Suffering is revealing
· Pain is required for growth
· Quiet brings understanding
· Knowing yourself reveals the truth about others