[ExI] Pride and/or thinking superior

Stefano Vaj stefano.vaj at gmail.com
Mon Jul 7 10:12:47 UTC 2008


On Mon, Jul 7, 2008 at 8:56 AM, Samantha Atkins <sjatkins at mac.com> wrote:
> In what respect?  Better at what?  I very much doubt there is someone at any
> particular moment that is "better" at everything.  Pride has nothing to
> do with being better than everyone else or anyone else.  Pride has to do
> with doing one's own best to live congruently with one's own values.
>  Everyone can aspire to and enjoy that kind of pride.

"Aspire", yes, but full consistency with one's own values is not an
easy goal, and I am afraid that many people believing to have
achieved, and "enjoying", it are simply self-indulgent.

Concerning the fact of being than everyone else at *something*, why,
there are in many scenarios rather objective criteria to determine
that, it is still far from banal, and I am pretty much against the
egualitarian stance that tends to de-emphasise the value of excellence
over mediocrity.

Moreover, excellence really achieved in any given field tends to
reflect on one's identity in a broader sense.

There is an old Zen story about a great calligraphy master asking for
lessons of sword fencing as an absolute beginner, who at first glance
was accused by the fencing master of lying, and then told "there is
nothing that I can teach you"...

Stefano Vaj



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