Pride

Today I need to write a few paragraphs about the human emotion of pride. I have recently read the short story "Bartleby the Scrivner" by Hermen Melville. It is the story of how one person is so caught up in their own self that they can not bring themselves to help someone in obvious need. The narrator of that tale is so worried about how others will perceive him that he goes against everything he know to be caring just to keep his image and thus his pride in himself.

How is this story relevant to today's society? I think it is very indicative of how most Americans behave in general. I think that self-pride and worry about how one is perceived is one of the main factors that has brought on the credit disaster that many Americans are facing today. People have become so enamoured by what others have that they over look what they truly NEED in their lives. It became a vicious cycle that has lead to the ruin of a number of families.

People have lost the simple joy of helping others. It doesn't have to be a large sacrifice on their behalf. Society has forgotten that relationships are the things that bring joy into our lives. It has taken the losing of physical objects to make people see the prideful ways they were acting. If we just take the time to offer a cup of coffee and a chat instead of a boasting session of the latest and greatest "thing" we have obtained, maybe we would all forget about ourselves and learn about the others in our lives.

I think that once people get over the idea of having to live up to other's expectations, they will lose some of that self-pride and become better humans. When you spend your time worrying if you are wearing the right clothes, living in the right house, or working in the right job you lose the joy of your life. You are constantly trying to live up to what you think others expect of you not what you expect of yourself.