We are going to discuss the two most misunderstood negative emotions: Desire and Pride.
Although pride is the highest of all the negative emotions on the Map of Consciousness, it is easily the most dangerous. Why? Because, unlike all the other negative emotions, pride is often unconscious. It sneaks up on you without you realizing it. Pride has led to the spiritual fall of many people who had reached a high level of consciousness. I was one of those people, so I’m speaking from experience here.
But pride is a grave danger to everyone. It may well be the greatest temptation there is. Why? Because it is an easy, seemingly cost-free way to prop ourselves up, to cover up our own self-hatred. When we look down on others, we suddenly appear to be standing taller. We feel superior, but it is only an illusion because we are looking at ourselves through a distorted perspective.
But make no mistake. Pride is not cost-free. It is often said that pride goeth before a fall.
The Bible reaffirms this:
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled (Luke 18:14)
Pride leads to selfishness, as prideful people view serving others as beneath them. This ultimately destroys relationships.
Pride also results in poor decisions, especially when it comes to money and investing. The desire to feel special and “be somebody” tempts many to gamble and take unnecessary risks. This almost always leads to disaster.
The culture wars that have embroiled our society are largely due to pride. Too many people want to control others because they believe they know better how everyone else should live their lives. They think they are smarter and better than others.
However, the self-satisfaction we get from pride is ultimately hollow, as feeling superior is no substitute for true accomplishment. If you live in pride, you will likely wake up one day and realize that you spent your entire life in a delusion with little to show for it.
So then how do we avoid pride? Let’s return to Luke 18:14, but this time we will examine the entire verse:
“for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
We must be willing to humble ourselves. This means serving God as well as serving others (i.e. spouse, family, strangers). It means doing the lowly things that most people find demeaning. Most importantly, it means always putting God first. These things will prevent us from placing ourselves on a pedestal.
We also must let go of the desire to control others. We must let go of the idea that the world should be a certain way. From a higher level, it becomes clear that the world is perfect as it is. If only we could see this, then our culture wars would finally cease.
Finally, doing the Stacking method from my book Christianity 2.0 on a daily basis can help release any pride you may be unconsciously caught up in. This exercise is crucial for those who have reached a high level of consciousness (500s and up).
***
Many people will be surprised to learn that desire is a negative emotion. After all, desire is celebrated in our culture, especially in film and music (The band U2 had a popular song called “Desire.”) We are constantly told that it is good and healthy to desire things.
However, try the following exercise: Think about something that you really want but do not have. Does this make you feel good?
No, it does not.
This is one of the problems with the desire for worldly success. People spend their whole lives chasing after something they don’t have. This desire makes them feel unhappy most of the time. Even worse, many people never achieve their desires. In these cases, all the pain they experienced was for nothing.
Does this mean we should never have goals? Of course not. However, a better approach would be to pursue excellence for its own sake rather than any material rewards you might receive. Be satisfied with doing your absolute best regardless of the outcome. If you are dedicated to serving others rather than serving yourself, you are actually likely to perform better, and success becomes much more likely. But most of all, you will be able to avoid the pain that comes from indulging in desire.
Although pride is the highest of all the negative emotions on the Map of Consciousness, it is easily the most dangerous. Why? Because, unlike all the other negative emotions, pride is often unconscious. It sneaks up on you without you realizing it. Pride has led to the spiritual fall of many people who had reached a high level of consciousness. I was one of those people, so I’m speaking from experience here.
But pride is a grave danger to everyone. It may well be the greatest temptation there is. Why? Because it is an easy, seemingly cost-free way to prop ourselves up, to cover up our own self-hatred. When we look down on others, we suddenly appear to be standing taller. We feel superior, but it is only an illusion because we are looking at ourselves through a distorted perspective.
But make no mistake. Pride is not cost-free. It is often said that pride goeth before a fall.
The Bible reaffirms this:
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled (Luke 18:14)
Pride leads to selfishness, as prideful people view serving others as beneath them. This ultimately destroys relationships.
Pride also results in poor decisions, especially when it comes to money and investing. The desire to feel special and “be somebody” tempts many to gamble and take unnecessary risks. This almost always leads to disaster.
The culture wars that have embroiled our society are largely due to pride. Too many people want to control others because they believe they know better how everyone else should live their lives. They think they are smarter and better than others.
However, the self-satisfaction we get from pride is ultimately hollow, as feeling superior is no substitute for true accomplishment. If you live in pride, you will likely wake up one day and realize that you spent your entire life in a delusion with little to show for it.
So then how do we avoid pride? Let’s return to Luke 18:14, but this time we will examine the entire verse:
“for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
We must be willing to humble ourselves. This means serving God as well as serving others (i.e. spouse, family, strangers). It means doing the lowly things that most people find demeaning. Most importantly, it means always putting God first. These things will prevent us from placing ourselves on a pedestal.
We also must let go of the desire to control others. We must let go of the idea that the world should be a certain way. From a higher level, it becomes clear that the world is perfect as it is. If only we could see this, then our culture wars would finally cease.
Finally, doing the Stacking method from my book Christianity 2.0 on a daily basis can help release any pride you may be unconsciously caught up in. This exercise is crucial for those who have reached a high level of consciousness (500s and up).
***
Many people will be surprised to learn that desire is a negative emotion. After all, desire is celebrated in our culture, especially in film and music (The band U2 had a popular song called “Desire.”) We are constantly told that it is good and healthy to desire things.
However, try the following exercise: Think about something that you really want but do not have. Does this make you feel good?
No, it does not.
This is one of the problems with the desire for worldly success. People spend their whole lives chasing after something they don’t have. This desire makes them feel unhappy most of the time. Even worse, many people never achieve their desires. In these cases, all the pain they experienced was for nothing.
Does this mean we should never have goals? Of course not. However, a better approach would be to pursue excellence for its own sake rather than any material rewards you might receive. Be satisfied with doing your absolute best regardless of the outcome. If you are dedicated to serving others rather than serving yourself, you are actually likely to perform better, and success becomes much more likely. But most of all, you will be able to avoid the pain that comes from indulging in desire.