I used to think pride is a bad thing. Interestingly, it isn’t.
According to Wikipedia, “Pride is a positive emotional response or attitude to something with an intimate connection to oneself, due to its perceived value”.
Pride is a consciousness of one's own dignity. It never made sense when people tried to make someone feel bad by saying: “you’re a proud fellow”. I mean, that is a good thing, and I see no problem in being proud.
I think the issue people have is when one boasts about certain things. Then I ask myself, is there any problem with boasting? A lot of people see it as disrespectful or a bad thing to do. Hm, the issue might be when one boasts excessively - but then, going by my defined rules and regulations, it’s nobody’s business to regulate how one decides to feel.
However, I have noticed that some people disguise condescending behavior as pride. Perhaps some behaviors emanate from pride - say condescending behaviors? It’s tough to say.
I personally am a proud person. I have suppressed this attribute of mine because, in the society that we live in, it’s pretty dangerous to be proud. I like to boast, I have a lot of things to be proud of and boast about, but that can be me setting a trap for myself.
I have studied a couple of people over the years, and when you boast about certain things, they either feel insulted ( older people ), unhappy ( generally sad people ), and threatened ( peers ). Some people become your enemies once you start flaunting your pride.
ONCE AGAIN, I SEE NO HARM IN YOU BEING A PROUD PERSON. As long as you have the positive jizz.
In summary, fellas, to be proud and boastful isn’t a bad thing provided you’re not doing it the wrong way. By doing it the wrong way, I mean being condescending and unnecessarily being rude about it - sometimes you need to rub it in people’s faces tho.
The general public is filled with mostly unhappy folks. I hate to say it, but a lot of people lack genuine happiness for you. As such, boast in enclosed places, to people you trust, burner accounts - I recommend this. Don’t bottle your positive pride, flaunt it and be happy.
If you have contrary opinions to this, I’ll be glad to welcome and discuss it, thanks :-).
Pride...
Here's the best definition of it: Denying the truth and looking down upon others.
It's that simple. That's the definition the Rasuul Sallalahu alayhi wa sallam gave.
You're told something which is true and for whatever reason in the universe you decide not to accept, or you feel like you're better than someone because of something you possess. If it's as regards to material things, then know that Allah is the one who expands and restricts provisions as He wishes (Q13:26 etc)
If it's as regards the Deen, you feeling you're more pious then it's more catastrophic, you'll need to work on your ikhlaas.
May Allah preserve us on the Deen till we meet Him, aameen.