The tragedy called pride

"Hell is empty and all the devils are here.” This is one of the most quotable verses from William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” While the tales of Shakespeare may not be for everyone, there are lessons we learn and can fully apply in life such as the ones we learn on pride.

They say it is easy to offend others when blinded by hubris. Hubris as we know speaks of excessive pride. Even Greek mythology shows us how ancient heroes suffered their tragic fate by defying the gods and ridiculously enough, many of us only realize our own hubris when it suddenly becomes our own.

It seems more often than not we see how foolish pride has gotten the better of some. Nobody is perfect, yet many believe that they are incapable of making mistakes. This attitude of excessive pride and over confidence defeats the entire process of lifelong learning.

People will always be flawed – no matter how good they may be. It is just human nature. Even demigods fell short precisely because of this – a weakness that is ever present in us all.

Cliques in the workplace or other social circles have proven to be not only unhealthy but also dangerous and many of these cliques thrive with such tremendous hubris that they fail to achieve the very same thing they claim to be doing – the common good.

Humility we know is the opposite of hubris. I have seen more influential people in lower statures capable of correcting themselves or admitting to mistakes simply because they know that it is part of our nature.

There is tremendous growth in being able to “stand corrected.” I too have to swallow humble pie every now and then, but humility is also a sincere openness to others who in reality only want to be of help. When we allow our pride to get the better of us, we also lose the opportunity to allow others to impart their wisdom to us, hence, there is no growth and worse yet, we become self-serving.

The new normal due to COVID-19 is teaching us to get out of ourselves and what we thought we knew better (or best ) compared to others. We really don’t know better than everyone else. We may have our own “pearls” to share, but certainly, others have theirs to impart too.

It truly doesn’t hurt us to show gratitude when others try to help or correct us. It also helps no one when one’s aim is to shame another for their mistakes.

Hell is empty ... the devils are here. The lust for power disorients and divides people, yet and as The Tempest ends, we learn that resolution and hope is more powerful and such power brings more gains.

A win-win solution is always a victory but pride, the root of all evil, will always be tragic in the end.