I’ve recently seen a number of Facebook posts where people declare they are proud to be American or French or Russian or whatever. Because truth is very important to me, these statements have played on my mind. Why? Because I think they’re illogical. And I’m a scientist, so it grates on me.
What is Pride?
Hear (or read) me out. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines pride as “confidence or satisfaction in oneself.” The Oxford dictionary says it is “the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one’s own importance.” Oxford languages says it is a “feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction from one’s own achievements…”
The Bible defines pride rather differently. It says pride is our greatest sin. In Mere Christianity, CS Lewis points out that pride is, essentially, glorying in being better than others. He says, “there is no fault which makes a man more unpopular.” Basically, pride sets people up against each other. “It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest.”
But surely pride in where we come from is right and good! I’m thinking of the song, God Bless the USA, where we sing that we’re “proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free.”
Is it Logical?
Hmm. Hands up every one who chose where they were born or to whom. Yeah. Thought so. We’re born where our mother happened to be at the time. That made my dad African, my mom Dutch, me Canadian, and my sister American. The entire family (except my sister) was naturalized, so now we’re all Americans. But even that was a decision, not an accomplishment. Unless being able to pass the exam, where they asked us what George Washington’s first name was, counts. Yes, they asked in those exact words.
So, what does it mean when a school has an assembly to whip up pride? Is it not so they will think they’re better than other schools? What does it mean when Joe says he is proud to be a Tuareg person from Timbuktu? Doesn’t it mean Joe thinks he is somehow better than someone from Iceland? Is it even good to take pride in our accomplishments? After all, who of us chose the genes that give us our talents, drive, and appearance?
God Made Us
Perhaps we should enjoy what we are, what God made us, without assuming that makes us better than others. Every person was created in His image, no matter where they were born, what (if any) school they attended, and what they are good at. We’re all loved, not because of where we come from or what we’ve accomplished, but because we are His. Think about how a mother loves her baby before that child has done anything. That leaves no room for pride.
The question then is, what’s the feeling we get when we’re around people like us? Maybe we should reframe it as pleasure, not pride. I enjoy being around Dutch people because we have a common background, and they “get” me. I delight in the food, the culture, and the windmills. My husband enjoys hangingout with English people for the same reasons. They eat bangers, beans, and peas, and play or watch cricket (not simultaneously). There’s nothing wrong with loving our heritage. But we can also enjoy other cultures; they’re not inherently inferior just because they’re different!
Another Way
So, let’s start a revolution! A revolution that changes the language we use. Let’s not be “proud,” but humble. Let’s acknowledge that we enjoy where God has placed us and the gifts He has given us, without suggesting that what He gave someone else is somehow inferior. Or that they are. Am I proud to be an American of Dutch heritage? No. I am grateful that I live here, near my children and grandchildren, that I have a cozy home and enough food, that I can spend my time writing, and that I am surrounded by Delft. I enjoy my life. I know I neither deserve it nor does it make me superior to someone else. I just enjoy it, and I am grateful. Now, excuse me while I eat a stroopwafel.