A Lifelong Battle
Our success in unmasking the face of pride and growing in humility is inextricably linked to our openness to others. Pride finds its way into even the most unexpected corners of our interpersonal interactions. We would notice how unpleasant it is if it showed its hideous face openly, hence concealing or masking its face is one of its most common deceptions. Pride frequently lurks behind an apparently desirable feature that it contaminates. When pride has taken root, it manifests itself in a variety of ways, including evidence of immaturity, pathological oversensitivity, persistent self-promotion, vanity and affectation in one's movements and speech, an arrogant or egotistical attitude, and severe disappointment when one recognizes one's own flaws.
Intellectual pride manifests itself in the urge to constantly be strictly correct. Other times, it hides under a fervent desire for justice and the defense of the truth, or an arrogant desire to dominate others. The true desire is to have complete control over everything and to be the ultimate judge. These are attitudes that, rather than serving the truth, exploit it, its shadow, in order to satisfy the urge to be in control of others.
We will never be able to totally escape the sophistries of pride, just as there is no such thing as perfect health. We can, however, improve our detection skills so that it does not take root in our spirit. We are inevitably tricked by pride because it has a tendency to embed itself in us, and we become hesitant to let others to assist us realize our flaws. Even if we don't notice pride's face, which is concealed in so many ways, others might. It will be much simpler for us to uncover it if we are prepared to listen to their fraternal warnings and constructive criticism. To accept the assistance of others, we must be humble. We must also be modest if we want to assist people without embarrassing them.
Finally, maturity might be defined as a positive psychological bias toward others. God's ideal personality for us is one with a loving heart, a heart that suffers, and a heart that delights with others, albeit imperfectly at times.
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