Pride and Humility

156. What are the properties of Generosity?

How does generosity remedy all the disorders of the Passions?

Those who are generous are naturally inclined to accomplish great things. Yet they never undertake anything for which they do not feel capable.

They believe that doing good for others is the greatest. They disregard their own self-interest for this purpose.

They are always perfectly courteous, affable, and helpful to everyone.

They are entirely masters of their passions, particularly of desires, jealousy, and envy, because there is nothing they deem worth desiring that depends on others.

They are also free from hatred toward others, because they hold everyone in esteem.

They are free from fear, as their confidence in their virtue reassures them.

Lastly, they avoid anger, as they:

• place little value on matters that depend on others
• never grant their enemies the advantage of acknowledging that they are offended.

157. Pride

People who hold a high opinion of themselves have pride instead of true generosity.

Pride is always highly flawed. But it is more flawed when the reason for their self-esteem is more unjust.

The most unjust of all is when someone is proud without any grounds.

Instead, they scorn merit itself. They imagine that glory is just an act of usurpation. They believe that those who attribute the most glory to themselves have the most of it.

This vice is so unreasonable and absurd that it would be difficult to believe people could succumb to it if no one were ever praised unjustly.

However, flattery is so common everywhere that no person is so flawed as not to occasionally see themselves esteemed for things that deserve no praise or even deserve blame.

This gives the most ignorant and foolish people the opportunity to fall into this type of pride.

158. The Effects of Pride are Contrary to Those of Generosity

But whatever the reason for self-esteem, if it is not the will one feels within oneself to always make good use of

Free will is the source of generosity.

—it always produces a highly blameworthy pride that is so different from true generosity that its effects are entirely opposite.

Intelligence, beauty, wealth, and honors, are:

• usually more valued the rarer they are.
• of a nature that cannot be shared among many.

This makes the proud:

• attempt to demean others.
• become the slaves to their desires

Abd si they are constantly agitated by hatred, envy, jealousy, or anger.

159. Vicious Humility

Vicious baseness or humility consists primarily in feeling weak or irresolute, as if we:

• lacked free will
• could not stop ourselves from doing things we know we will later regret.

It also lies in believing one cannot subsist independently or manage without many things whose acquisition depends on others.

Thus, it is directly opposed to generosity.

Often, those with the most base-mindedness are the most arrogant and haughty, just as the most generous are the most modest and humble.

However, while those with a strong and generous spirit remain unshaken by prosperity or adversity, those with a weak and abject spirit are ruled solely by fortune.

Prosperity inflates them no less than adversity humbles them.

It is often seen that they lower themselves shamefully before those from whom they expect some benefit or fear some harm while raising themselves insolently above those from whom they expect or fear nothing.