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You may think of Vices and Virtues as complete opposites— the enraged monster could never be as virtuous as the quiet do-gooder, right?
But the thing is, in many instances Vices and Virtues are two sides of the very same coin. They are intricately connected, so much so, that we ought to learn the dance of oscillating between them in any given moment.
Take the feeling of pride for instance—a vice so bad many ancient and modern philosophers believe it to be cancerous for the spirit.
But is there a way to reframe our understanding of Pride to use it as a driver for good in our lives?
What is pride?
Pride as a vice creates division between people because it is fueled by sentiments of egoism, arrogance and selfishness.
For example, feeling too proud to admit to one’s wrongdoing or being too proud to forgive a person may easily poison a life. Now let’s flip the coin.
Can pride be good?
Understood as a virtue, however, pride refers to the love of oneself, ones actions, or the larger group to which one belongs. Having pride in these ways can strengthen a person’s self-worth and can fulfill our human necessity of belonging. Having virtuous pride means standing up for what we believe because what we have to say matters— even when others rush to silence us.
In honor of Pride Month, here are a few organizations that you can support that champion virtuous pride and stand up for accepting people as they are!
Out & Equal is a non-profit that fosters LGBT+ belonging in the workplace— training executives and HR professionals from all industries to provide a safe and friendly workplace to all employees regardless of their sexuality.
Services & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders supports older LGBTQ+ people and their caregivers.
Trans Lifeline is the first-ever crisis hotline for trans people, currently accepting donations to expand its programs to more communities.
There is no doubt that by integrating a dash of pride into your life, you can inspire others to also live authentically and unapologetically.
Happy Pride Month to all!
