Dignity and pride

[bardegaulois]

I know that this is a rather vague question, but what exactly is dignity? And how precisely does it differ from pride?

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

I would say they are two different shades of the same color. Dignity is the brightest because the Church teaches that it is inherent within every human being. Pride can be just as bright but only if tempered with humility. Let’s not forget that false pride is the real deadly sin here.

 

[Julia_Mae]

I know that this is a rather vague question, but what exactly is dignity? And how precisely does it differ from pride?

Dignity is self-respect and respect for others. Pride is ego combined with low self-esteem.

 

[someperson555]

pride is UNDESERVED self esteem. but its OK to be proud of being intelligent or good looking. ofcourse as long as you acknowledge that these are gifts from God.

 

[surritter]

Dignity comes from the outside (given by God). Pride comes from the inside.

 

[Julia_Mae]

pride is UNDESERVED self esteem. but its OK to be proud of being intelligent or good looking. ofcourse as long as you acknowledge that these are gifts from God.

I disagree. First, pride in all forms is to be avoided as a threat to your relationship with God. Second, why would anyone be proud of their brains or their looks? And they are not gifts from God, they are accidents of nature. In either case, there’s nothing whatsoever to be proud of.

 

[Edward_H]

I think there is more.

Dignity is treating something in accord with its nature.

Humans, because we were made in the image of God, rate more dignity than other animals.

If we see humans being treated like animals…or vice versa…then there is a mistreatment in accord with their nature.

 

[Robert_Sock]

Big difference between dignity and self-dignity. Dignity would be esteemed, but not self-esteem. Self-dignity would be the same as pride.

 

[EmeraldWings]

I know that this is a rather vague question, but what exactly is dignity? And how precisely does it differ from pride?

Dignity, in regards to a person, is something of excellence which deserves to be recognized and praised, the highest dignity which we possess is God, Who is within each of us, and Who is of the highest dignity himself.
dignity is very different from pride, because whatever is truly dignified is so by honesty, if it is a lie than it is not dignified at all,
pride is the vice of lies, it is being a liar with yourself and with others, it is having an inordinate esteem for yourself, and desiring to be considered better than you really are…

of course even though something may be deserving of recognition and praise, that does not mean we ourselves are worthy of recognition and praise, as if we possess anything of ourselves, anything good in us, such as virtue or other good qualities, are given to us by God, and God alone is worthy of recognition and praise for them.
the things we have that are worthy of respect are still worthy of respect whether we treat them with humility or pride, we still have dignity even though we may react to it the wrong way,

but then again, maybe i’m misunderstanding what kind of “pride” you are referring to? do you mean the vice of pride, or the kind of pride where you take satisfaction or pleasure in your own or another’s success?
that kind of pride is merely a sense of achievement, and is not a sin…so long as it’s not thought of as something achieved by you or another alone, but acknowledged as something from God.
and if that’s the kind of pride you are referring to, then in that case, the difference is simply that dignity is what you have, and pride is how you feel about it.

 

[thistle]

I know that this is a rather vague question, but what exactly is dignity? And how precisely does it differ from pride?

Modern Catholic Dictionary:

DIGNITY. The excellence that deserves recognition and praise in a person or thing. Highest in dignity is God, whose superiority over all creation is the basis for adoration. (Etym. Latin dignitas, dignity, worthiness, worth.)

PRIDE. An inordinate esteem of oneself. It is inordinate because it is contrary to the truth. It is essentially an act or disposition of the will desiring to be considered better than a person really is. Pride may be expressed in different ways: by taking personal credit for gifts or possessions, as if they had not been received from God; by glorying in achievements, as if they were not primarily the result of divine goodness and grace; by minimizing one’s defects or claiming qualities that are not actually possessed; by holding oneself superior to others or disdaining them because they lack what the proud person has; by magnifying the defects of others or dwelling on them. When pride is carried to the extent that a person is unwilling to acknowledge dependence on God and refuses to submit his or her will to God or lawful authority, it is a grave sin. The gravity arises from the fact that a person shows contempt for God or of those who take his place. Otherwise, pride is said to be imperfect and venially wrong.

While not all sins are pride, it can lead to all sorts of sins, notably presumption, ambition, vainglory, boasting, hypocrisy, strife, and disobedience. Pride strives for perverse excellence. It despises others and, depending on its perversity, even looks down upon God. The remedies for pride are a sincere knowledge of oneself, the acceptance of daily humiliations, avoidance of even the least self-complacency, humble acknowledgment of one’s faults, and prayerful communion with God.

 

[bardegaulois]

I think I’ll be a little more specific. I refer to dignity in general, well define by one of the posters here as the excellence of a thing. Pride is trickier, however. Let me explain.

To express pleasure in the dignity of another is often referred to as “being proud of them.” It’s hard to class this with the sin of pride, however. To commend one’s children for performing well at school or one’s employees for performing exceptionally in a major project is usually a needful thing; not to do so would make one seemingly inconsiderate of others. It is a healthy recognition of their dignity, something we all must give, and indeed something we all need to hear sometimes.

Then, we are called upon to act according to our distinct dignity as beings in the image of God. It’s hard not to look out at the broad world and wish that more people would act according to that dignity (or something akin to it, according to their beliefs). However, moments of humility are bound to come to any who practice the faith sincerely, no doubt to quell our inordinate pride. But we very often respond to these as an affront to our dignity (at least as we have perceived it, and perception and reality are often quite different). So, how do we parse out the healthy dignity from the unhealthy pride?

 

[someperson555]

I disagree. First, pride in all forms is to be avoided as a threat to your relationship with God. Second, why would anyone be proud of their brains or their looks? And they are not gifts from God, they are accidents of nature. In either case, there’s nothing whatsoever to be proud of.

well if they would be "accidents from nature"then we would have all the more right to be proud of our looks or intellect because in that case you would be the one who would solely develop your abilities.
however, these things (looks and intellect) are gifts from God, its God who decides which body to put your soul into. so yes, you cant be overly prideful of your looks or talent, as it says in the bible “what do you you have that you did not recieve?”
however its ok to have some joy if youre good looking or if youre smart or both. it also says in the bible “glorify God with your body”. otherwise it would be a sin to workout or to study.

and i dont mean to be a smart aleck, but dont use make up? dont you shop for nice looking clothes? dont you groom yourself everyday?
theres nothing wrong with aspiring to be beautiful or intelligent. they key is to not let yourself think you are better than other people based on these attributes.
what im trying to say is this. its okay for a good looking person to feel good about his good looks. but its a sin if he thinks he is better than others or more worthy just because of his looks,
understand?

 

[nuntym]

+JMJ+

The difference between dignity and pride is very, very simple: Dignity is the good things that make me relate to my brothers and sisters. Pride is what I think makes me above them.