Pride & Gratitude

“After the Master’s remarks on “Wisdom & Pride,” the student realized that gratitude felt much nicer and more nourishing than being proud of the own cleverness. And other findings also seemed to flow more easily to him. Wanting to know why this was so, he turned his question to the master, who immediately replied:

“Pride feeds the ego, it is like bad food, it satisfies for a short time but does not make you contented. Gratitude feeds the heart and soul, this kind of nourishment is much more substantial and also for the body gratitude is a true and wholesome pleasure.” the master explained, stroking his hand with pleasure from the heart downwards.

“So that means a wise person is a true gourmet!” the student smiled.

“Ohh yes and in all areas of life!” agreed the master laughing!

“Then is pride the enemy of wisdom?” the student asked musingly?

After a while the master answered:
“Imagine your pride like a seesaw with two ends.  At one end, for example, there may be the addiction to short-term gratification, the source of which is the blind ego. But at the other end is also respect for yourself and appreciation of what makes you you, the source of which is true self-love.

And now you are walking around on this see-saw, that just happens in life all by itself. The question is, when does it tip to which side in your life and at what moments is it balanced?”

“I think I’m beginning to understand” said the student and then replied: ” But when can I finally leave the ego behind forever and just live fully the true self-love?”

Smiling calmly, the master said: “When that will be with you I don’t know. As for me, my heart tells me that it will happen when I leave this world. When I leave the human form with all its truths behind me and dive back into my holistic being.
I believe one of the great presents of human life is that we get to play and practice balancing on a wide variety of seesaws.”

Now the student also smiled and felt the nourishing gratitude rising within him to be a human being and to be allowed to play.