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Do not wait for the last judgment. It
takes place every day--Camus
Pride is a malevolent entity.
The ancient Greek tragedians--Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides--who wrote about the social issues of their day, knew that, often using the theme of pride and its final devastating resolution, as the theme of their plays.
The wisest king to rule Israel, Solomon, who wrote most of Proverbs, also knew it, for he stated that "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18, KJV).
Dictionary.com validates both the tragedians and the Bible as it defines "pride" as: "a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.
That same source further lists synonyms for "pride" as:
 conceit, self-esteem, egotism, vanity, vainglory  imply an unduly favorable idea of one's own appearance, advantages, achievements, etc., and often apply to offensive characteristics. Pride  is a lofty and often arrogant assumption of superiority in some respect: Pride must have a fall.
Conceit  implies an exaggerated estimate of one's own abilities or attainments, together with pride: blinded by conceit.
Self-esteem  may imply an estimate of oneself that is higher than that held by others: a ridiculous self-esteem.
Egotism  implies an excessive preoccupation with oneself or with one's own concerns, usually but not always accompanied by pride or conceit: His egotism blinded him to others' difficulties.
Vanity  implies self-admiration and an excessive desire to be admired by others: His vanity was easily flattered. Vainglory,  somewhat literary, implies an inordinate and therefore empty or unjustified pride: puffed up by vainglory.
5. Â boast.
Now, there is a point to all this aside from my opening remarks. Currently, a number of political pundits, chief among them Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, have become so puffed up with pride that they have set in motion, as all prideful people do, the seeds of their own destruction.
Beck has already fallen from his lofty perch because of his insidious remarks against innocent victims on Fox News. Consequently, his advertisers and his audience started to desert him, and he was "let go".
He is now relegated to a pitiful "blogging site" on the Internet, from which he vaingloriously continues to try to "bleed" his few remaining fans by charging for the right to read it. His motive, of course, involves trying to maintain the opulent lifestyle to which he has grown accustomed.
Now, Rush has followed in Beck's footsteps with his attack on an innocent private citizen, calling her a "slut" and a "prostitute" for testifying in favor of birth control before a Congressional delegation.
His advertisers now are deserting him--eight as of today--just as they did Beck when he allowed his conceit to pre-suppose that he could attack with impunity, regardless of the truth.
His fall from his lofty post among Republicans has begun, as even Rep. House Speaker Boehner condemned him for this latest of many travesties.
Finally, in conclusion, let me add that private citizens can be just as guilty of the insidious cancer of "pride".  Pride keeps people from saying, "I'm sorry," from telling the truth, and from walking away from security for a chance at real happiness.
Oh, by the way, Dictionary, com only lists one antonym for "pride"Â
"HUMILITY"!
