“Do you take pride in your hurt? Does it make you seem large and tragic? ...Well, think about it. Maybe you're playing a part on a great stage with only yourself as audience.”
―John Steinbeck East of Eden

I have an ego issue--in people, and in myself. It’s a hard thing to nip in the butt, and something that I can’t shake. I often have a horrendous time swallowing my pride for the sake of someone else, and I can’t say that I am doing it as a defense mechanism, or if I am just simply that stubborn.

We all have that one human being who is self-obsessed; for me, I know a few. A few too many whose silhouette is defined by their arrogance. As some of us understand all too well, arrogance, and pride often work in tandem.

We cannot build mountains out of our pride and sit on top to relish in our faux royalty. I suppose not everyone can get the treatment of Kate Middleton. Basking in our pride has hurt more than our egos.

It’s such a destructive vice that is more than just a singular fault. It’s a pandora’s box. The thing about pride is, it just doesn’t stop at a small pitfall; it digs holes, and canyons. It is anything but uplifting. It makes selfless acts selfish ones, and basks in the glory of that.

I love the word “scapegoat,” and I try to use it as often as I can because we often overlook ourselves when using it. It’s kind of like we don’t matter in the equation because someone else is always the issue.

It’s a magical moment when you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror.

Pride has this jading effect. It’s unique because you are so self-absorbed that you become self-unaware. Our egos are damaging. We lose ourselves based on our insecurity because we focus so much on faking it for the sake of the show.

It’s mystifying, but not all too new to this society.

We brag because it is fun; we brag because it is easy; we brag because it is masking. We’ve confused boasting with confidence, and have confused Macbeth’s pride with an insane amount of ambition.

I think it was Donald Trump who introduced to us an interest in the word “braggadocious” --something that he is, but lacks the self-awareness to reflect on it. Nevertheless, society as a whole has become, well, braggadocious for the thrill of it.

Society as a whole has become obsessed with instant gratification. And if we fail to receive it, then we assumed ourselves entitled to everything the world has to offer, and therefore, talk ourselves up until others can too see us sufficient enough to our standards.

Linked with pride, the vice has become more of a snake than Taylor Swift was in her feud with Kim Kardashian. It’s constricting, suffocating, and protecting your ego is consistently exhausting.

In today’s fast paced world, we don’t have the time to break our self-obsessed attitudes; it throws us off our game, and our schedules. Though, maybe, just maybe, we will catch our gaze in the rearview mirror the next time we find ourselves in life’s fastlane.