Pride before the fall?

I watched a very interesting programme about Victorian Britain earlier this afternoon. Wow, what a wonderful time it was for this nation; the powerhouse of the world, the endless inventions being churned out and the sheer confidence and power of the people who lived here. As Rudyard Kipling wrote at the time: "To be born an Englishman is to win first prize in the lottery of life" I found myself swallowed up in this and felt an immense pride in what this country achieved. But why? It is positively insane! Was I there? Did I invent the telephone? Did I contribute towards making this country the first industrialised nation? Did I fight to achieve what was the largest empire the world has ever seen? No. Definitely not. It all happened over a century before I was even a mere thought in the imagination of my parents. Pride is a strange thing. It was all rather premature as well, all this pride in Great Britain and the empire soon fell and gave way to the next superpower. Truly pride before a fall...

Pride in the valiant win for the local football team last Saturday for example. It's crazy. Supporters wander around as if they were the ones sweating it out on the pitch for 90 minutes. Even if we are proud simply because they are playing for the local team, the majority of players are from else where. Even so, they should be ones who are proud because they are the ones who put all the work in. None of this 'we' crap- the win had nothing to do with any 'we' as far as the supporters are concerned. When Britain does well in the Olympics, or Tennis, or any sport we are all proud about it, as if we were the ones swimming 50 laps of the pool, or jumping over a pole as high as my house. Why? To make us feel better? Is it to make our own seemingly pointless lives feel a little bit more worth it? Don't get me wrong; we should be glad for them all, but they are the ones who should be proud, not us. After all, they worked for it.

Being proud of a football team is like being proud to be gay or straight, ginger or brunette, male or female. I have never been into gay pride simply because it is being proud of something that I have no control over. Yes, I can be happy that I live in a more tolerant society that allows me to express my sexuality. But pride? No. I had as much choice in being gay as I did being born with a penis. Yes I like being a man, I can admit that on the whole we get it a lot easier than women, but proud of it? There is simply no logic there. We can embrace who we are, but being proud of the country we were born in, or what colour our hair is, just doesn't make sense. I just happened to be born in the UK. I love my life and all those around me here. I love lots of things about this country- but proud to be British? No, not pride. I'm proud to be an honest, decent human being who believes in what the democracy and freedom of the UK stands for. And that's it. 

When a brother or sister, or a parent or child does well then yes, we should be happy - yes we should be glad for them. But proud?! We haven't contributed to it. In fact, you could even say that we are actually selfishly absorbing some of the glory for ourselves. Glory that should be solely aimed towards the person who has achieved something. Should we proud that we live in a multi-cultural, democratic nation that welcomes people of all colour, religion and creed? Well we can be happy about it, but unless we stand for all these values then this is an entirely hypocritical pride. You can be proud of everything this wonderful country stands for only if you can be proud of the fact that you are a citizen who follows the morals and views that the country believes in.

Pride should be saved for something we have done ourselves, that we are apart of or have contributed to in some way. A real achievement or a successful aim. It is part of the lazy 21st century 'pysche' to be proud of something we haven't  been apart of ourselves. It takes away our own motivation to go out there and be somebody, or do what we have always dreamed of doing. It's an excuse to shy away from the challenge, hard work and commitment that it takes to go out there and achieve that goal. Of course, be happy for those around you who do well. If your child draws a beautiful picture then congratulate them. If your father takes a trip to Africa to provide aid for the needy then support him, and be inspired. But don't let this stop you from going out there and making something of 'your' life. This might be running a well kept home, or becoming a valuable apart of your community. It could be climbing a mountain to raise money for charity, or visiting some far-flung corner of the earth that has always fascinated you. Maybe it is going out there and fighting for what you believe in, and persuading people around you to think the same. 

Once you have gone out there and done it for yourself, only then will you feel real pride!