Self-Righteousness

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Self-Righteousness Self-Righteous = 'Piously self-assured and smugly moralistic.' (Wiktionary, accessed 21 May 2020) Feeling superior to another in order to feel good about myself. (Paul Solomon) Question to self: Maybe I need to be more tolerant, compassionate? Similar emotions: Arrogance, Contempt, Disdain, Indignation, Pride, Superiority.  Opposite emotions: Humility, Modesty. Bach Flower Remedies: Vine [tendency to control others]. California Flower Essences: Sunflower [unbalanced egotism], Snapdragon [verbal aggression], Larkspur [self-important leadership], Lotus [spiritual superiority]. Quotes Some people proudly state, ‘I have the courage of my convictions and I will never change my mind, I will go to all ends to stand by them.’ And it is true; we see them battling courageously against those who hold different opinions. We cannot reproach people for having convictions, but occasionally they should ask themselves how valid they are and whether they would do well to revise them. From wisdom’s perspective, the attitude of certain people with ‘conviction’ is rather one of pride, stubbornness or foolishness. And the consequences – fanaticism and cruelty – can be terrible. Being convinced is not a justification in itself, it does not prevent anyone from making the worst mistakes. The fact that we are convinced does not turn an erroneous opinion into the truth. ‘Well then,’ you will say, ‘how can we know whether our convictions are valid?’ If they make you a better person, more lucid, more patient, more generous, and more understanding of others, keep them. But if this is not the case, you have nothing to be proud of, and you should undertake some serious revisions. (O.M. Aïvanhov) Resources I've been tempted by righteous anger against racists. It's not much help in changing society (Sonia Sodha, The Guardian, 2020) [Blaming individuals for structural discrimination will only make it worse].

This is part of a series on Emotion Also see:- Emotion Emotion Index