Beware of Your Subtle Pride

I remember my first year in middle school. I admired the older kids in their third year and aspired to be like them one day, but I also felt intimidated. They often looked down on us first-year students and subjected us to bullying. They were physically bigger and seemingly more knowledgeable. Then I grew older, became like them, and looked down on the new, naive, and clueless kids entering their first year.

And life is like school, isn't it? Some people are more advanced than you, intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, and physically, while others are less advanced than you.

You have to be careful with any type of pride. It happens everywhere, even in spiritual circles. People start valuing themselves based on their level of consciousness. You've probably heard people say things like, 'Oh, I'm an old soul,' and 'those poor beings, they're young souls.' Right there, that's an example of how pride, the pride of spiritual attainment, can creep in. This pride is very subtle, but it can eventually possess you. It can cause you to look down on other people, and then you'll have to learn the lesson all over again.