PRIDE vs SELF-ESTEEM
People try in two major ways to know what stuff they are made up of, that is, the personality quality they personally possess as an individual.
First and most common is by direct comparison of themselves with another fellow, and this does not normally go with deep thinking comparatively.
Second is by direct comparison of themselves with nature (pure natural standards) or some higher standards such as some dogmas or religious codifications, and this doesn't go with interpersonal comparison, but rather, it deals with looking deeply inwards and retrospecting on the basis of the pure standards of nature or religious faith without necessarily juxtaposing who they are against another fellow, but rather they want to know who they should be in the true sense of it.
Comparison is basic to any kind of measurement process. It involves setting a standard, first of all, and then putting the item to be measured side-by-side the set standard in order to draw a conclusion on the quality of the item. Now, the set standard makes the difference. It's the determinant.
Pride is comparison of oneself with another person with the self-illusory conclusion that "I am better than him/her" or "I am holier than you're" Isaiah 65:5; and hence the person should be treated as being inferior.
Yes, truly, you may be better in many obvious ways, but your personal resolve on how you interpret those obvious differences as to how the other fellow should be treated is the pivot of pride.
In fact, from the outset, the choice of using another fellow as standard of measure of personal quality is pride.
There's pride of the heart and pride of the body. Or let me say introverted pride and extroverted pride. 1Sam.17:28, 2Chr.32:26, Isa.9:9, Jer.48:29, Obad.1:3. Most conscious actions are first of all planned in the heart consciously before acting them out in the same manner. And the mind should rule the body.
So, in the case of pride, it's first thought out from the heart. Pride is always a conscious behaviour and it's also a conclusive result of a conscious thought, a comparison. Nobody can be proud unconsciously. If it's unconscious, then, it's not pride. Pride is always a conscious human behaviour emanating from negative mental attitude (NMA).
Now, what about self-esteem? To esteem oneself is to discover oneself with impressive personal natural quality independent of interpersonal comparison or juxtapositioning of oneself against another fellow rather than meditating at deeper scale for a pure illumination from nature or any superior standard such as a region-based personality traits management system.
Self-esteem is the direct result of divine illumination about oneself and the possibilities locked up in our personalities.
Self-esteem normally and always produces gratitude and it's always a by-product of positive mental attitude (PMA).
Self-esteem makes an individual to be thankful and grateful and happy with people, treating people with respect and patient tolerance.
Self-esteem is a proof and product of self-confidence and self worth or being confident of one's own worth while recognizing the worth of others and according them with their due reciprocative respect.
Self-esteem is the proof of self-discovery which is always penultimate to every other kind of discoveries. Without self-discovery, no discoveries.
Now, we can see that it is possible to have self-esteem without pride. And with wisdom, one can see that an individual can consciously maintain self-esteem without crossing the thin boundary between it and pride.
While pride is very destructive, self-esteem is always creative and constructive. And most importantly, both pride and self-esteem are conscious attitudes of the mind.
Nobody can be self-esteemed unconsciously. It's impossible! But one can be self-esteemed without being proud, that's where the wisdom is.