Perhaps self-evident in the philosophy of Luciferianism are the concepts of pride and ambition. Many religions view these characteristics as undesirable or, even more negatively, as evil. There is a great deal of truth in these views of ambition and pride as negative or harmful traits; however, there is also a great deal left unsaid about the positive aspects of same. Ambition is merely the desire to do something with your life; to be productive, to be someone. Ambition is wanting not only to get a job, but get a better job later; not only to finish school, but to do well in school. Ambition is what keeps us going on in life, the urge to succeed and do well in various endeavours, not necessarily restricted to the physical or material realm. Pride is the sense of self-worth we gain when we achieve our goals and ambitions — after all, if we do well, should we not acknowledge that we have done so? We all praise our children when they’ve done something good, so why is it so bad that we praise ourselves? These traits are healthy! If we had no ambition, we’d all sit around all day watching Jerry Springer and Judge Judy, never accomplishing anything but an impressive command of the remote control. Those who are doing things — who have ambition! — are those we look up to in our everyday lives. They are our leaders, our inventors, our heroes. Pride gives us our self-esteem, our positive self-image, our drive to do well because of the pleasure it gives us.
The flip side to this is pride and ambition taken too far. Like anything, these traits have a positive and negative usage to them. Ambition to get somewhere is a positive thing — a goal eventually to be reached. However, ambition for the sake of ambition can be negative, as it can lead to a constant sense of striving without achieving, of having an empty pursuit which provides no resolution. If you have no goals, you often have no direction…this, then, can be negative. Similarly, pride in and of itself is neither good nor bad, but while positive aspects of pride bring high self-esteem and feelings of good worth (along with recognition of jobs well-done), the negative aspects may lead to counter-productive pride. I will be the first to admit I have been the victim of the latter. The point at which pride becomes counter-productive is the point at which one’s pride becomes a barrier to well-being. When your pride prevents you from keeping a friendship after a fight, it is counter-productive. When your pride prevents you from asking for something you need to obtain, it is counter-productive.
Finally, there is the matter of self-sufficiency. This does not mean self-sufficiency in a survivalist-type manner, that one must be able to sew one’s own clothing, cure one’s own meat, and so forth. Self-sufficiency rather means a type of “self-empowerment,” to borrow a term. To be able to rely on yourself is self-sufficiency. Again, not in a survivalist manner necessarily, but in a practical, everyday manner. Being able to clean your own house, cook your own meals, pay your own bills, solve your own problems, make your own decisions…that, in short, is self-sufficiency. To be able to stand on one’s own feet for most things in life, and not be reduced to a whimpering ball of flesh whenever a setback or problem arises. This, like other characteristics, can have a negative side….being too self-reliant, being unable to rely on others even when it is needed, can be very damaging indeed. In these characteristics, as in all things, the individual must strike their own balance.
