There’s an old proverb that says when pride comes, then comes disgrace. The harmful implications of pride have been heeded in religion, fables, folklore, and mythology for as long as mans has been writing history.

Yet in the face of it all, we still teach pride. In fact, we encourage pride because we know without it, we as individuals couldn’t be successful, and the existence of a vibrant, welcoming, and genuinely appealing community is put at risk (as demonstrated by anyone who chooses to wear pajama bottoms out in public places, or people who casually use profanity like it’s socially acceptable).

Of course, the type of pride we embrace refers to our feeling of prosperity and self-worth, not the aforementioned hubris that’s known to even have brought down the mighty Roman Empire. Even so, there’s a blurry line in the twofold word that gets treaded even in the local political scene, especially whenever the idea of consolidation is brought up.