Crime is Pride

The quotation from Antigone by Sophocles implies, pretty clearly, that all people make mistakes; no one is perfect. But it also states that someone of good character will stop when he or she knows they’re doing something wrong, turn it around, and fix it. The final line explains that the only wrongdoing someone can commit is being too proud of themselves.

I personally agree with this entire statement. It is true that nobody out there is absolutely perfect, but if someone has some shred of a conscious, they will realize when they’ve done something wrong and will correct themselves without hesitation. Someone without that natural inkling to correct their mistakes probably doesn’t feel any sort of guilt or remorse and, therefore, are committing the “crime of pride”, as Sophocles has pointed out. They are too proud of themselves to realize that they’re hurting someone or something.

This excerpt makes me think about what I learned in my AP Psychology class on anti-personality disorder. Commonly, we think “anti-social” means that a person doesn’t talk to anyone and stays locked up in their room alone. In reality, it means that person literally lacks a conscious; they don’t feel sorry for any negative things they do or say, and they do these things mercilessly.

The idea of pride as a crime can be seen in another light as well; the person doing the good may become too proud of the deeds their doing and grow to be a little too conceited. They will fix the “evil” for their own self-serving reasons rather than taking the time to consider the other people their actions could have affected.

 

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