Fear of Changing Our Self-Image
And so, before we even begin to address the eitzos for ga’avah, we must agree that one’s problems are sourced in foundational thought-processes that are rooted in ga’avah. A person may believe that if he thinks this way, he will become downcast. He would rather hear words of chizuk. But a person must know that if he follows the truth, it will be much better for him.
It is a shame for a person not to know who he truly is. That is: When a person builds his image and persona according to his supposed and illusory successes, he displays those successes to himself and to others, as if to say, “This is who I am...” It feels to him like he’s helping himself, and he’s afraid to abandon this way of thinking—for he says, “If I stop doing this, there will be nothing left of me. Am I supposed to conclude that I am worthless?! No! I won’t go down that road...”
The Real You
But in truth, the opposite is true: When a person builds his persona and his image based upon external things—this prevents him from truly understanding who he really is, from appreciating his true greatness. His ga’avah stands in his way. He cannot see properly what a neshamah is, what a Yid is, what pnimiyus is—because the external factors block his way. If you place these things to the side, then you will be able to feel and see the depth of what a Yid is.
Indeed, we see that when a person experiences yissurim and doesn’t fight them—he accepts them with love—he feels elevated. Why is this? For in that state, all the externals don’t stand in the way, because he isn’t focused on them.
