THE DISEASES OF PRIDE: WHY THE PROUD BODY DIES FIRST

INTRODUCTION: THE PRIDE THAT SITS IN THE LIVER

There’s a kind of sickness no scan can see.

It sits in the tight jaw, the swollen liver, the stiff spine, and the unshed tears.

It’s called pride — the silent, shiny disease that kills slowly.

Pride hides behind "I'm fine," "I know," "I can handle it," and "I don’t need help."

It’s worshipped in schools, families, companies, and even spiritual circles.

But pride makes us resist nature, refuse rest, reject softness, and repeat unhealthy patterns — until the body becomes our only messenger.

And when it finally speaks, it says: Diabetes. Hypertension. PCOD. Stroke. IBS. Heart attack.

Let’s go deep into this.

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1. PRIDE WEARS DIFFERENT FACES

Pride is not always loud. Sometimes it wears silence. Sometimes perfection. Sometimes sacrifice.

Here are 4 major faces of pride:

a. Insecure Pride

“I must prove my worth.”

Effect: Overwork, insomnia, anxiety, hair fall.

b. Arrogant Pride

“I am better than others.”

Effect: Isolation, fatty liver, gallbladder issues.

c. Silent Pride

“I will suffer but never speak.”

Effect: Hypothyroidism, infertility, obesity.

d. Inherited Pride

“Our family never fails.”

Effect: Chronic stress, acidity, ulcers, alcohol abuse.

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2. CHARACTER MIRRORS: THE PROUD IN PAIN

Meet a few:

Rakesh (52, CEO, diabetic, sleepless):

Knows all answers. Reads health books. Still eats late. Works till 2 a.m.

“Rest is for losers,” he says. His insulin is rising, and his chest is tight.

Geetha (47, homemaker, thyroid + migraines):

Always smiling. Never asks for help. Feeds everyone, eats last.

“I’m just tired.” No one sees the volcano inside.

Suleiman (60, retired school principal, arthritis):

Refuses walking stick. Won’t attend physiotherapy.

Says, “We were not this weak in our times.” His pride has locked his joints.

Tanvi (31, Instagram yogi, bloating + PCOD):

Her feed is perfect. Her gut is not.

“I don’t need ghee or rice or mistakes.” She’s afraid of being human.

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3. WHAT PRIDE DOES TO EACH ORGAN

Heart:

Pride creates constant pressure to prove oneself. This leads to high blood pressure, palpitations, and even heart attacks.

Liver:

Repressed anger, denial of emotions, and control issues overload the liver. This results in fatty liver, high cholesterol, and sluggish digestion.

Gut:

Prideful people tend to suppress emotions and overcontrol their lives. This blocks gut movement and causes issues like IBS, constipation, and bloating.

Skin:

An obsession with image and perfection can lead to stress-induced skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and rashes.

Reproductive System:

Perfectionism, emotional suppression, and shame around the body cause hormonal imbalance, PCOD, infertility, and erectile dysfunction.

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4. PRIDE STARTS IN CHILDHOOD

Before pride became a disease, it was planted.

“Don’t cry in front of others.”

“Never show weakness.”

“Top the class or don’t come home.”

“Our family name should shine.”

“If you fall sick, hide it.”

These early messages harden the emotional arteries, and later — the physical ones.

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5. PRIDE IS DIFFERENT FOR DIFFERENT PEOPLE

Urban Indian Men:

Try to be providers and emotional rocks. Pride keeps them from seeking help.

Diseases: High BP, ulcers, silent heart attacks.

Indian Women (Homemakers & Professionals):

Suppress needs, please everyone, deny rest or care.

Diseases: Thyroid problems, PCOD, chronic anaemia.

Elderly People (Especially Men):

Refuse to accept aging or ask for support.

Diseases: Falls, emotional isolation, depression, joint issues.

Spiritual Gurus or Seekers:

Deny anger and cling to perfection. Hide behind a calm image.

Diseases: Constipation, gallstones, sleep disorders.

Working Professionals (Doctors, Lawyers, Teachers, Managers):

Hypercontrol, competitive stress, and image obsession.

Diseases: Acidity, migraines, IBS, metabolic disorders.

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6. FALSE BELIEFS OF THE PROUD MIND

Here are 30 beliefs that rot the body silently:

1. “Asking for help is weakness.”

2. “I must always be strong.”

3. “Rest means I’m lazy.”

4. “I must work harder than others.”

5. “If I slow down, I’ll lose everything.”

6. “No one can do it like me.”

7. “I don’t need advice.”

8. “I’ll sleep after success.”

9. “Others can fall sick, not me.”

10. “My problems are not that big.”

11. “I shouldn’t take breaks.”

12. “People will think less of me.”

13. “I must fix everything.”

14. “I can’t say no.”

15. “Even if it hurts, I must push.”

16. “My family will suffer if I stop.”

17. “Pain is normal.”

18. “Letting go is for weak people.”

19. “I don’t deserve help.”

20. “Health comes after work.”

21. “I don’t need therapy.”

22. “Only crazy people take breaks.”

23. “Being vulnerable is risky.”

24. “I must be admired.”

25. “I can’t cry.”

26. “My diet is fine.”

27. “I’ll manage on my own.”

28. “I have no time for emotions.”

29. “Admitting fault means failure.”

30. “I am not like others.”

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7. SCIENCE OF PRIDE: HORMONES & HEALING

Your body prefers humility over heroism.

Pride / Stress State:

Releases cortisol and adrenaline.

This increases blood sugar, raises blood pressure, weakens digestion, and lowers immunity.

Humility / Surrender State:

Releases oxytocin and serotonin.

This relaxes muscles, improves sleep, enhances digestion, and allows healing to begin.

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8. THE TURNING POINTS: STORIES OF HUMBLE HEALING

Rakesh finally told his son, “I need help.”

His diabetes reversed in 8 months. He walks every morning now.

Geetha cried for 20 minutes and said, “I hate pretending.”

Her thyroid numbers started to drop without changing any medicine.

Suleiman joined a laughter club. He laughed so hard he fell down — and finally accepted a walking stick.

His arthritis pain reduced in 3 weeks.

Tanvi posted her first photo with messy hair and no filter.

She gained 300 real followers and lost 3 kg of bloating.

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9. PRACTICAL STEPS TO DROP PRIDE DAILY

1. Say “I don’t know” once a day.

2. Ask for help when you don’t feel okay.

3. Admit one weakness publicly.

4. Rest without guilt.

5. Accept that someone else can do it better.

6. Let others speak — just listen.

7. Cry without shame.

8. Say “I was wrong.”

9. Sit under a tree alone.

10. Let go of perfection — burn one to-do list.

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THE PROUD BODY DIES FIRST

(a scream from the gut)

the old man wore his title

like a rotten crown.

“doctor,” they whispered,

as he pissed blood in silence

and googled his symptoms at 2 a.m.

he once carved chests open,

but never his own.

the scalpel was sharp,

but not enough

to cut through forty years of

“I’m fine.”

his daughter —

all head, no neck —

carried her father’s pride

like a stillborn child.

migraine behind the eyes.

smile stitched to her cheeks.

patients healed,

but her soul

sat in the waiting room.

and the granddaughter?

she danced barefoot on the lawn,

asking trees what medicine they used.

they called her stupid.

they called her wild.

she stopped breathing at night

from dreams she didn’t understand.

what do you do

with three generations of denial?

you sit them under a banyan tree

and let it rain.

the proud don’t cry.

they rot.

the proud don’t ask.

they ache.

the proud don’t rest.

they collapse in bathrooms

next to toothbrushes

they never replaced

because they were “too busy.”

pride is

eating cold rice at midnight

because dinner wasn’t earned.

pride is

shitting bullets every morning

because the gut forgot how to flow.

pride is

never saying “I love you”

without coughing first.

pride is

insomnia wrapped in silk.

the proud body dies

while the image lives on —

in photos,

in plaques,

in the family’s lies.

“he was strong till the end,”

they’ll say.

no.

he was

terrified

until the end.

and when he finally broke,

his heart didn’t whisper —

it screamed:

“please let me be

a man,

not a machine.”

you want to live?

then

cry like your mother.

ask like a beggar.

rest like a tree.

kneel before your breath.

and let your bones forget

they were built for battle.

because the body doesn’t want

your trophies,

your philosophies,

or your photo frames.

it wants

peace.

and the proud never offer that.

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THE PROUD BODY DIES FIRST — A HEALING DIALOGUE UNDER THE BANYAN TREE

> Characters:

Dr. K. Narasimha (68) – Retired cardiac surgeon, respected but emotionally closed. Suffers from hypertension, insomnia, and fatigue.

Arundhati (43) – His daughter, a practicing homeopath. Carries migraines and people-pleasing habits from a life spent trying to live up to her father’s pride.

Shruti (18) – Arundhati’s daughter. Bright, sensitive, in love with trees and barefoot living. Secretly suffers from irregular periods and anxiety.

> Setting:

Madhukar’s hermitage beneath a large banyan tree in the outskirts of Chincholi. Sunlight spills through the leaves. A mat is spread. Clay cups of buttermilk are passed around.

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Madhukar: (smiling)

So, Doctor Saab, they say you’ve held more hearts in your hands than most gods have.

Dr. Narasimha: (grins faintly)

People exaggerate. But yes, I’ve saved a few thousand.

Madhukar:

And yet here you are, unable to sleep, with your own heart racing in the silence.

Dr. Narasimha: (pauses)

Sleep left me years ago. Maybe when I stopped listening to my own breath.

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[FLASHBACK: 1989]

A younger Narasimha mocks his wife:

“You want to take herbal medicine for your pain? Why not pray to a neem tree too?”

She lowers her gaze. She never brings it up again.

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Arundhati: (softly)

Appa, you never allowed us to be fragile. Even when Amma was sick, you scolded her for “being weak.”

Dr. Narasimha: (defensive)

I only wanted you to be strong. This world—

Madhukar:

Is tired of strength, Doctor. It’s choking on it.

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[FLASHBACK: 1995]

Arundhati faints in class during her final MBBS exam.

Later, she tells her father, “I was dizzy from stress.”

He replies, “Weak minds break. You must push harder.”

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Shruti: (to her grandfather)

Appa, Amma’s migraines started after that. I saw her cry in the bathroom after you left for work.

Dr. Narasimha: (looks down)

I didn’t know…

Madhukar:

That’s the trouble with pride. It blinds even the healer.

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Madhukar: (points to the banyan roots)

You see these dangling roots? They look messy, unplanned — but they make the tree stronger.

It’s the prideful ones that try to stand tall without support — and crack in the first storm.

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Shruti: (removes her smart watch and slips it into her cloth bag)

I don’t want that kind of strength. I want to cry when it hurts. I want to heal when I’m sick. I want to live — not pose.

Dr. Narasimha: (voice cracks)

But Shruti... society eats people like you.

Madhukar:

Yes. But pride eats people faster.

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[FLASHBACK: 2010]

Dr. Narasimha stands in front of a dying patient. The family asks, “Why didn’t you rest, Doctor?”

He replies, “Rest is for those who can afford it.”

That night, he eats dinner alone at 1 a.m., blood pressure rising, phone still buzzing.

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Arundhati: (bitterly)

You didn’t just deny your emotions, Appa. You denied ours too.

We were trained to wear strength like skin — even when it was burning us from inside.

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Madhukar: (gently)

Let it fall now. Like autumn leaves.

This is your forest. This is your chance.

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[PARALLEL STORY – MADHUKAR SPEAKS]

“Last month, a retired judge came here. Never cried in his life.

He ruled on thousands of cases. But he couldn’t rule his gallstones.

He healed only after his granddaughter asked him:

‘Thatha, can I love you even if you’re not perfect?’

He cried for three hours under this very tree.”

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Shruti: (sips buttermilk)

I want to study naturopathy, Appa. I don’t want to wear white coats.

I want to walk barefoot and touch soil and learn what Amma couldn’t.

Arundhati: (smiling through tears)

Do it, kanna. Be what we weren’t allowed to be.

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[SYMBOLIC RITUAL – LETTING GO]

Dr. Narasimha opens his bag and folds his stethoscope. He places it at Madhukar’s feet.

Arundhati takes her old prescription pad, scribbles a big heart on it, and sets it aflame in the earthen stove.

Shruti places her digital planner inside the compost pit. “Let it rot. Let it grow something better.”

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Madhukar:

Your hearts are safe now.

Not because you held them tightly,

but because you finally let them go.

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EPILOGUE: THE NEW WAY

Dr. Narasimha now wakes with the sun, drinks warm ragi porridge, and tends to a garden.

Arundhati treats with hugs, herbs, and humour. Her migraines are gone.

Shruti begins learning wild plants and barefoot healing in a tribal village.

They didn’t lose anything.

They just let the pride die — so that their bodies could live.

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