The Hubris Pitfall of Pity

Sue Hirsch
2 min readMay 9, 2024

Scientists have discovered that there are gradations of light and dark. We’ve established that there is a “scale” for Autism. We have defined the loudness of sound by labeling it with decibels. We’ve done the same for the violence of Earthquakes.

Did you know that there’s a similar scale for contempt or scorn?

Pity often falls on that scale.

Maybe that’s why I was so triggered today when some stranger (a religious zealot) tried to get me to chat with the salutation, “Oh you poor, pitiable …….”.

I knew that replying to someone who greets me that way would be as effective as talking to my drying laundry, so I simply shut that BS down in the most efficient way possible…….. I blocked him on FB.

It would have been a complete waste of my time to try to assure this arrogant and small minded person that I really have no need of his pity so I didn’t bother to argue that he really has no idea who I am or how I live.

He has no idea that I’ve never needed a god to tell me to volunteer to help people or to inspire me to write children’s books or how to raise my son. He has no idea that I’ve succeeded in life in spite of my Epilepsy. He has no idea that I’ve made grown men cry for taking liberties with me. He has no idea that I’ve been happily married for over 20 years and that I earned a Phlebotomy Certificate, a Life and Health Coaching Certificate, an AA, a GED, a Therapeutic Massage Certificate AND a secularly based Officiant Certificate to marry

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