Pride, when grounded in truth and humility, can be a powerful force for unity and progress. But when it becomes misplaced, built on illusion, denial, or superiority, it begins to act like a slow poison. Among the Naga people today, there is a growing need to reflect on whether our collective pride is lifting us or quietly eroding our future.
There is no doubt that the Naga story is one of resilience, culture, and courage. Yet, we must also admit that parts of our society are now trapped in a romanticised version of ourselves. We speak often of our past greatness, our bravery, our unique identity. But what good is pride if it blinds us to the rot within, plagued by corruption, factionalism, and resistance to progress?
One of the greatest harms misplaced pride brings is an unwillingness to change. Criticism, whether from outsiders or our own, is often dismissed as an attack. Innovation is stifled under the weight of tradition. We end up preserving not culture, but comfort zones.
Such pride can also lead to dangerous exclusion. We look down on other communities, or worse, fragment ourselves internally, clinging to narrow tribal loyalties over a common Naga vision. Instead of celebrating diversity, we weaponise it.
Misplaced pride also breeds a dangerous form of denial. We blame Delhi or external forces for our underdevelopment while ignoring our own failures of leadership, planning, and unity. This victimhood mindset weakens our resolve to take responsibility for our destiny.
Worse still, misplaced pride makes us easy to manipulate. Political and tribal leaders can invoke lofty slogans about heritage and sovereignty while doing little to solve real issues. When we glorify rhetoric over results, we allow ourselves to be led by emotion instead of accountability.
Also, pride that isolates us from others is no pride at all. No community grows in a vacuum. By refusing to collaborate, learn, or adapt, we only distance ourselves from opportunity—economically, politically, and intellectually. Divisions within tribes, often fuelled by misplaced village pride, further weaken our foundation. Instead of pulling together toward a shared Naga future, we allow hyper-local loyalties to derail the larger vision we claim to uphold.
The Naga people have much to be proud of. But let that pride be rooted in reality. Let it push us toward introspection, not arrogance. Only then can we rise, not as tribes chasing old shadows, but as a people ready for a shared and modern future.
