One must focus their life on God's purposes and not on his own plans. One must seek to see from God's perspective and not rely on his own perspective. Pride keeps us from God and others. It hinders us from being open and honest. God wants us to seek him to find out what is wrong with ourselves, not pray about what is wrong with everybody else.
Image is everything.
Our self-righteousness and pride lead us to pretend to be bigger on the outside than we really are on the inside. True righteousness is not our punishment, it is our joy. Those who earnestly seek the righteousness of God as found in His precious Son Jesus Christ will never be miserable, but full of joy. Our enemy, the devil, has so disfigured people's concept of righteousness and holiness that many no longer recognize it, much less want it in their lives. Many see this as an unreasonable list of rules they must obey, while others see it as demands they are incapable of fulfilling.