Just a thought that's been nagging me lately. The feeling of pride is such an edifying sensation. "I'm proud of you" is something a parent would say to a child, or when you watch someone overcome difficulties and perform a task that seemed impossible for them to perform. It's a very powerful sensation. It makes you feel strong. It's so fucked up this word was twisted to mean degeneracy. I prefer the term proudness - not sure what it sounds like to a native speaker's ear though. Probably archaic.