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Arrogance
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Arrogance |
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Arrogance... and its negative effects
An empirical exposé on the damaging effects of arrogance on society(4th edition - May 2007) by A.O. Kime The arrogant sheepherderOf the many bad habits humans are known for having, arrogance should rank among the worst. It may only seem impolite behavior and therefore relatively harmless, but underneath can lie trouble… especially if a leader is arrogant. While only a relatively few people act arrogantly, but since arrogance exists at all, it could be considered a human trait, at least potentially. Other than arrogance being "a feeling or an impression of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or presumptuous claims", some consider it dysfunctional and/or a mental illness. Still, something seems missing... perhaps a fresh perspective will yield something new. To begin with, let’s see how the ancients might have tried to make sense of arrogance and why it occurs. In his daily travels, be it in passing the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Acropolis in Athens or in sight of the Caucasus, early man would have noticed arrogance exists primarily within those of power and money… although not exclusively. He also knew of a few arrogant sheepherders, oxen drivers and blacksmiths... therefore reasoning it lies latent within all men. With that in mind, early man would have looked upon power and money as a trumpeter which beckoned arrogance from within. Yet, unexplained is the poor but nonetheless arrogant sheepherder... therefore our ancient friend would have concluded there must be other reasons. Aware it had always been the common belief power and money equates to sinful tendencies, he would likely dig in this area. After all, there would seem a connection. He knows, however, all things within nature have a neutral value except as man equates them. As far as Mother Nature is concerned, one animal killing another is neither sinful nor saintly… except he’s not interested in the conduct of animals. Of course, he also concludes, due to the passiveness of Mother Nature, she must be excused from this matter. After all, passiveness is incapable of passing judgment... nor could it know of justice. That being the case, the matter of sin belongs to a higher power. But only ultimately, he believes, since the opinion of man prevails on earth. Since men are men whether it's a world of donkey carts or jet aircraft... we can apply such empirical thinking even today. There are benefits... an empirical frame-of-mind is unfettered and more often arrives at insightful conclusions. Of course, thinking in inherently-derived terms means going down to the bare bones. Conversely, the scientific mind thinks in shallower terms... after all, it ignores the metaphysical. Arrogance and the would-be kingSo, with neither power nor money, what can possibly cause a sheepherder to become arrogant? Well, most people know it's this... indigent for his lot in life, his impoverished situation, to the world he would be expressing his rebelliousness. He is making a veiled proclamation that he is, you see, a would-be king. So it is, the oxen driver is a would-be prince and the blacksmith is no less than the next Alexander the Great. Yet, not everyone can be kings and princes… only a few. Still, for thousands it could be, or once was, within reach. Within the mix of self-adulation lies the belief one is worthy of such lofty positions... however true that might be. These are unattainable pipe-dreams for most, but for some, a chance exists. If fortunes varied in the slightest, those who hold these titles would be different. By quirks of fate, are destinies altered. At any rate, some cannot wait to express their arrogance which goes with the territory. They would be the most predisposed... as if a steamer with a faulty valve. We also know we're not hard-wired to conduct ourselves in a certain way, like animals, but are capable of making choices. While a peacock may seem arrogant, in the animal kingdom that would have a neutral value whether a peacock actually was or not… it would be neither sinful nor saintly. Arrogance within humans is classified only one way (by humans) however, and it ain’t saintly or neutral. But hold on… isn’t sin a relative matter? Arrogance isn’t murder, rape, pillage or plunder… nor even illegal. So what is the problem then, if any? Before we get to that, let’s look at a few curiosities. Some humans are seemingly predisposed to be arrogant under the right conditions, or, should I say, given the chance to express it without fear of retaliation. Perhaps retaliation is too strong a word if only to be shunned but retaliation nonetheless. Also, many don’t act arrogantly because they know it is a revealing character flaw. While some might say it demonstrates a superiority complex, others might believe it is actually due to an inferiority complex… as a way to compensate. While arrogance may seem innocuous, perhaps seen as simply a person’s inability to mask their pride (vanity), but within such people lurks trouble. It isn’t just because an arrogant person might ruin your day either. While dysfunctional, the next signpost in that fog says "mental illness". Yet, still further, the words on a signpost appear to read: "warning - spiritual disease - evil". Negativity of arroganceWe all know it... the real downside of arrogance is negativity. It fosters a negative-minded culture, not to mention the animosity it breeds. So, what is a negative-minded culture? Oh, not much, just one built atop hate and disrespect… nothing good can come from one. It also invariably leads to poor decision making. An arrogant man is rarely capable of making good decisions of a competitive nature. He does, however, create an air of superiority, sometimes one of invincibility. He becomes almost unapproachable. Such arrogance is intimidating to many people because of its power to stifle the air... purposeful of course to 'acquire and maintain'. Actually, it is merely the tactic of a bully. At any rate, tactically and strategically, many of their decisions fail because they often misjudge the capabilities of the opposition. Their arrogant-powered superiority complex automatically leads them to believe their intelligence is vastly superior. An arrogant man cannot imagine an intellectual equal, it is inherently impossible. It is denial. Worse... arrogance in a leader invariably leads to megalomania. Due to the negative-minded culture it creates and the animosity it breeds… it is the most damaging of all mental illnesses because of the lasting effects, largely irreversible. Arrogance, the trademark of the bureaucratic landscape almost everywhere, of the aristocratic coterie in particular, creates subcultures. Subcultures are created through alienation and nobody alienates better than the arrogant. It is the subcultures within societies which eventually destroy that society and with it, the nation. Throughout history, almost every country which collapsed upon itself was because of this seemingly harmless arrogance. It is largely irreversible because few societies, if any, have been able to peacefully reincorporate their subcultures once they're effectively lost. The need to reincorporate the disenfranchised by force, to quell demonstrations and uprisings, indicates decades of incompetent leadership… assuredly arrogant. Of course, it also leads to civil war. Due to American bureaucratic and institutional arrogance and the trickle down effects from the resulting treachery, the second major overhaul awaits only a bankrupt state. The first overhaul, of course, was the Civil War in 1861. After all, in the last 50 years treasonous officials have been dismantling all that which made America great. It began with the dismantling of the family farm and the outsourcing of labor to achieve globalization. Many basic industries no longer exist in America and our trade deficient is now in the stratosphere. And, with the overly domineering and regulatory laws, justice is only a shadow of its previous self. The next thumbscrew being positioned is the goal of the FDA to require prescriptions for vitamins, supplements and herbs. We'll soon need a permit to grow a garden. With all the negatives occurring simultaneously, as if choreographed... America's decline is steep. Perhaps only famine would sink a country faster. Its destruction could not have been engineered any better... not by Genghis Khan, not by Hannibal and not by Napoleon. And, pitifully, almost every single government bureaucracy, American institution and corporation seems to have a hand. Sinking, however, is not the American people. Not an Irish famineThe looming peril for America is therefore not about locusts, a Viking invasion or an Irish-style potato famine but instead one of power-hungry snakes with a diet of inalienable rights. It should be crystal clear by now, if it wasn't before, most legislators are traitors and unfit to be called Americans. The treatment of prisoners in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is likely what Americans can expect for themselves in the future and the result of an arrogant establishment. As a result of Section 1004 of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2006, torturers are now protected by Sovereign Immunity. Further, the current administration has put itself, and thus America, on a collision course with the entire world. On the tip of the iceberg sits NAFTA, Iraq and the Bush's opposition to the International Criminal Court. While the countless variables make countries hard to compare, almost every one has had a period in their history when they somewhat resembled Nazi Germany... such as England under King Edward, Russia under Stalin and France under Louis XVI. The commonality was arrogance. More recently it was exemplified by the advertised night of "shock and awe"... America's impressive display of power preceding the invasion of Iraq. That it should be 'titled' and advertised beforehand was arrogance. As stated earlier, arrogant men always underestimate the opposition and our military is now being outfoxed at every turn. Throughout history, there was never a worse-run campaign… for a purported winner, that is. The only explanation is arrogance. The very nature of arrogance renders it incapable of combating guerrilla warfare. More-so worrisome is the continued effect on subcultures… specifically the drug-infested ones. The longer the disillusioned stay disillusioned the less chance they can be reincorporated... many now already 'lost' to society. In blocks they'll fall too, like east L.A. Also growing in numbers are the more recently disenfranchised… like farmers, lumberjacks and others who have lost their jobs to cheap overseas labor. The number of drug addicts along with the unskilled and unemployable are sure to increase and with it, crime… but that’s still not the worst of it. The collapse of ethicsThe worst is the collapse of ethics... and it all began with arrogant leaders, officials and legislators, of a low moral and ethical fiber, without honor. As inevitable as weeds from rain, it's never long before this attitude filters into the rest of society, its institutions, businesses and military. Whether or not pretence and hypocrisy are children of arrogance is uncertain but they likely live in the same neighborhood. After all, like arrogance, they're both dysfunctional demeanors of a self-serving nature. Daily we see the corporate world and institutions embrace them as if their very existence depended. An ad of a cowboy on horseback, once a typical American scene commonly held as representing the ethical and moral character of America, is inappropriate for corporate America. A farmer in the field and grandma in her garden are likewise inappropriate. These scenes aren't an accurate reflection of corporate America... and they certainly don't reflect the cold-blooded attitude of a bank or insurance company. While unethical practices aren't exclusive to arrogant people, nor is dishonesty, but the dysfunctional environment they create is what causes the breakdown of society. We've all seen it... it takes only one in a crowd to change its mood. Employees are those who are daily exposed to unethical practices, along with those within governments and institutions, and now, soldiers in the military. It is inevitable the whole of society will be affected. There are holdouts of course; true Americans who refuse to take part. This 'Neo-Americanism' is their enemy... which includes a host of rights-violating environmentalists and 'do-gooders' now on the scene. In professional circles, instead of arrogance being blamed it's the consequences. Also, in the opinion of many, it’s just a matter of ethics, as if standing alone, that some men are ethical and some aren’t. Nor has it been associated with dishonesty and greed... only loosely has it been associated with the power-hungry. No matter how you slice it however, all these things are related. They all grow from the same bush and little can be gained by only evaluating its thorns. An unethical person is not just that, there is an underlying reason. Specifically however, arrogance is the attitude which breeds maleficent conduct, conjures it up. Also, if an arrogant person doesn't care about ruining someone's day, then it demonstrates they have no respect for justice either. Furthermore, the larger the stage, the more arrogant the arrogant become. It feeds upon itself. Arrogance is not only the main ingredient in megalomania but its benefactor. While countries continually find unbelievably wicked men to lead them, with more waiting in line, the science of psychology has clearly failed to serve mankind. As it is, nothing denies such men a bully pulpit. Therefore it should be known… arrogance is bad news. Arrogance is just one face of evilYet, arrogance isn’t the cause alone nor the underlying cause. It's just one face of evil... but a wily chameleon hard to recognize. While evil is only what humans believe it to be, although clearly evident in most cases, uncertainties can exist... over morality issues for example. Likewise with this demeanor, it's been in a gray area. While the causes for America’s decline can be traceable in other ways, one needs understand the role arrogance plays, and it isn’t passive nor merely a idiosyncrasy, nor should it be considered innocuous. Its obfuscating ability says it's a face to be reckoned with. Perhaps in the opinion of some, I’ve stretched the effects of arrogance too far but that depends on how deep you want to look... and since arrogance is spiritually embedded, it's deep. Stretching it into the metaphysical makes it more difficult to explain as well. After all, we're talking about a demeanor, an 'air'. To look at it another way, imagine arrogance being effectively the opposite of humbleness. That's easy, right? That's because it's true. After all, we like humbleness and hate arrogance. The point is... it should be no mystery why such likes and dislikes are inherently embedded. While responsible arrogant people wouldn't steal from petty cash or mug an old lady, or commit any such crime, there is a connection between arrogance and honesty as well. Most thieves, while perhaps not openly arrogant, have an attitude which is. A thief is wrapped-up in the belief they are deserving of another’s property… and it takes arrogance to believe it. This attitude however is not openly apparent to others and thus a mask of arrogance. In short, not all arrogant people are thieves but all thieves are arrogant. Obviously academia has put no label on the effects either. In both Vietnam and Iraq, arrogance thought it could outsmart a simple people. Only arrogance would keep one from recognizing the reasons for their stubbornness. Since both wars were effectively based on the same mistaken premise, that is, simple people are easily conquered, I suggest the term ‘arrogant predatorism’ as the cause for both defeats. With 'shock and awe' being such a brash and disgusting exhibition of power, for that purpose only, having no military value and thus psychologically representing 'democracy' itself, the prospect for democracy in the Middle East was pushed back another century. Partially at fault are the schools of psychology which train our leaders... living proof baseless dogmas did not depart with the Middle Ages. For comparative purposes, we might try to envision a classic example of arrogance but one probably doesn't exist. It can be expressed in different ways and one's demeanor and/or talents often draws the attention causing one to overlook their arrogance. Or, we might confuse it as being a common (but innocent) characteristic of, say, an intellectual, musician or librarian. We might also think it merely vanity... but of little difference. While we may know the triggers which send men in the wrong direction, the underlying reasons are vague at best. In other words, we don't know why some can overcome temptations while others can't. Religions haven't clarified this either... in effect blaming all things bad on evil spirits. While they're right, such vagueness isn't much help in trying to carve up the matter into chewable pieces. Science isn't any help either. After all, science refuses to acknowledge evil as an existent... therefore making it's conclusions indigestible. Apparently then, the job of putting a face on evil is up for grabs. A.O. Kime
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