Arrogance
I’d promised this post a few weeks back. Work & life have kept me occupied.This is yet another epiphany arrived at over beer: Life is like the old Westerns I used to watch as a kid. There’s always someone quicker on the draw. No matter how big and bad the villain was, there was always someone quicker on the draw. Someone better.
So why do some people put on a bullshit superiority attitude and think they are better than others? They think they know more than others. They’re the only one with the answers. They think everyone else is an idiot. (No. Not everyone is gifted or brilliant. But more often than not, they’re at least competent.) They think they are more attractive or have more money.
That little gem took a bit of time & beer to formulate and digest but it’s true. “There will always be someone better than you. Someone with more Ph D’s, faster, stronger, richer, prettier, etc… Get used to it. No need for a superiority complex. Statistically speaking, there’s a bell curve. There are all the people in the middle and then there are those at the extremes. The ones in the middle are average. The ones at the ends are the outliers. Get comfortable with you being who & what you are. Get used to the fact that you’re not the greatest thing since sliced bread. Get off your high horse. Be honest with yourself. You don’t know it all. You are NOT the best at everything.”
This is how I see all of us: We’re all about the same. Mostly in the middle of the bell curve. (Give or take a skill here & there.) We’ve all got gifts or skills that make us stand out. But, there is someone out there better than you at X. You may not know them but they are out there. So stop with the attitude. It’s a game you can’t win. You don’t know it all. You can’t do it all. Learn to be comfortable with the gifts and skills you have.
Today’s world is too complicated. You can’t know it all. You can’t do it all. It’s not like the nineteenth century when we lived in an agrarian society and most of us were farmers. Those times were simpler. You could do it all. You could know all you needed to know to live. That’s why today there are specialists. They are the subject matter experts! (Doctors, mechanics, lawyers, etc..)
It’s better to be humble and listen to people who do know. Go to them to learn/ask for help. People are more likely to help you if you go in with a good attitude versus a “know it all” attitude. Very rarely will people slap you down if you’re humble versus arrogant.
Your ignorance/inadequacy will betray you to someone who is better at X than you. Or more knowledgeable about X. You’re line of BS may fool some people but not people who happen to be more skilled or knowledgeable about that subject. Once you reveal your ignorance/short coming, your game is up and you’ll look like a fool. A buffoon.
It’s important to know your limitations. If you over stretch your boundaries, you’ll fail.
As for superficial qualities of appearance or physical attributes: Time is a great equalizer. Sooner or later someone younger and more talented/desirable will come along. You will be forgotten.
Wealth is the same way. You may have millions but Bill Gates has billions. Sorry, you can't win at this game either.
posted by ChowderHead @ 12/09/2006 08:47:00 PM
2 Comments:
Excellent post! I think the people that try to act like they know it all and treat others like crap are very insecure and jealous of others. They pull stunts like that to make them feel important and in control, which in the end causes their demise.
I totally agree.
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