Arrogance
I am completely and thoroughly and unequivocally convinced that the most likely cause of the end of civilization is arrogance, “a significant feeling of confidence or self-entitlement.”
I see it no matter which way I may turn. Although not limited to the young, the young seem to be carrying the banner of arrogance for all Americans.
It is an arrogance that believes that they alone know what is best for America and those who oppose their plans are sub-humans whose views are not worthy of consideration.
Arrogance was not invented in the Twenty-first Century. It has been with us since Adam and Eve. In her hubris---arrogance, Eve ate the apple. She mistakenly thought that she knew better than God.
We have other words for or that are associated with arrogance: pomposity, immodesty, imperiousness, smugness, superiority, hauteur, lordliness, snobbery, superciliousness, and bumptiousness are but a few. My personal favorite is “hubris.”
Pride and arrogance are not the same: one may take pride in his or her accomplishments or the accomplishments of others. Arrogance is not based on accomplishments: it is based on the individual's perception of themselves.
“Hubris” originated in ancient Greece, and describes a personality quality of excessive pride or dangerous overconfidence. “Arrogance” is the best everyday word for this quality.
The story of Icarus was first written down in the first century AD. In the story, Icarus's father made him a pair of wax wings and cautioned him not to fly too high with them. Becoming overconfident, Icarus flew as high as he wanted. The sun melted his wings, and he fell to his death.
Oedipus Rex is a play by Sophocles in which Oedipus defies the gods' prophecy that he will kill his father and murder his mother. He attempted to evade his own fate, but he does kill his father and marry his mother. Defying the gods was considered to be hubris.
In The Iliad by Homer, Achilles is another example of hubris: Achilles' pride stops him from making peace with Agamenmnon. This pride lead to a series of unfortunate events including his death.
Literature is replete with examples of hubris. An early example is in Beowulf. In spite of his age and physical weakness, Beowulf allows his own hubris to guide him into fighting with a dragon which, of course, defeats and kills him.
In 1818, Mary Shelley wrote the great English novel, Frankenstein. It tells the story of a doctor who is so overconfident that he decides to create life from death. The life he creates eventually leads to his downfall.
In The Old Man and the Sea, written by Hemingway, the character of the old man displays hubris when he attempts to catch a marlin too big for his boat, too big for him. He is overconfident and loses the big fish to sharks.
History is filled with people suffering from hubris.
Napolean's hubris led to the devastating loss during the invasion of Russia which did not end well for him or the French.
Adolf Hitler, driven by his belief in Aryan supremacy and his own hubris, his visions of conquest caused the devastation of World War II and of course, this demise.
King George III's stubborn resistance to peace negotiations and insistence on suppressing the American colonists ultimately cost Britain its colonial America.
I don't have any advice to give those who suffer hubris: I don't know how you became afflicted and therefore do not know the cure. Your surest path to rid yourself of this affliction is probably to study Greek mythology, literature, and history. Remember, those suffering hubris do not usually reach a pleasant end.
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