Arrogance

Arrogance is defined as “an attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions.”   http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

Highfalutin words. Let’s bring it down to earth. Arrogance is a derivative of pride which ranks pretty high on the list of seven deadly sins. Arrogance is an unwarranted claim on an undeserved position. It is the absolute antithesis of humility. Arrogance is also the symptom of narcissism and the narcissistic disorder is now the principal qualifier for all forms of government work in the United States. Local, state, national. The one certain characteristic that defines the candidate for elective office; the head of any bureaucracy; be it the police department or the state department; the Federal Reserve or the governor of an insolvent state. We know them all and the one consistent characteristic is they have the answers; they claim to know what is best for everyone. They also speak with spectacular forked tongues. They tell the people what to do; how to live; proper conduct and behavior and then slither in the shadows with their own camouflaged weaknesses.

So, we now know that arrogance is also a cover-up. The advice; the plans; the schemes of the arrogant are substitutes for fundamental behavior. They are easy answers to the self made problems of the undisciplined. They are not solutions. They are avoidances. What the arrogant preach is always going to be the opposite of the difficult but correct path to follow. And that is simply because arrogant behavior is a sure sign of lack of discipline. It is not impossible to be disciplined and still be arrogant but it is impossible to be arrogant and disciplined.

Here are some faces of arrogance:



The next time you have the opportunity to choose a leader you may wish to consider a deliberate change in your selection process. You may wish to experiment. You may wish to select the humble one and take a pass on the arrogant one. How will you identify the humble one? She/he will be the reluctant participant. They will most likely not really want the job; the cameras; the attention; the media spotlight. They also might say some bizarre things. Something like, “I will not run for reelection.” “More than likely you will not want to vote again for me because my solutions are not going to be easy.” “We will share the burden.” “And the well to do will be called upon to share a bigger portion of the burden.” “Oh, by the way, don’t expect government to solve your problems; put food on your table; clothes in your closet and provide you a place to live.” “We’re not in the food, clothing and housing business.” “That’s your job!”