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Category: Nancy Levant
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Published on Sunday, 09 March 2014 13:34
Arrogance: One Tough Topic
Arrogance is a difficult subject to ponder as humans are naturally arrogant. Opinion itself is arrogant. Couple opinion with the natural emotionalism of humankind, and arrogance is a universal flaw of such proportions that it becomes the foundation of every size, shape and measure of human conflict. All people get edgy when their opinions are disagreed with and opposed. When opinions are backed up with military forces, disagreements commonly result in purposefully initiated wars, which, in reality, are desired, intended and planned years in advance of their beginnings.
Arrogance backed by wealth is all-encompassing. The rich particularly do not like to be taken to task by those in a lesser caste, which often results in every make and measure of social and cultural punishments. The rich particularly do not like to be exposed in mistakes or illegalities. It commonly infuriates them into acts of revenge both on individual or small scales as well as larger and national scales. The rich and the powerful feel entitled to enforce their opinions, and they regularly do so.
However, arrogance rears its ugly head in all people of all ages and commonly on a daily basis, and most people become particularly arrogant when they are found to be wrong or to have wronged another. Arrogance well serves ego-filled and self-serving natures. I know this too clearly as I am an arrogant woman with two arrogant children. Do tell.
Equally, I do not know a highly educated person who is not arrogant or a very opinionated person who is not arrogant. Itis an easy trap to fall into, and it stokes egos like no other bad habit can do. Arrogance, in fact, is fun, but it is equally moronic because it causes unnecessary emotional schisms, which become particularly dangerous on political levels. The cold, hard fact is this: everyone deserves to have personal opinions, and all opinions should be respected and debated, not trashed. Sadly, and on the political level, this truth has escaped politicians, mass media, the major parties, and science and religion. Arrogance rules supreme in these venues to such degrees that mistrust and hatreds are expected to take sides on every single line drawn in the sand. Moderate deliberation has all but been condemned in favor of hatred and even threats. Peachy… How thrilling to know we’ve opted for savagery over decency, halving the country like a split creature bleeding red and blue guts. Great, just friggin’ great… The women and children of the nation are just so pleased to live on the edge of sword rattling, tanks and guns in their streets.
This kind of arrogance has history written all over it; past, present and forthcoming history. This kind of arrogance just can’t stand the thought of peace; not here, not in the Mid-East, the Ukraine, not in Asia, Africa, not anywhere. This kind of arrogance finds joy in bloodshed and hatred, and it is heinous on every conscionable level. There is nothing as horrible or as deadly as arrogance. It is a sin against all life because it seeks enemies, violence, victims, and war.
On personal levels, arrogance seeks big wins for the ego with right or wrong of no consideration or consequence. Arrogance also plays out splendidly to preserve a stand, even an undesired consequence when the fragility of the ego is so significant that it will suffer any consequence of losing, even love, in order to maintain some kind of face of resolve. As such, arrogance is just pitiable if not pathetic.
Arrogance, in all its masks and in all characterizations, is simply sad. It causes so much human damage to the self and to others that its sin is often overwhelming and equally ignored and almost always justified. But in all of its ramifications and results, it simply causes great sadness and even greater suffering. Pray for peace, people. The arrogance that exists in the world today, I fear, is deadly on a global scale.
