________________
How to Dissolve Challenges
151
Arrogance and its variants produce grave drawbacks for those exhibiting it - • Arrogance gives one's own point of view such exalted
importance that it discards all other beings, experiences, judgments, activities and viewpoints as far less significant or deeply beneath consideration.
Yet the viewpoints and experiences of others offer insight into wisdom and skills we could not (yet) gain ourselves.
Disdain for others' insights is mostly caused by fear that new viewpoints may violate our prestige. Yet such behavior only solidifies this subconscious angst and insecurity, and intensifies the vulnerability of our position and opinion. Arrogance erects unnecessary barriers between ourselves and others. It excludes us from the benign cooperation and interchange with other people.
Arrogant people hardly ever notice that they are left out. To their face they are paid lip-service that corroborates their aloofness, but behind their backs they are called idiots while their behavior is violently objected.
The more aloof we parade our possessions, status, beliefs etc., the more we reduce our scope of life.