Arrogance: A non-authentic way of being…

Arrogance is a state of self-imposed importance in that one airs that no one is better than oneself: one revels in the freedom or rather abuse the freedom attributed to him by virtue of being in the world. Rather than acknowledging this freedom as being an act of nature in materialist terminology, the arrogant feels that to him is given carte blanche to do as one pleases even if it means to the detriment of others. Others as such are of lower class whereas the claim is that they know it all, a far cry from the Socratic dictum of all I know is that I know nothing. A case of belonging to a group, a clique of likeminded people who look down on others.

Whereas if one belongs to a certain category of class, whether it secular or religious, or a community, the actor preys on this superficiality and so views the world as per that dogma where others are ignored. No amount of dialectics of life would make our comrade see sense as the latter revels in that notion of belonging to. Others therefore are automatically reduced to zero on that view.

Yet the dialectic of life clearly exposes that there is oneself and importantly there are others about and around us whom we may ignore at our peril. That one is a temporary being, placed in this material world. If this is the case, how does one move onwards? Do we adopt the authentic or non-authentic way?

Placing oneself at the top, one’s world is ready made in the sense that the latter as per a non-authentic way of being, knows what to do or not to do based on the arrogance of being…. where others are simply put down literally and are seen as objects of despise. Our friend may believe that to him or her, they have God given rights to act in a certain way. With this being so, one never does stop, pause or reflect on life. Everything is performed a la reactionary with the rationale being that one sees oneself as possessing the right to act in a certain way, disregarding the feelings of the other or others around. Of course, the idea that others are equally important as a being is put aside or is not even entertained as the belief is simple: whatever one decides becomes the norm or standard, full stop. At no point may the arrogant reconsider his action or rather reaction since the latter acts in a manner which is appraised only by likeminded others who also revels as part of certain clique a non authentic mode of being.

This superficiality is deemed to be a quintessential way of being in certain quarters which constantly put others down. There is simply no need to reflect as one already knows based on a bizarre unauthentic view which we are attempting to describe, as being insolent, which does not see other humanoids let alone other living entities as having a right to be. Therefore, the mindset of the arrogant is clear in that others do not matter except those from its clique, grouping or community. That is indeed the rationale to act in a certain way, where their behaviour of putting others down is cherished as being the norm to relate to others regardless of injuries albeit of psychical form this may caused to others. There is no care on this view. As far as this view is concerned, others may simply not exist or if here, just as subservient. A classic return to imperialism and its proponent way of being.
The arrogant only knows what is best for him or her and is paramount in that there may not be any negotiations on such a view. What matters is oneself. Others have to partake in such an agenda or just clear off. The limitation of such a world view is not apprehended as it is firmly believed that everything is made for the petty arrogant self. The view of the other is despised, let alone not considered, since the claim is about how one knows already what is correct and what is not so based on total ignorance of whatever someone else may have to offer.

With time, the arrogant prides in his successes and achievements of the closed circle which one is a part of. As self-proclaimed greats within their ranks of despising others, or other views; they revel in their approach to life which for sure ignores a lot about life.

To be sure, such partiality of being may not form part of the whole or a fuller way of being. What one may lack is humility of being, where there is no acknowledging of the other, nay every other without which one may not survive a la authentic way of being. One may carry on living in an arrogant way which puts hatred and egocentrism as being the the norm, but any lack of acknowledgment of others in its fullness means that the author lives in a certain made-up world which needs revising as essentially such a view lacks peacefulness, self control, tolerance, knowledge, wisdom of the type which sages refer to or what the Bhagavad Gita refers to. Naturally, our friend may not go down this route as his are already self-made!

Whoever is arrogant, or inauthentic we may declare as lacking purity in seeing others as oneself as an entity thrown into the world of materialism where reflections on life may help the self to consider or reconsider in case of the conceited who sees only a limited world of dominance of others. In truth the sooner that the egotistic, boastful full of pride person begins to see some sense that the world is not made for the petty self only; or rather we are simply travellers where comradeship is more important than bigotry, that there may be some hope of being.

The questions emerging from this blog is that, is this possible to be in a way which is reflective and to by-pass the way of arrogance with its pretentiousness, hatred and ignorance of others? Can one just be without having to give into the norm of non-authentic way of being?