Arrogance

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ARROGANCE: A DOUBLE EDGED SWORD

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Arrogance: A Double Edged Sword Arrogance is generally perceived as an undesirable human trait as it seems ridiculous and immature for a person to hold himself/herself in high esteem. Someone who has an exaggerated idea of his/her self-worth comes off as a narcissist and most people prefer to avoid the company of such individuals based on how proud they are. The attribute of arrogance is also known to negatively affect personal relationships and social interactions.

The wide-ranging opinion about arrogance may be that it is an absolutely negative quality to embody in one’s personality; however a close analysis of the personalities of many political leaders throughout history reveals that arrogance is a double edged sword as it is a must-have characteristic in order to be successful and powerful.

The reason why arrogance and power have such a high positive correlation is because those who are overconfident and full of themselves have the resilience and strength to negate all criticism. They do not need others to validate their beliefs and ideas. Additionally, they have the willpower to single-mindedly go ahead with their plans irrespective of the amount of resistance they face from the society and/or establishment.

An individual who easily gets immersed in self-doubt, and becomes double-minded when it comes to taking decisions is absolutely unfit for a leadership role. Such roles demand the ability to quickly and independently make important choices and take huge steps. After taking any such stand, a leader has got to stick to it as there are likely to be far-reaching positive as well as negative effects, and responsibility for both is to be borne by the decisionmaker alone. A leader therefore must have the strength to be indifferent towards the heightened critique that often results from his/her choices. A weak leader is unable to do so, and history is rampant with examples of political and organizational leaders who committed suicide instead of facing the consequences of their decisions and dealing with them effectively.

To be insensitive and indifferent towards public opinion is also necessary for celebrities to work their way towards fame. In the initial years of their careers, most actors were faced with nothing but critique, especially from their seniors in the industry. A healthy amount of arrogance keeps them from losing their self-confidence while still listening to and applying all well meant guidance.

The hard work isn’t over even after attaining fame, as an actor still has to maintain a stable career. No celebrity has undisputed popularity, even after making it big. Not only are they criticized on the basis of their acting/singing skills, they are often judged and ridiculed on their personal style or physical features too. Harsh as it is, this is all part of the glory that comes with fame. Those who have a thick skin are likely to pull through and stand firm, while others

ARROGANCE: A DOUBLE EDGED SWORD

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may choose to back out at an early stage of their career. Celebrities are often known to resort to drug abuse and speculation is rife that the reason for this is their inability to be strong headed enough to deflect public disapproval, slander and gossip. Alternatively though, it could also be their inability to cope with too much fame.

A healthy level of arrogance also adds a touch of charisma to the personality of a celebrity, but arrogance is not just necessary in order to succeed as a public figure. Each of us should be confident and at times we should be over confident and a tad bit conceited too because it is a tough world that we live in and one has to constantly stand strong and defend oneself in their day to day life. The key is to be smart enough to know which role requires you to be self-assured and which role requires you to be self-effacing.

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ARROGANCE: A DOUBLE EDGED SWORD