Arrogance & Self-Confidence

There is a very fine line between arrogance and self confidence. Self confidence is about holding your head high and taking pride in what you are doing. It is about believing in yourself and whatever you are doing. When we increase the scale of both these things then it enters the area of arrogance.
Arrogance also means believing in what you are doing and “not believing in what others are doing”. Arrogance is a negative emotion while self confidence is a positive one. Self confidence emerges from the belief that with a sincere effort any thing can be achieved. It comes from the belief that there is a supreme power that makes things happen. With a positive mind we can attract all the natural forces to make things work for us. This keeps us excited and enthusiastic about life.
Arrogance also has the belief that things can happen the way we want them to happen but it does not have the humility to bow down to any one else. This attitude takes away their power of listening. Many a times they are unable to listen to the warnings of future disaster also. This results in self destruction. Their own acts become the cause of their downfall.

Ravana was an extremely intelligent man. He had acquired various skills and knowledge but he had only one shortcoming – he was arrogant. He did not accept that there could be anyone better than him. He did not accept that he could do anything wrong. He did not accept that his decisions or acts could be wrong. He did not listen to wise advice. That is what caused him to lose his life and his empire. On the other hand, Ram despite of Ravana being his enemy and fighting a war with him, had respect for his knowledge. Ram fought against Ravan’s wrong deeds, not against him as a person. That is why he instructed Laxman to go and learn from Ravan before he breathed his last. It was the self confidence of Ram that made him win and it was the arrogance of Ravana that caused his downfall.
We all should have the confidence that we can achieve anything that we want to but we should not have the attitude that we are the supreme power and we need not learn from anyone or listen to anyone. By listening and learning from someone we do not lose anything, we enrich ourselves.
Dr.Nupur Jaiswal