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Good for you for realizing it! Seriously, that is more than many people ever do. I've struggled with similar issues, and my impression is that arrogance primar

by veddox 8y ago

Good for you for realizing it! Seriously, that is more than many people ever do. I've struggled with similar issues, and my impression is that arrogance primarily comes from two misjudgments: thinking too highly of myself, or too little of others. The first was reduced as I realized that I too can and do make mistakes. The second gave way the more I learnt to appreciate and value the people I interact with. I believe that this second aspect is key. Arrogance is offensive because it belittles others. Humility respects and appreciates the other person. Arrogance thinks my knowledge/skills/wealth makes me better than others. Humility sees the good in the other person, their skills and character traits (that may be very different from mine), and values them for it. Being humble doesn't mean denying what you're good at, that's false humility. It means appreciating people for who they are and what they're good at, and then treating them accordingly.

microtherion 8y ago
This is good advice, but paradoxically, outward arrogance can also be caused by thinking TOO LITTLE OF ONESELF, so another remedy can be developing confidence in oneself without needing to belittle others.
- poc_m 8y ago
  +1. Some people act arrogant and feel like they know it all because they may have insecurity (in my local community: being out of job, failed startup, problems at home, etc). I recently met a couple of folks who were very content with themselves and very humble yet extremely smart. I almost forgot how much people like this can inspire me, discussions with them are very constructive and you feel really good after a conversation. Be content with yourself. If you're the person with the most knowledge and technical expertise then great, but be humble about other skills that you may not have and that you can still learn from others: teaching, inspiring, helping, making people feel that they're being listened to without being condescending.

by veddox 8y ago

microtherion 8y ago

This is good advice, but paradoxically, outward arrogance can also be caused by thinking TOO LITTLE OF ONESELF, so another remedy can be developing confidence in oneself without needing to belittle others.

poc_m 8y ago
+1. Some people act arrogant and feel like they know it all because they may have insecurity (in my local community: being out of job, failed startup, problems at home, etc). I recently met a couple of folks who were very content with themselves and very humble yet extremely smart. I almost forgot how much people like this can inspire me, discussions with them are very constructive and you feel really good after a conversation. Be content with yourself. If you're the person with the most knowledge and technical expertise then great, but be humble about other skills that you may not have and that you can still learn from others: teaching, inspiring, helping, making people feel that they're being listened to without being condescending.