The smart person who becomes arrogant
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Do you know what the critical flaw of intelligence is?
Arrogance.
It’s a classic case of…
“When the strength becomes the weakness.”
How does this happen?
Well in most cases…
In order for intelligence to be cultivated, it’s a process of gathering and refinement.
It doesn’t settle for surface level answers.
And constantly pursues depth.
Now the challenge is…
This process gets exhausting.
And what does energy try to do when it gets exhausted ?
It tries to rest…
And this rest comes in the form of a psychological safety net.
Just like a mountain climber creates a safety net to rest and prepare for the next climb.
Smart people do this too.
And the way they do this is through outsourcing.
The only reason a “smart person” knows something to be true.
Is because of the effort they put in to validate the information.
So when a smart person needs a rest…
They outsource validation.
Just like you outsource your intelligence to the internet.
They outsource theirs to the experts
They look for:
➥ Experts to validate their ideas
➥ Labels to organize their ideas into methods.
➥ Schools of thought that teach these methods.
Which is not really a big deal in the beginning.
It’s helpful to be able to cite the thinking of someone else.
The problem is when the smart person stops validating…
They’ll give a free pass to their trusted experts
And blindly accept all future ideas that come later.
It’s a problem of deferred trust.
Soon the smart person’s borrowed beliefs solidify.
The curiosity is long gone and they go from…
“I want to know”
To…
“I already know”
That’s when ideas like “trust the science” come in.
You’ll notice those most deceived in the last few years.
Are typically the “smart” people.
They lost the curiosity and got lazy.
Over time…
That laziness will begin to calcify, and turn into…
Arrogance.
Because the “smart” person…
Starts to adopt the idea that anyone who’s done the research.
Would automatically come to the same conclusion.
And if you don’t have the same conclusion as them.
It automatically means that you’re uninformed.
“If you had a degree like mine… you would know”
“If you’ve done the research like me… you would know”
“If you were smart like I am… you would know”
They started valuing the self p̶e̶r̶c̶e̶p̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ of wisdom.
Minor Correction
Self deception of wisdom.
Instead of personal curiosity.
The dangerous part of this process is that.
The intelligent person has the tools to justify…
Their ignorance.
They’re categorize your behavior as a medical flaw.
They’ll use sophisticated psychological phrasings…
To summarize your flaws.
“This is a logical fallacy you’re making”
“Your opinion is that way because of a cognitive bias”
“Your mistake is because of an availability heuristic”
“That’s a thinking trap”
You… you… you are the fault.
They could never make the mistake because they…
Are smart.
So they project the flaw onto the other person.
Never themselves.
You can’t convince them otherwise…
Because of their defense mechanisms.
➥ Degrees
➥ Certifications
➥ Accomplishments
➥ Titles
➥ Fame
➥ Fortune
At the end of the day….
Arrogance is a sign of intelligence dying.
It’s a signal of decay
If you believe in a creator…
Then they created all things.
Even the things you deem as unintelligent.
Which means… unintelligence is of divine creation.
And by association.
Unintelligence is intelligent.
There’s something to learn from everyone.
The minute that you think a person has nothing to teach you.
Is the moment you’ve lost your way.
If you ask me…
Smart is overrated.
People don’t follow Jesus, Krishna, Buddha, etc…
Because they are smart.
It’s because they have insight.
Insight is the true wisdom.
Because it transcends what is knowable.
Whether you believe psychics are real or not…
Answer this question.
Who would you rather follow into battle?
A smart person with a plan….
Or a seer with a vision?