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Hubris

12-12-2018

A few weeks ago, a story about a young American missionary, John Allen Chau, captivated the world. Chau took it upon himself to try to convert the isolated Sentinelese people, living on a remote and restricted island in the Bay of Bengal, to his version of Christianity. His personal belief system justified in his mind that the risks to himself and to the very existence of the Sentinelese civilization were insignificant compared to the potential reward of salvation. Not surprisingly, the tribe promptly killed him as an intruder. The Indian authorities wrestled with the dilemma of whether to perpetuate more contact with the Sentinelese people through retrieving Chau’s body or to leave him buried on the beach knowing that his body may introduce pathogens into the ecosystem to which the people would have no immunity. A recovery plan failed, and the government decided against further intervention. What struck me most about the story was not the commentaries that decried Chau’s action as religious fervour gone too far or 21st century missionary colonialism, but the ones that framed Chau’s decision in terms of modern-day hubris.

Hubris is not a commonly used word. It originates from ancient Greek and was used in myths to illustrate the folly of people who are over-confident, over-ambitious, and full of arrogance. A well-known example is that of Icarus and his father attempting to escape their imprisonment on the island of Crete by crafting wings from feathers and wax. Icarus’s father warned him to stay safe by not flying too high or too low. If he flew too low, the spray from the sea would soak the feathers, and if he flew too high the heat from the sun would melt the wax. Icarus, overcome by the exhilaration of flying, soared higher and higher. Inevitably, the wax melted, and Icarus tumbled to his death.

Although the word pride is often used nowadays as a replacement for the word hubris, there are nuanced connotations to the concept of hubris that get muted when pride is used instead, especially now that pride has been positively proclaimed by marginalized groups to signify self-worth and group belonging. Hubris is not just foolish; it is dangerous. For Icarus and Chau it was deadly. Hubris is different from pride in the sense that it feeds upon power and success. Hubris produces contempt—a dismissal of the concerns of other people and a disdain for following the rules. Hubris energizes a person to take risks, circumvent boundaries, find loopholes, exploit weaknesses, double-down, and win at all costs. Hubristic people don’t necessarily set out to wreak havoc, but they also don’t take the time to factor in the extent of their impact. Their sight is on a singular goal and their peripheral vision is blinded as to the accompanying costs to be paid.

Psychiatrists David Owen and Jonathan Davidson have studied hubris in leadership and believe, if left unchecked, hubris can manifest itself as an acquired personality disorder—hubris syndrome. Owen and Davidson have a list of fourteen worrisome patterns of behaviour including showing excessive self-confidence; seeing power as a means for self-glorification; unshakeable belief that one’s actions will ultimately be vindicated; a conflation of self with one’s team, organization, or nation; a disproportionate concern with image and presentation; and a propensity for restlessness, recklessness, and impulsive words and actions. Political scientist Yoav Ben-Horin also addresses the concept of hubris and power. He lists factors such as grandiose aspirations (glory/greatness); demands of loyalty towards the leader and his or her mission; a vengeful animosity towards one’s enemies; a readiness to use force and condone violence; and a messianic quest to “save” one’s society from evils wrought by outsiders. Given that we have a world leader south of the border that portrays many of these characteristics, we may see a dramatic rise in hubris-driven behaviour.

Islam is full of warnings to the proud and haughty. But one doesn’t have to be a pharaoh, president, or even a wannabe missionary to fall prey to hubris. When we operate on the mindset that we know what is best, not only for ourselves, but best for others. When we ignore admonishment and discount the needs, desires, and concerns of others, when we drive forward with an agenda, consider our deeds sanctified and beyond challenge, and when we hush on the those we deem beneath us, we are letting hubris take control. Luckily, there is an antidote for hubris in humility. A concept we’ll explore in the next column.

Zainab Dhanani can be reached at z_dhanani@yahoo.ca.

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Article Source: ALAMEENPOST.COM