Overstretched Confidence

The philosophy of confidence can be stretched way too much over the permissible limit of consciousness. It happens often but we would not notice its effect/after effect after the incident has toppled over the limitations. Who sets those limits? We do- consciously or sub-consciously, we would like to stay within the confines of our knowledge or become a tad overzealous and topple over the bumpy reminder.

Whereas, when someone else points out those limitations, we become vehemently defensive and even assail the logical reasonings with passive aggression or outright insults. It’s quite natural when someone else around us becomes incisively perceptive about out limitations and has the courage to even mention them.

One’s friendly demeanour can quickly transform into a misanthrope. The sudden volte-face is quite a reflection of human nature. It’s nothing uncommon to get into the character of an alter-ego and start a tirade against those who fall out of favour due to such misstep and audacity to show us the flaws. Not all the behavioural traits are apparent in an individual. Most of them are pronounced, but there are certain characteristics and mannerisms that are subtle, yet, predominantly interferes with the inherent nature.

What’s the harm in overcalculating the extent of the amount of knowledge? In a metaphorical world, in a surreal world, and in a dream, they may not hinder the progress of a journey, but in reality, where we have to communicate with people and society, it matters. It really does not suggest that one should rein in the curiosity to acquire more knowledge or relinquish the freedom to search for more. It is absolutely human to move ahead and try to utilise and further the scope of knowledge, as long as the journey permits.

It is not easy to have that sense of balance and not topple over the capacity of our consciousness; not humanly possible, and one can falter once or more. The sense of overconfidence always finds its victim. Do we call that person a victim of circumstances or just overtly curious to the point of obnoxiousness to prove one’s superiority? It depends on the situation and the ideology to deal with life.

It’s obvious when the mind is afflicted with overconfidence the diminishing accuracy with which one perceives the events of life becomes glaring. To even arrive at the level of accuracy of confidence is quite a task, given the possibilities and impossibilities, the course of events (which are beyond our control), and the challenges of convincing people.

Persistent illusions of resulting from overconfidence can be quite euphoric; may be termed as ‘negative ecstasy’, where, such frequent feelings can become the formidable vortex that attacks the cerebral cortex. Misdirections of such nature can turn the journey into a lengthy delusional one. The decision biases arising out of overconfidence can be catastrophic. So many instances of misdirections and misapprehensions continue to occur even after the pathology of overconfidence have been identified. There is no immediate cure for such malaise, but we can hope for certain providential interference to instil some sense, after all. That’s all we can pray for.

~Amitav