"In the twinkling of an eye, Nebuchadnezzar became a raving maniac. With wild shrieks he rushed from the room and down the staircase as the crown of gold toppled from his head. Across the tiled floor of the throne room he raced, tearing from his body his regal robes and scattering them as he went. Through the doors and down the corridors he ran bellowing like a wounded bull while the palace retainers stood by in consternation. Nebuchadnezzar, the proud and dignified monarch of the greatest empires of ancient times, was running down the street of his capital city, stripped, stark naked"—Campbell, Donald K., Daniel: DecoderBooks, 1979, p. 51.
It's a sad commentary today when we see publicly elected officials, businesspersons, sports stars, Hollywood stars all put on a public display of Arrogance 101.
In their fifteen seconds of fame--it's all or nothing as self-absorbed individuals seem unaffected by their behaviors. The latest to draw attention is Rob Ford--Toronto's pseudo-mayor. (pictured above).
As I watched this guys antics at their council meeting in which he was stripped of most powers--I thought of other famous egotists, self-absorbed bureaucrats, etc.
While the names Obama, Sheen, Bale crossed my mind--one stood out as the King of egomaniacs...King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
As told in the Bible in Daniel 4--because of the king's arrogance in believing that HE had built the great Babylon and had his image plastered all over the city's buildings (think Saddam Hussein)--God destroyed his kingdom and had Nebuchadnezzar eating grass like a cow in his humiliation.
How many times have we heard the expression, "pride comes before a fall"...yet we continue to see people get ensnared in their own greatness?
I think of ad agency owners I've worked with over the years, business owners, media talent, managers, co-workers, etc who have made life miserable for others by their constant attention to who they are or what they've done.
I was watching a show the other night about NFL and NBA players who had made millions in their careers--but 70% are broke today.
The money, fame all contributed to how the player began to see themselves and how great, powerful they were.
Its the same addiction we see in other area's of success where "competition" made them who they are but also caused side-effects of gambling, drugs, self-absorbed behaviors.
To me, most glaring are elected officials who were given a mandate by those who elected them to SERVE and not begin "feeding off the Treasury" (as Washington feared would happen in 1776).
In business--how we present ourselves and our attitudes affect how our customers and clients view us--and whether they'll do business with us.
The very drive and "competition" that cause business owners to be successful can affect their behaviors just like athletes, rock stars and politicians.
Three points I'd like to leave with you about arrogance:
- remember where you came from in the midst of success
- learn from others' mistakes as you are human
- keep humble as you don't know what tomorrow may bring
So many times in hindsight it's important to keep things in perspective--and that is the beginning of wisdom.
Otherwise--the hard work and dedication in building our business may come crashing down leaving us to learn Nebuchadnezzar's lesson.
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