POEM: Escaping Hubris

Indigency is the quickest road
Out of
Few of us can afford
Its high price

, or , is powerfully seductive in the human .  This excessive self-confidence seems to be an inescapable part of egocentricity.  Nonetheless, as humans feel more powerful and secure, dangerously careens into indifference and disconnection from other humans and the rest of .  Hubris short-circuits and .  Research shows that wealth and power lead to reduced compassion.  Recognizing our own , our own areas of insecurity and powerlessness, reinforce and , better connecting us with others.  This is a central aspect of , which is key to living into our full .  If we are not able to and , then we will be disabled regarding forming deep social connections, having to settle for relative isolation.  In this short poem, I use indigency as a proxy and condition of ; thus, making it an insurance policy against hubris.  I chose indigency as the surest and quickest road out of hubris because it has the benefit of having the material conditions to support vulnerability built-in, not just an emotional or mental to be maintained by sheer will or mental activity.  Also, I would like to redeem the of indigency, which has a nearly universal negative connotation.  I see indigency as one of two basic realities in .  We are dependent. We are dependent on other people and a myriad of other things that we have no over.  The other basic is that we are free, we have control, at least some control, over ourselves.  I think our over our “indigency,” our dependence on things outside of us, forms our most fundamental , our toward the world.  How will I relate to others and the world around me?  Will I act in ways affirming friendliness and beneficence, or and indifference?  My does not definitively answer the question of whether the is friendly or not, but it does define the of my agency and how I choose to vote — by my actions. What will I contribute to the world?   affirms the fact that people function better with a positive outlook than a negative outlook.  People seem to be better suited to acting in accordance with being in a sea of than in a cold, indifferent world.  Hubris denies the former and is a vote for indifference — which rather conveniently, is a vote for oneself over all else (not exactly indifferent, just unaware of one's bias)!  The last line of the poem, “Its high price,” is purposely vague, in that “it” can refer to the high price of hubris and the high price of indigency.   seems to exact a price no matter what we make.  Life demands effort.  There is a price to be paid.  Would you rather pay the high cost of indigency or the high cost of hubris?  By the way, hubris is the default!

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