Tall, dark and handsome. Let's just get this out of the way right up front. I'm not particularly tall, definitely not especially dark and, well, handsome is up to you. How can a man be successful in this world without this holy trio of physical traits? Confidence. Celebrities have it in droves and it's what separates doers from watchers.
The History of confidence in America might be traced back to Native Americans. Tribal cultures have typically depended strongly on a powerful, confident tribal leader who had to make the tough decisions. During the revolution, terrified, yet confident members of the Continental Congress argued over the form of a future body of government.
Why look at confidence as a human trait? Here in modern America, confidence is looked at as the most important personality trait a person can have, throwing modesty out of the window. In America today, people on TV can behave in the most ridiculous ways and it is accepted because they did it with confidence. Conversations from viewers are typically filled with, "That's so funny" or "That was awesome/cool/amazing/sexy." This is typical of what people might say about actions on reality shows like Jersey Shore or Survivor. Anything is allowable in the name of entertainment. Just make sure there is plenty of bravado and confidence and it will be fine.
It is amazing what we now view as acceptable behavior just because it is done with confidence. Conservatism, modesty and values fly out the window. Why is this important to discuss? Confidence is an important human trait. Along with fear, anger, happiness and shyness, confidence has allowed humankind to achieve success.
Imagine, if you will, mankind in a state of nature. There is no technology, no civil society and no laws. Confidence is what allows individuals to explore, to overcome their fears of vegetation and animals and to innovate new ways to survive. This trait is needed to maintain life. However, we no longer are at a survival level. Humans thrive on this planet and confidence isn't needed like it once was.
So, what do we do with all that confident energy? We ride thrill rides, jump out of planes, take all kinds of risks, all for the purpose of giving an ancient trait survival trait an outlet. Is this a criticism of confidence? Certainly not. It is a spotlight pointing out an imbalance. Americans are nothing if not imbalanced in the way they live. Humanity should strive to find balance in order to improve social and moral values, not excuse misbehavior away as humorous simply because it was done with confidence.
We are still today at a survival level. Just check the unemployment rate. No job for thousands of Americans means no food, clothing or shelter for many of them. So we better not shed our confidence too quickly. Sometimes that is the only thing that separates candidates during the interview process. Do we squander it as a people? Yes. But do we hide behind the mask of humility all too often in fear that someone might mistake confident for cocky? You bet!
ReplyDeleteI've always believed that modesty and humility were virtuous traits. This overconfident behavior that I see every day in real life and on TV is just overkill. Confident should not be cocky or obnoxious, yet is often is.
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