Be Arrogant

Today’s article (more like a newsletter) is a statement in support of arrogance. Crazy right? For almost three weeks, there was nothing from me and now here I am; trying to support one of the great evils of our time.

Arrogant is defined as the act of having an exaggerated sense of self and ability. And for years, arrogance has been said to cause the downfall of many a great men. We’ve been told that the world doesn’t like people who see themselves to be all that. Let me tell you a story.

Before I started this newsletter with Graveyard of Dreams, I have never been moved by my own works. To my eyes, everything I write lacks beauty. The very essence of creating a work of art was absent. Regardless of how much people praise whatever it is I wrote; they always feel like an English language essay assignment I had to finish in a hurry before the teacher get to class. I will always get the high marks, but deep down I knew it wasn’t the best thing I could have done. You see, I knew I could write way better than I do. Write, not only for others to read, but for myself (everything I write is targeted towards myself, I am the target audience). However, I always felt like I am not quite there yet. I read books that makes my head swirl and the only thought in my head will be wishing to write like that. Despite the fact that I know I am barely scratching the surface of my ability, I just always assumed that I am not at that level where the things I write move people to action, where they move ME specifically. It’s as if there is a degree I need to take to become as good as Oscar Wilde or Donna Tartt. I was trying to be humble. To be realistic. See things the way they are and never overestimate the things I can do.

And it went on like this for years until I read a Substack post from Flows & Flux, and I got lost or maybe more self-aware, not really sure. It occurred to me that these are just words, words and letters. What are letters made of? Just a bunch of strange lines and symbols. What is writing if not just arranging words to appear in a specific manners? What makes my arrangement different from that of those I admire? Why did I assume that I need some form of qualification or permission to arrange words the way I want? I finished reading the Substack post and honestly, it was amazing. But deep down, I felt like I could make it way better than it was. At that point, I wasn’t being humble. I didn’t try to use whatever I might have written in the past to keep myself realistic. My mood wasn’t; “Look at this beginner-level article you wrote in the past. Why would you think you can make something of this caliber better?” It was; “ This is a really great article, but I know I should be able to do better.” At this point, I was being arrogant, greatly exaggerating myself and my ability. It wasn’t just arrogance, but arrogance mixed with delusion. But that arrogance caused me to remove the limitations I placed on myself and made me see what I am truly capable of.

Most of the things I have since written has always been a result of me seeing well-written articles and knowing that I can definitely write something better than that. My short story The Boy Who Chased Death was inspired by The Perks of Being A Wallflower (an amazing book by the way, depressing and inspiring). And it is arrogance that made me believe I could write something similar, yet vastly better than a book that sold over 1 million copies and was adapted into a movie. My writing might not be at stage yet, but I am arrogant enough to believe it is only a matter of time.

Humble and realistic people don’t change the world. The arrogant ones do. Those that believes the world rotates around them. That the laid down societal conventions are just mere suggestions to be chucked out of the window the minute they start to hinder them.

So today, I am daring you to be arrogant. Delusional. I dare to believe that the world revolves around you. That nothing is beyond your reach. That the Universe will always align to make your delusions come true. People might tell you that “You’re not all that”, but the truth is; You really are all that. The best thing after Jollof Rice.

Aexande🥀.