There’s no word in the English language for hubris. The ancient Greeks and Romans wrote about it often. Oedipus in his pride refused to step aside for another on his path and unknowingly killed his father. As a result he goes on in his ignorance to marry his mother, a sort of ironic come-uppance from fate. The word means a lack of humility coupled with overconfident presumption, and usually precedes a suitable downfall.
Wikipedia has a great modern example:
“During the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, American snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis had attained a seemingly insurmountable lead in the Snowboard Cross event final until she attempted a celebratory method grab as she neared completion of the course. The unnecessary move caused her to fall, allowing Tanja Frieden of Switzerland to pass her and win the gold medal. The media has cited this incident as an example of modern-day athletic hubris.”
So…my hubris was assuming my recovery was going so well that I thought I could start back at work three weeks early, and I told people I was “as fit as a lion”. I’m still very well, and there’s no big problem to my health, but starting Tuesday morning I got a nose bleed that wouldn’t stop. I’m on blood thinners so essentially I had a bright red dripping nose from about 11am until bedtime. A trip to the anti-coagulation clinic and some advice has kept the drip somewhat manageable, but still not something you want to inflict on other people.
When you presume too much and get overconfident you leave yourself open to problems! Now I have to eat humble pie and get ready for next week’s challenges. It's a sobering lesson in hubris.
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