The Arrogant and the Reed Rider

Τhe word arrogant comes from the ancient Greek ἀλαζών (alazṓn), which meant the boaster, the deceiver, the one who pretends to be more than he really is. It describes the person who displays excessive self-confidence, vanity, and a sense of superiority - someone who looks down on others and believes he is above them.

Likewise, the Greek expression “he rode the reed” (καβάλησε το καλάμι), refers to a person who sits on a simple reed but believes he is riding a horse - feeling like a king. He imagines he holds power, authority, and status. It's similar to the phrase: “his ego went to his head.”

The arrogant pretends to be something he is not. The one “Reed Rider” believes (truly) he is something he is not. Both think they already know everything - that there’s nothing more to learn. They ignore reality, but this cannot last forever.

For both, the greatest blessing that can happen to them is defeat. Defeat humbles them. It strikes them like a wake-up slap, bringing them face to face with reality. Some need a few slaps. Some need many. Some need one big one.

Defeat brings them to Socrates’ truth: “Ἕν οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα” - One thing I know: that I know nothing. That is the starting point of the path of “Know Thyself” (Γνώθι Σαυτόν) - one of the most important Delphic maxims: to know oneself.

Socrates believed that self-knowledge is the beginning of all virtue, and only through it can one live rightly. To know your limits. To understand your strengths so you can cultivate them further. And to recognize your weaknesses so you can work on and transform them.

But this cannot happen without the desire for knowledge - and, more importantly, the inner space to receive it. “Ἕν οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα” is the awareness of ignorance that gives birth to curiosity - and curiosity gives birth to the desire of knowledge.

As for the arrogant and those “riding the reed,” we may try to help them - to see if they are ready, in some way, to move forward. If not, let’s stay nearby - to catch them when they fall.

My mentor used to say, "you cannot change people, but they can change themselves."

At the end, let’s stay to Know Thyself - to our own Know Thyself. Our example is the best way to help others.

I become better - so I can make you better.

Nakis Theocharides

07/10/25