Amrutha: In the world we live in today, there is competition from the smallest to biggest things. Competition drives our mindset which leads to overconfidence.

Jasmine: Every step we climb higher in life, we build overconfidence. This leads to us thinking that we are beyond reach which means that we aren’t ready if something suddenly goes wrong.

Amrutha: This goes with the idea of expecting the best and preparing for the worst. In general, when life is going your way, people tend to forget that life can go astray at any given moment.

Jasmine: Think about it Amrutha, when we were kids, we were narrated famous stories such as “The Tortoise and the Hare,” part of Aesop’s Fables.

Amrutha: In the story, the hare lost the race because he was arrogant and didn’t expect the slow tortoise to beat him.

Jasmine: Totally, his overconfidence led to his failure. Similar to Aesop’s fables, the media also portrays overconfidence through characters in children's movies.

Amrutha: Oh my gosh, like the movie Cars! Lightning McQueen believed that he did not need any further training and could acquire the sponsorship. However, he quickly came to learn that life is not about winning after he got lost in Route 66.

Jasmine: Knowing this, we can clearly show what overconfidence leads people to do. To help us achieve our point, let's think to real people who have faced problems with overconfidence.

Amrutha: Napoleon Bonaparte is a fabulous historical example of an overconfident person. He appeared to be invincible and arguably was the greatest military commander in history. But, his desire for power and overconfidence led to his downfall where he committed major mistakes.

Jasmine: He believed that he could conquer and invade Russia before the winter, but a combination of the freezing weather and disease annihilated his army.

Amrutha: Exactly! Napoleon assumed that he could invade Russia in less than a year and didn’t prepare for the worst. Napoleon did not prepare for winter because he thought he was untouchable but ended up retreating. The Retreat from Moscow was considered one of the most epic failures in history.

Jasmine: Wait Amrutha! I suddenly remembered how we can connect this idea to the play we covered in class.  

Amrutha: Are you talking about Macbeth?

Jasmine: Yes! This catastrophic play was written by Shakespeare, in 1623 for King James I of England.

Amrutha: The main character, Macbeth, was misled into thinking that he was greater than fate. Jasmine: He claimed himself to be above wisdom, grace, and fear. His overconfidence on the throne led to his downfall.

Amrutha: Specifically, the witches’ purpose in Macbeth is to make Macbeth feel overconfident which creates chaos in Macbeth’s life.

Jasmine: Hecate, the leader of the three witches, states “Security is mortal’s chiefest enemy.”

Amrutha: This quote is seriously inspiring. Let’s dig into it and understand its meaning.

Jasmine: Let’s identify how Hecate defines security.

Amrutha: When Hecate says security, she means a feeling of safeness. Her words give Macbeth a sense of false certainty which made him develop an ego.

Jasmine: This ego was his overconfidence. So, Hecate basically means that overconfidence is a person’s enemy because when they feel overconfident, that is when they gain a feeling of security.

Amrutha: Yes!  Security also has many flaws that are unable to stop the negativity in your mind.

Jasmine: That is why, in Macbeth’s case, the idea of security or overconfidence was not able to stop the corruption from within, but encourage the spread of it.

Amrutha: After learning about the effects of overconfidence, Jasmine and I asked ourselves, how does this fit into our lives?

Jasmine: Overconfidence can lead to poor judgement such as taking the jump from easier classes to difficult classes without preparation.

Amrutha: Why don’t you tell me a specific situation?

Jasmine: When you transition from freshman year to sophomore year, the level of difficulty increases and often students do not prepare for the worst.

Amrutha: I see where you’re coming from! Students often do not put in additional effort into their harder classes since they don’t realize the extra skills necessary for the class.

Jasmine: Some teenagers can also have an ego from their overconfidence.

Amrutha: Where do you think this “ego” comes from?

Jasmine: This comes from unrealistic expectations concerning their futures without putting any effort.

Amrutha: Explain yourself.  

Jasmine: Like a student who does not study for a test because they think they are comfortable with the material, but ends up failing the test.

Amrutha: Those are some examples in our everyday life, but what about social media?

Jasmine: Social media does have an effect on people’s self-esteem, but it is also a method for people to display their overconfidence.

Amrutha: What do you mean, Jasmine?

Jasmine: Well, the more followers a person has, it feeds into their confidence. More followers equal more attention and that can make a person feel pretty overconfident.

Amrutha: You make a great point, Jasmine. When people gain more likes and comments, the more overconfident that person gets.

Jasmine: And later on they feel like they can post anything that they want, even if it could be  offensive.

Amrutha: Social media is only a part of what people’s general knowledge is.

Jasmine: It reflects how people think about themselves.

Amrutha: Basically, the more someone knows, the more they assume.

Jasmine: What exactly do you mean?

Amrutha: What I mean is, the feeling of overconfidence does not just cause us to feel like we know more than we actually do, but it can also trick us into assuming that our abilities are greater than they really are.

Jasmine: I see what you are thinking. It leads us to overestimate our abilities that could cause failure in the end.

Amrutha: Like Napoleon Bonaparte, Lightning McQueen, Macbeth, and the hare!

Jasmine: Yes, that’s right. They all succumbed to overconfidence after many previous successes because they magnified their abilities.

Amrutha: Not only were they overconfident, but they were arrogant because they believed they would stay in a comfortable position in life.

Jasmine: Yes, because they were comfortable, they were ignorant in expecting that things do not always go your way.

Amrutha: As people, we should always remember to face our challenges head-on with preparation.

Jasmine: And no matter how prosperous life will be, stay cautious of the unknown.

Amrutha: So together let’s all smile big and face life successfully while hoping for the best and preparing for the worst!