Why is it that true competence makes people uneasy? I repeat, some things never change....
Competent people always force those around them to look at their own failings, unintentionally. The competent ones become the benchmark for good work and how to excel in life. Those that are good at what they do are not in that position because they were lucky. It is because they worked harder, practiced harder and have the clarity of thought that those around them never bothered to strive for. This, of course, brings out jealousy in others. The contempt they show for "the good ones" arises from an insecurity in their own skills, and the way they lead their own lives. Their comparison is purely unprovoked and is the struggle for improving confidence in their own work. The sudden "self-awareness" scares them, and they would rather stomp it back from where it came, than accept it and improve their lives as a result. "Self-awareness" is a dirty word that most people call "conceit" but it is the only true way to know what you are, who you are, and what is and is not possible in life. Interaction with those that are competent, for those that are not, is like waking up from a dream that you enjoyed because it was a "fantasy", to realize the stark reality of who you really are. It can be frightening for many people, and they would rather not wake up from their "fantasy". There will always be those that hate competence because it reflects too much on their own lives and it accentuates their own personal failings.
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