Do Confident People And/or Big Crowds Scare You?
People as a rule can easily become intimidated by confident people. A strong, deep voice can be scary. Or a personality who "shifts his weight around." He looks like he knows everything. Or people who wear impressive clothing, albeit for religious reasons. Beards and Payos can be scary, despite the fact that that person may be a weak shleppy person, with 10 times more issues than you have.
A tough person, a leader, or any kind of successful person can be a form of Avoda Zara Mamash; you start "worshipping" him. You forget about his never-ending bathroom needs, and his "alive and well" Yetzer Hara that you don’t know about. Especially if he is a Rosh Yeshiva or a Tzaddik; he can be even a worse form of Avoda Zara if you keep forgetting Hashem when you keep chapping Hispa'alus "Ooh! Ahh! What a giant!" "What a power!"
Do you know that Hitler, Y'mach Sh'mo, was super confident? So the next time all those self-confident, "put together", "feet on the ground" "gods" that you keep worshipping are before you, remember! Maybe they are a: גִ לְ גוּל re-embodiment of Hitler, Y'mach Sh'mo (Chas V'shalom, how dare you say that!). If you saw: אוֹתוֹ ר ש ע that Rasha, or watched how the "holy" Fuhrer lined up tens of thousands of his soldiers in Nurenberg Square, and hundreds of thousands of people lifted their hands saluting that Rasha with "Heil - !", you might be tempted to do the same!
He had one massive rally after another, and a normal person couldn't help being overwhelmed with Hispa'alus. That's why Hispa'alus is so dangerous. Do you know what the Germans were singing as they marched in perfect formation with their impressive goose steps? "We will squeeze the blood out of the Jews".
The Germans were not Tzaddikim. But it's a known fact, that Hitler, Y'mach Sh'mo, spent years of clever brainwashing his country that "Die Juden Zeinen Unzer Umglick" (the Jews are our tragedy), with many, many fake movies depicting Jews as worse than demons. R’ Gershon Liebman said that if there hadn't been a: הִ תְ נַּ גְ דוּת revolt against Mussar, then there would not have been a Holocaust.
The idea of Limud HaMussar is to brainwash yourself to believe and have Bitachon in Hashem, and to remember the truth of your existence, etc. No wonder R’ Gershon was so fearless against the Nazis, and he actually built a Yeshiva in their presence. (He came out publicly against hiding from them; imagine how real Hashem was by him??) He had brainwashed himself with Mussar overtime, by saying: וַּאֲנִי קִרְ בַּת אֱלֹקִים לִי טוֹב תהלים עג כח closeness to Hashem is my good, etc. many, many times.
Instead, we had the Germans brainwashing themselves that the best thing in the world is to persecute Jews, Rachmana Litzlan. The more Mussar we learn, especially about Bitachon and not being afraid of people, the more we bring Bracha into this world, and especially into our own lives. Don't be afraid of confident people! They aren't g-ds! They are there Min HaShamayim to test you.
Hashem wants to see: "Are you more afraid of them than Me?" Remember how Avraham Avinu smashed idols. So too, in our mind we need to smash all those Hispa'alus areas, like confident people, big crowds, or massive buildings, etc. You admire confident people, because in Olam HaZeh they are the big shots. The truth is just the opposite.
Halevai they aren't going to burn in Gehinom, which is a place tailor made for Baalei Ga’ava (Gemara). The meek, insecure, and maybe somewhat anxious and depressive person is a Ben Olam HaBah. However, please don't start deciding that any person with self-confidence is Gehinom material. There is plenty of hope for them, especially if they channel their Ga’ava properly. Also, don't be so sure that their self-confidence is real; it may be a put-on or a habit, etc.
