Creative Commons license courtesy An Untrained Eye

Among these things, one thing seems certain – that nothing certain exists and that there is nothing more pitiful
or more presumptuous than man.

– Pliny The Elder

It’s our ego.

We humans have the unique ability to imagine, and we use this imagination to build ourselves up to more than we are. We use this imagination to create things which aren’t true. We (mis)use this imagination, to think up things that end up harming ourselves.

Sometimes, an perspective on ourselves from some other direction can help us get better grounded.