That arrogance and ignorance reinforce each other and can really make a mess. I learned that, when pushing comes to shoving, I would do what I had to do to stay alive. I'm as human as the next impostor. But, there are lines you shouldn't cross easily, often or without a damn good reason. Not enough people have learned that.
Life is full of decision points and ambiguity.
The more chances you handle, the likelier you are to make an error. Besides, you can't beat yourself over the head forever. My Vietnam experience began when I had to bum a ride with Air America to escape the Transient Barracks and get to my outfit. Sometime before Tet I'd run into the same guy from Chicago that I'd met on a flight to California. We'd hung together in San Francisco, during our last night in the States.