Do you know a know-it-all? I'll bet you do. In fact, if you ask the Mrs., she'll tell you you're reading a know-it-all's site. Anyway, how many times do you encounter someone that claims to have some knowledge about something, only to discover after a few minutes that he or she doesn't know shit? If you think really hard about it, I'll bet some of you have been that person on occasion. I know I have. Maybe you were trying to impress someone for some reason. Maybe you wanted to be seen as a smarter person than you really are (that's my excuse). At any rate, it's more impressive (and rare) when someone has the guts to admit ignorance. As Socrates said, "As for me, all I know is that I know nothing."
I'm mainly thinking about this one guy I work with. He's a nice enough chap, but he annoys the piss out of everyone in a 30′ radius with his inane babblings that are supposed to convince us all that he's not really the stupidest person within 4 miles. He knows more about cars, computers, cell phones, travel, and weather (dear God, the weather) than anyone in the Great Plains. If you have the opportunity to refute his "facts" with a book or publication written by the most respected scholars in the Western world, he will tell you that your information is outdated. His information always comes from the Internet, TV, or "a friend" and is therefore much more accurate. And his ears are a marvel of evolution. He can hear a conversation that he wants to interject himself into from up to 100 feet away. The most amazing thing is his powers of hearing work across crowded rooms and through lead walls. And he won't waste the time to cross the room to correct - no, no - he'll shout across unfathomable distances the correct information that you so desperately needed. Eventually, everyone ends up wanting to start a mosh pit on the poor fool's testicles.
My point here, which I've tried to discuss with tonight's protagonist, is that there's nothing wrong with ignorance. Without ignorance, there is no learning. Without ignorance, all knowledge would be instinctual and humans would be no better than those fucking cats on my couch. But, ignorance is often seen as a weakness, an intellectual shortcoming. And it's perfectly human to want to hide or downplay weaknesses. We often hide weakness by overcompensating and that's how someone becomes an insufferable know-it-all. I used to be a frequent offender myself. However, the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know.
So, if someone brings up a topic that you're not well-versed in, don't pretend you are. You'll end up looking like a bigger douche than if you'd just said "I don't know." Or, if you have a little knowledge, by all means share it. When you reach the limits of what you know, say that you don't know anymore than that. After a while, those around you will respect your honesty. They may even think you're wise. They won't want to tee off on your nut sack.
23:10 | Gen. Philosophy | Comments (4)