Three Signs You Might Not Be As Wise As You Think You Are
Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~ George Bernard Shaw
No one likes to be considered a fool, but, fools there are! Now, it is not my intention to insult, but, you see, foolishness is simply a concept and anyone who conforms to the definition is one. So rather than call you a fool, I hope this will help you understand some traits of folly so that you can check yourself to avoid being one [or to quit being one if you find you already are]
You’re Cocky: Fools don’t know a whole lot of things. First, they don’t know what they need to know, and secondly, they do not know that they don’t know. And that’s where the real trouble lies. The fool thinks he knows and so doesn’t find the need to listen to or learn from anyone. That explains their cocky and unteachable attitude.
You see, foolishness has ignorance as its foundation and arrogance as its pillar. When you combine these two lethal ingredients, what you’ll have is a hostile individual who tends to do a lot of arguing. If you find yourself getting too much into arguments a bit too often, then you might want to do a check and ensure you’re not foolish.
Stuck On Your Own Opinion: You find it hard to see from the perspective of others. The smart guy knows that life is not simply black and white nor is there a strictly one answer to all of life’s many questions, so he is not afraid to be wrong. Rather than see life from the wrong and right paradigm, the wise sees it in term of perspectives. So, he learns to respect other people’s perspective and opinion, even when it’s not in sync with his own.
This is one vital attribute that the fool doesn’t have. The fool believes there is only one right answer to anything and that there’s only one right way to approach issues – his own. As a result, he is always in an argumentative and combatant mode to defend his weak and narrow perspectives.
Can’t Stand Being Wrong: When you have an undying and unquenchable need to prove you’re right and others are wrong, you might need to do a check. The smart guy knows there is a need to know and that there’s a lot he doesn’t know yet and so he maintains an open mind and teachable disposition.
Not so the fool. He believes being wrong is wrong. For him being right or wrong is a very personal issue, and allows it to go from being a mere fact to affecting him at a personal level. This guy defines himself by what people say and so sees accepting that he is wrong as a death sentence. As such, he will fight tooth and nail to prove he is right even when it’s clear to everyone else that he is in the wrong.
The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool. ~ William Shakespeare
