Prompted by a recent “Nick Burns” (Saturday Night Live character) event I needed to vent.
I never cease to be amazed by the vast number of people who put themselves in situations assuming they are the smartest person in a conversation, inevitably this always makes them the dumbest person in the conversation. I am guilty of this on occasion but I try to learn from my mistakes as often as possible. As a general rule I always assume that most people are smarter than I am. I have always taken this approach, because I have never met someone that given the opportunity could not teach me something. The passing of knowledge from one person to another tends to be a more fruitful and enjoyable when coupled with a little humility. I have always approached things in this manner is because it gives me a reason to puck myself as hard as humanly possible. In my opinion the key to putting yourself in a position of authority rests solely on an individuals desire and ability to study and comprehend the existing information on a particular topic coupled with the intellect to derive new conclusions. I truly believe that at the rate things change on this great planet, at any given time I know <1% of what I want or need to know. This philosophy has provided me with an insatiable thirst to know more and hopefully the ability learn enough to hold an intelligent conversation, but I would never consider myself an expert on anything; there is just to much to learn!
I feel much better now!