We can’t stand a know-it-all.
Their delusional self-confidence is simply maddening to us. That they can blindly assume mastery of any and all topics is preposterous. Regardless of their experience or understanding, they appear compelled to provide us their ‘invaluable’ two-cents.
Sadly, other people aren’t the only ones afflicted by this condition. We too can fall victim to this way of thinking / acting if not vigilant. Success, the absence of comparison, or an inaccurate understanding of our strengths and limitations can see us arrive at this same unwelcome reality. Solomon offers the thoughts below in regards to this topic:
“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure;
real survivors learn wisdom from others.”
Solomon leaves no qualifiers but plainly states that “[we’re] a fool for sure” when we think we have it all figured out. What a surprisingly encouraging statement! For when read again, one realizes that we wont, and aren’t expected to, understand everything. We find ourselves suddenly free of the tremendous burden of gleaning the supreme knowledge of the universe, or at least pretending we had. And we begin to understand all our posturing was in vain. For aggregation of information was never the objective; people were. And we can only care for them through humility.
Understanding this perspective, how are we to engage others? If we aren’t to barrage them with information, are we to feign ignorance? I submit that a compromise exists. Below are several questions we can ask ourselves in order to ensure we remain of value and clear of the know-it-all moniker:
Do I have mastery of the topic at hand?
Are they looking for / ready for advice?
Am I providing said advice out of love for the person?
If we can answer yes to the questions above then we are in the sweet spot. For while we can’t stand a know-it-all, we could all use a know-it-some in our lives. Let us be of real value to those around us and not close our minds to their wisdom as well.