COLUMN: Is it worth it to always be right?
We all know knowledge is power. The more we have, the greater chance of success. I have been in awe of a couple of people I’ve known in my life because of the knowledge they had. We hold respect for those professors who have spent their lives studying a particular subject to become experts in their field. A true teacher comes from not only what someone knows, but what they understand.
It is a normal desire to want more knowledge. In fact, everyone reading this is most likely a student going to USU to gain an education or a professor who holds professional degrees and yet still spends a vast amount of time doing continued research. We are all in a pursuit of our own to attain more knowledge and become better educated. It is extremely noble to pursue that desire and work to gain more knowledge, and it is superb when that knowledge is shared to better help others know and understand the world around us. Nobody has yet arrived at the point of being all-knowledgeable, so don’t act like you have.
Come on, everyone knows what I’m talking about. You know, that guy or girl that seems to have an opinion on everything and, oddly enough, knows absolutely everything there is to know about any certain subject. Don’t you just want to say to them, “Hey, Bill Nye, hold your breath and fight the urge to gasp!” The beautiful thing is when you are actually talking about something you know a lot about, for some reason they think they know more.
There are three classic types of “know-it-alls.” First, the ones who were born with ultimate academic or historical knowledge of everything, with no research whatsoever.
For example, I was recently involved in a conversation with someone who claimed to know more about my religion than I did. He was not a member of my faith, but as we were discussing a particular subject of religion, he insisted that he was right on historical facts. I had spent more than five years studying this particular subject and while trying to carry on a conversation with this individual, he insisted that he knew everything there was to know when, clearly, his facts were off. There are few subjects I claim to know very well, but this was one of them. Although he had not studied the subject as I had, he still claimed to be in the right.
The second type of “know-it-all” is the kind who seems to know everything there is to know about life in general and what would be best for you.
I have a friend who is always more than willing to give her opinion on what you should do in any given situation. She gives dating, family, relationship and spiritual advice on a daily basis, whether or not it is asked for. She is a self-proclaimed Miss Manners and the ultimate Dr. Phil in any given situation.
Lastly, there are the “know-it-alls” who might not have all the knowledge, but they are sure they have more of it than you do.
My mother goes into a semi-panic every time one of my aunt comes to visit because she knows that her oven won’t be clean enough, her counters won’t be shiny enough, her home won’t be decorated right and her furniture will be in the wrong places. Why? Because her sister will tell her that’s how it is. She doesn’t necessarily claim to know everything about housekeeping or interior decorating, but she’ll be the first to tell you you don’t know enough.
Today’s society is an age of immediate information, and whoever has the most wins at the end of the day. Accepting you’re wrong takes a little bit of humility. Pride has taken over the place of respect and understanding. I’ve learned that most of the time, listening to others rather than listening to myself will actually help me gain more knowledge in the long run. If you notice when you’re having a conversation with others, you are the only one talking and no one else is responding or you find yourself repeating what you just said over and over, you might be guilty of a condition of know-it-allism. And it might be a good idea to grab a slice of humble pie, shut your mouth for a couple of minutes and just listen.
The “know-it-alls” of the world are like roaches. No matter where you go, you are always going to run into one, and you wish there was something you could do about it. And when you do finally bump into a “know-it-all,” it’s too late and you’re thinking that Mack truck approaching looks really inviting, anything to get away from this irritating person. So to all you know-it-alls, keep in mind that you may be to blame for dozens of suicide by Mack trucks if you can’t keep your opinions to yourselves.
Scott Anderson is a junior in aviation technology. Comments can be sent to seanderson@cc.usu.edu.