Have you ever met a soul who knows it all?
Who always has to be right and can never be wrong?
With more knowledge than an encyclopedia
And an equal amount of arrogance to match?
Who identifies himself with this power
Unreservedly for the whole world to know?
And when attacked or challenged in any way
Lashes out like a mother bear protecting her cubs?
Whenever we feel we are sure of the truth
When we know we’re right while others are wrong
When we counsel others without their consent
Or adamantly speak about what we know not
We are as charlatans in a public display
Caring not for the knowledge, but for our own gain
For that blind confidence always closes us down
Stunting our growth and shutting off our learning
And lets us consider not what else might be true
More light and knowledge down another avenue
It’s like the teenager who has life figured out
Or the professor who hides behind his vast knowledge
It’s the homeless guy lecturing on wealth attainment
Or the ignoramus stating how the world should be run
It’s the unregistered with strong political views
Or the spectator advising how the team should be coached
It’s the divorced teaching a class on relationships
Or the uneducated portraying omniscience
The result of knowing absolutely everything
Is that we can not possibly learn any more
And more often than not, what we claim we know
Is utterly wrong, incomplete, or distorted
The cause is our pride and false self-assurance
Because we would be hurt if proved to be wrong
When as humans we recognize our own faults
We open the door to more growth and more learning
The greatest sages and teachers of all ages
Spend most of their time learning and less time advising
Humility is the answer which breaks down our pride
We then consider what we would have shot down before
The greatest treasures of wisdom are only reserved
For those meek souls always looking for more
Those precious treasures the prideful can not find
Are happiness, love, and connecting with others
Funny how what we seek in showing knowledge
Is the very thing that repels us being understood
–Jason Westlake
Thurs., November 9, 2006
