So Smart...

Well, it's been said a bazillion times before - the older I get and the more I learn, the more I realize how little I know. 

Often times kids expect their science teacher to know everything.  The more I've been at this teaching gig, the less difficult it has become to admit to a kid that I don't know the answer to a particular question.  I'll tell them what I do know,where to look for the answer, then ask a few days later what they found out.  Most don't bother, just wanting a quick and definitive answer.

Watched the first episode of the new Cosmos show.  I like the old one better.  The feel of the old one was one of wonder and discovery.  The feel of this one is one of they're certain of their
answers and we're lucky they're letting us in on it. 

The older I get the more I seem to be coming into contact with "Cliff Clavens" who are convinced of how damned smart they are.  So, if you're so damned smart why do you work so hard at convincing everyone of it?  Is it so threatening that you might not be the smartest person in the room?

Also, the older I get the less patience I seem to have for the Cliffies.  I'm tired of having to be aggressive when conversing with these kinds of people, who so stubbornly cling to their need to be right even when they're not or if there isn't just one right view.   Can't we just have a conversation where you aren't the expert giving a lecture to anyone who will listen?

The genuinely off-the-charts intelligent folks I've had a chance to meet over the years have had a humility that these new know-it-alls seem to lack.  I'm not one of the truly bright ones.  Never have been, never will be.  I'm O.K. with that though.  Love talking with the folks who are.

I still love the process of learning.  Don't think I'll ever get tired of it.

What do you know?  What are you willing to admit that you don't know?