“Blessed are those who are not afraid to admit that they don’t know something.” – The Zahir by Paolo Coelho
One of my biggest pet-peeves is when people don’t admit if they don’t know something. I had a friend like that. There were times when it was obvious he wasn’t following me and yet he’d simply nod and act like he was completely following me.
I find this to be true for both men and women, but for different reasons. Men are too macho and it’s not “macho” to admit that you may not know something. Women are too scared to look stupid, expecially when they talk to someone who isn’t. It drives me absolutely bonkers in both cases. Fact is, won’t you stay stupid if you never admit you don’t know something and thus never ask and never learn?
Somehow I misses the memo that said it was embarrassing to ask questions. I ask shit all the time to everyone. First of all, I find people like talking about stuff they know. Secondly, they love when they have the opportunity to teach you something. It makes them look good. So there’s an opportunity for you to learn something AND to make the other person feel good.
Why, exactly, would you pass that up?
Also, why does not knowing something make you look stupid? None of us know everything and we could all learn from each other if only we weren’t afraid to ask.
So, next time you have the opportunity to learn from someone. Seize it.
And then let me know,too, so I can learn!
“Wisest is she who knows she does not know.” – Socrates
I have learned so much by having a child so different from me about how people’s fears drive their behavior. It’s so hard to fathom the actions of some people when they don’t make any sense at all to me. I find (with my child anyway) that the most important question is not, why do you act that way, or how can you be missing this, but rather, what are you afraid of?
unfortunately society conditions us to not ask. it’s bad to stand out. it’s bad to call attention. so we quickly learn to be afraid of it.