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1960

Abstract

to acknowledge these people we so pompously criticize may come home at night to relentless children, ones who commander their time so completely they can’t do the twenty-minute workout they planned. We can’t see them look at the numbers on the scale, run to the toilet, and purposely throw up their food because they hate their body and believe change is an impossibility.We are also ignorant when we assume we know the answers to other people’s problems and that we know how to “fix” their lives.We say self-righteously “if I can make it work, so can they” or “I did it, and they can too.” But we are not them, and they are not us. We do not understand them and we will never understand them. And knowing this is true wisdom. And refusing to admit this is true ignorance.We say to others that our friends, family, and coworkers are making “mountains out of molehills,” “blowing things out of proportion,” or that their problems are all in their heads. We say that others’ personal or professional failures are due to their refusal to follow the traditional, logical, or “hard facts” that we deem crucial to success. We say that they’ll never be “cured” of their problems unless they follow the “do this” or “ do that” lists that we so arrogantly deem appropriate for everyone, even strangers we don’t know.But the truth is, we live in a society haunted by pain. The pain of poverty. The pain of abuse or neglect. The pain of broken hearts and broken dreams and broken promises. And we don’t know their personal stories. And we don’t have the answers to their problems, even if we think we do.In short, we shake our heads in dismay at the social or moral sins of others and refuse to see our own faults and failings. And this is the greatest sign of our own ignorance.<h1 id="fde8">Our ignorance and the lies we tell ourselves</h1>One o

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f the greatest areas of our ignorance concerns our own identity and personality. We foolishly judge others and delude ourselves into believing that when it comes to the vast majority of humans, we have the intellectual and moral “high ground.”We say to ourselves, “I would never treat a person that way,” or “I’m not that kind of person,” or “I would never do that,” whatever negative thing that is.And perhaps I’m being a bit of a hypocrite when I say this, but here goes: you have treated people that way and you have been that kind of person and you have done whatever that is you say you would never do.And we show our own ignorance when we don’t realize this fact.We have failed. We have wounded. We have been guilty of the failings and arrogance and ignorance of which we so viciously condemn others. Maybe our “crimes” are less egregious, but we are all guilty and imperfect.Okay yes, we're not pedophiles or murderers. But stealing is stealing and wounding is wounding. The blows we have endured by others? We’ve thrown our own punches as well. The people who have ripped our hearts to shreds? We’ve wielded the same knives.No one is innocent of these mistakes. We are all cruel and insensitive in some ways. And seeing this is true wisdom, and refusing to see this is true ignorance.<h1 id="68f0">The bottom line:</h1>It’s human nature to be ignorant of the lives of others and of ourselves. Yes, we can take steps to lessen our ignorance, but we can never truly see as clearly as we think we do. And it’s imperative to acknowledge this if we are ever to come closer to true wisdom.I’m ignorant. I confess this with absolute pride. And as long as I know I’m ignorant, I’ll be a better human being. Period. And if you think about it, so will you.</article></body>

The Truth About Our Own Ignorance, the Lies We Tell Ourselves, and the Meaning of Real Wisdom

We’re not really as smart as we think we are, and here’s why

Socrates said, “The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing.” And I’m pretty sure no truer words have ever been spoken.

The truth is we excel at being ignorant. It’s our greatest “strength” as members of the human race. And that, my friends, is a sad, sad fact.

Why?

Because our ignorance, lies, and deceptions are keeping us from successful relationships, keeping us from personal growth, and keeping us from seeing the truth about our own identity, the identities of others, and our world as a whole.

Think about it.

We say things all the time that reveal our own ignorance. We do this when we say phrases such as “I know what he’s up to,” or “I know what she’s trying to do,” or when we pridefully state that “I know what the problem is,” or “the simple truth is…”

But the truth is never simple. Never.

Our ignorance and the lies we tell others

We are ignorant when we assume that we know the pain, backstories, and truths about others’ lives.

For example, we say to others that our overweight coworkers are choosing to “let themselves go.” And we are ignorant when we choose not to accept the possibility that things are not as we see them.

We refuse to acknowledge these people we so pompously criticize may come home at night to relentless children, ones who commander their time so completely they can’t do the twenty-minute workout they planned. We can’t see them look at the numbers on the scale, run to the toilet, and purposely throw up their food because they hate their body and believe change is an impossibility.

We are also ignorant when we assume we know the answers to other people’s problems and that we know how to “fix” their lives.

We say self-righteously “if I can make it work, so can they” or “I did it, and they can too.” But we are not them, and they are not us. We do not understand them and we will never understand them. And knowing this is true wisdom. And refusing to admit this is true ignorance.

We say to others that our friends, family, and coworkers are making “mountains out of molehills,” “blowing things out of proportion,” or that their problems are all in their heads. We say that others’ personal or professional failures are due to their refusal to follow the traditional, logical, or “hard facts” that we deem crucial to success. We say that they’ll never be “cured” of their problems unless they follow the “do this” or “ do that” lists that we so arrogantly deem appropriate for everyone, even strangers we don’t know.

But the truth is, we live in a society haunted by pain. The pain of poverty. The pain of abuse or neglect. The pain of broken hearts and broken dreams and broken promises. And we don’t know their personal stories. And we don’t have the answers to their problems, even if we think we do.

In short, we shake our heads in dismay at the social or moral sins of others and refuse to see our own faults and failings. And this is the greatest sign of our own ignorance.

Our ignorance and the lies we tell ourselves

One of the greatest areas of our ignorance concerns our own identity and personality. We foolishly judge others and delude ourselves into believing that when it comes to the vast majority of humans, we have the intellectual and moral “high ground.”

We say to ourselves, “I would never treat a person that way,” or “I’m not that kind of person,” or “I would never do that,” whatever negative thing that is.

And perhaps I’m being a bit of a hypocrite when I say this, but here goes: you have treated people that way and you have been that kind of person and you have done whatever that is you say you would never do.

And we show our own ignorance when we don’t realize this fact.

We have failed. We have wounded. We have been guilty of the failings and arrogance and ignorance of which we so viciously condemn others. Maybe our “crimes” are less egregious, but we are all guilty and imperfect.

Okay yes, we're not pedophiles or murderers. But stealing is stealing and wounding is wounding. The blows we have endured by others? We’ve thrown our own punches as well. The people who have ripped our hearts to shreds? We’ve wielded the same knives.

No one is innocent of these mistakes. We are all cruel and insensitive in some ways. And seeing this is true wisdom, and refusing to see this is true ignorance.

The bottom line:

It’s human nature to be ignorant of the lives of others and of ourselves. Yes, we can take steps to lessen our ignorance, but we can never truly see as clearly as we think we do. And it’s imperative to acknowledge this if we are ever to come closer to true wisdom.

I’m ignorant. I confess this with absolute pride. And as long as I know I’m ignorant, I’ll be a better human being. Period. And if you think about it, so will you.