The assumption of wisdom

abouttobebanned

When we were in school we were taught to believe that those with power over us had so for a reason - they were wealthy with intelligence and good sense. It started with our parents. But when we grow older we realise that anyone can be a parent and in the most case, we're just winging it.

Next were the teachers. So intelligent so wise. So authoritative. Of course as we grow older we realise that they have been teaching the same crap for 20 years and no amount of dead poets society or mr holland's fcuking opus can make us believe that they give a s hit anymore or ever did. And teachers handbooks do indeed exist.

Priests, nuns and Christian brothers. They work for God, so they must be intelligent and wise. When you're finished laughing, we'll read on.

When we visited the doctor we were sure that this was the dude that would make us better. Almost super he was with his power to heal. It wasn't until I saw my doctor googling a problem I asked him about that I realised that he's just a man. A man who has studied many years of his life but a man just the same. And we forget things. Quickly.

Guards must be intelligent and sensible right? No, they're just people. People who are seduced just as easily by the temptress of power. I saw a guard with no seatbelt go through a red light while talking on his mobile phone. Seriously.

The people who run the government. Well if they're running the country they must be intelligent right? Smart? Sensible? It may well be the most important job in the country...like a very busy babysitter. And yet, the only job that requires less qualifications is that of a blood donor. No leaving very required. Popular? Know people with money? You too could run the country.

What's my point? Well as a country we tend to bury our heads in the sand because we believe that the right people are keeping everything ticking over. We'll take care of our little part, whether that's baking cakes, flipping burgers or licking balls - and the people with the "better" jobs will look after everything. The reality is that every one of those people, in jobs of awesome importance is fallible. And it's fallibility that has brought this country to its knees and has the world waiting in line.

MrStuffins

In before this is moved to the Megamerge thread

Saila

assumption is the mother of all fcuk up's

Star Bingo

it is, but we still do it.

i'm cutting down on assumptions for the new year

MrStuffins

Star Bingo wrote: »

it is, but we still do it.

i'm cutting down on assumptions for the new year

Or so you assume!

Coriolanus

I was raised with a healthy disrespect of authority in all its forms. Sounds like your parents have something to answer for.

MrStuffins

Nevore wrote: »

I was raised with a healthy disrespect of authority in all its forms. Sounds like your parents have something to answer for.

My parents told me to disrespect authority figures and to tell them to **** themselves if they tried to infect me with "wisdom".

They were authority figures, so i told them to **** themselves with their wisdom.............. therefore i love authority figures!

Star Bingo

MrStuffins wrote: »

Or so you assume!

hehe hard one to quit. i just stated i'll be cutting down :rolleyes: remains to be seen.

hullaballoo

Well, this is certainly less than a revelation despite the promise of the title.



Yawn.

starbelgrade

"True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us."

Socrates

Wise words - especially for a football player.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Wisdom comes with age. You won't find too many people with true wisdom. It's about perspective too.

Saila

Ford Helpful Snowmobile wrote: »

Wisdom comes with age. You won't find too many people with true wisdom. It's about perspective too.

no it comes by experience and perspective

Hank_Jones

abouttobebanned wrote: »

Next were the teachers. So intelligent so wise. So authoritative. Of course as we grow older we realise that they have been teaching the same crap for 20 years and no amount of dead poets society or mr holland's fcuking opus can make us believe that they give a s hit anymore or ever did. And teachers handbooks do indeed exist.

God, I never thought this, always thought that these people weren't particularly intelligent.
Had great fun doing Shakespeare in school: "What does that sentence mean miss?" And then the teacher would refer to the few words in the play where she actually knew the meaning....

Different story with college lecturers though, had a couple of the smartest people I've ever met lecturing me. Plus they know that they don't know everything, which is what some primary/secondary educators try to convey.

Sergeant

Hard work is the mother of success. Getting up in the morning and realising that you as a person are the one that can control your own destiny? Refreshing.

rubadub

abouttobebanned wrote: »

Next were the teachers. So intelligent so wise. So authoritative.

Once you learn about the "points system" it sort of dispells how supposedly wise or educated many professions require you to be to get into. Of course you could have a genius working in mcdonalds, but there should be little presumption of intelligence/wisdom just because people are in some professions.

raah!

I think you are misusing the word wisdom. And also the word intelligent. Those people are all knowledgeable. A teacher is knowledgable about the leaving cert (especially compared to the students they teach), a doctor is knowledgable about medecine. It would be folly to not listen to these people when they speak about their own particular areas of expertise.