(Madisyn Taylor)
There is wisdom in not knowing, and it is a wise person who can say, "I don't know." For no one knows everything. There are many types of wisdom - from intellectual to emotional to physical intelligence. Yet, even deemed experts in their fields do not know all there is to know … it is a true master who professes ignorance, for only an empty vessel can be filled.
There are many things in life that we don't know, and there are many things we may have no interest in finding out. There is freedom in saying "I don't know." When we admit that we don't know something, we can then open ourselves up to the opportunity to learn. And there is power in that. We can't possibly know everything … a person who can admit to not knowing tends to be more intellectually and emotionally confident than someone who pretends to know everything. They also tend to be more comfortable with who they are and don't feel the need to bluff or cover up any perceived ignorance. People can actually end up appearing more foolish when they act as if they know something that they don't.
My Thoughts:
The problem I have being a tutor is that the people in my groups have a tendency to expect me to always know all the answers, and I really wish it was the case a lot of the time because I would love to be able to help them. The reality is that most of the time we end up learning together, which to be honest is often a lot more fun.
The other issue I have is with people that come to my groups and actively try to catch me out for not knowing something that they do. There seems to be a kind of one-upmanship game that they play to put me down and try to make me seem inferior and ignorant.
I really cannot get my head around this kind of attitude. I love learning new things and if someone brings knowledge to the group that I do not possess then everyone wins, especially me as that’s a little bit more information I will have gathered and have at my fingertips to pass on.