“Life’s tough, but it’s tougher when you’re stupid.” — John Wayne
Choosing who we listen to and learning from life’s mistakes can help
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—So speaketh the prophet, John Wayne.
I know, this quote sounds pretty harsh — but then, this is JW. We can’t necessarily expect loving overtures from the man, the cowboy, the legend.
And it tickled me, for various reasons, including just how ‘on brand’ it was for him. But the real reason it became the title is because of just how true it is.
And I’m not looking to be disrespectful, I’m simply thinking of those who choose to be adamantly attached to opinions, outlook, perspective — with no curiosity.
These people aren’t looking for more information to expand their knowledge on the subject; they’re looking to be right, with the limited information they’ve accrued.
We’ve all met someone like this. They once heard a soundbite that they liked, or who told it, and that ‘fact’ became their living, breathing truth.
“It is what we know already that often prevents us from learning.” —Claude Bernard
And there’s a fervor to this attachment to finite information. A digging down, being adamant they know, and they love the fact they know. It’s their ‘precious’ (kudos to Lord of The Rings).
They say there’s a danger to a little knowledge, and I’d add that it’s doubly dangerous when taken as the Gospel — even when it’s from a less than stellar source.
“The most important thing I think teachers can do for young people is to make them inquiring, is to ensure that they know how to gather information, that they check information and they take their information from a multiplicity of sources.” — David Puttnam
The media has provided us with thousands of examples of loud, know-it-alls (and I’m not even referring to the outgoing Trump here). You’ll find them all over Youtube, other social media — where loudness is king. Ranting is better than merely…
