You Think You Know Everything

I hate hearing the words, “You think you know everything.” I find that statement insulting to my intelligence and common sense. As someone who rigorously researches excessively, I’m well aware of how much is unknown to me and how little I actually understand. The more you know, the more you know how little you know. I feel like I’m being punished with idiotic, single-minded comments that perpetuate the ignorant mindset that triggered the statement in the first place. Feel free to disagree with me. But understand that you’re disagreeing with me on something you aren’t knowledgeable in. I’m not saying that you don’t know what you’re talking about because I’m saying you’re wrong. I’m saying that you don’t know what you’re talking about because your understanding of the matter extends as far as someone else’s knowledge, credibility you’ve never even evaluated and a subject you never took the time to explore on your own. You should know that better than I do. You’re entitled to your opinions, but no one is entitled to their own versions to the facts. Facts are objective. Instead of relying on others for information that may or may not be reliable, why don’t you spend less time accusing me of thinking I know everything and try learning a thing or two independently!?!?!? Don’t you think you should have a clue about what you’re talking about before you reject what I have to say?

It’s unsurprising that unknowledgeable people often accuse me of thinking I know everything and quickly ignoring potentially valuable information. Yet, highly knowledgeable individuals never accuse me of thinking I know everything. Gee, I wonder why? Perhaps it’s because they’re intelligent and well-informed enough to know the difference. So, maybe it’s not me, and it’s you. If I have a tendency to tell you that you’re misinformed because you continually come to me for advice, that doesn’t mean that I know everything. It probably just means that I know more than you, and that certainly doesn’t equate to knowing everything. If you had a greater intellectual capacity, maybe we’d engage in more mentally stimulating topics that challenges me, and you’d have an opportunity to see how little I actually know about many things. Being a curious person who has an undying passion to know more about everything, I’m not afraid to say that I don’t know shit when I don’t know shit. Maybe that just hasn’t come up with you. I don’t hold it against you. So don’t hold it against me. The very fact that you resort to ignoring anything I have to say because of your own personal opinions about me reflects more about your weak intellectual structure than anything. Regardless of how you see me or how I really am, no one said that I couldn’t provide useful information, information you groundlessly ignore.

Just because, as your friend, I make an effort to clarify misleading information you were given doesn’t mean that I think I know everything or that I don’t know what I’m talking about. How can you even make such claims when you won’t listen to me long enough to know what I’m even saying? Maybe if you didn’t think in such simplistic terms and stop approaching me so distrustfully, you’d realize that as your friend I have no vested interest in providing you with false or misleading information. So, when I tell you that the investor belongs with a company that’s famously known for convincing customers to open up ill-advised accounts for commission, at the very least, acknowledge that I have no reason to say anything that’s untrue. But the investor does. In all fairness, this is assuming that the investor’s advice is compromised. I could be wrong, or I could be right. If you think you’re bright enough to be trusted to make such important decisions, realize that you made the neglectful and irresponsible choice to NOT verify my claims. Or if you’re vacuous enough to buy a house when the housing market is at its lowest (67% of homeowners defaulting, and if you don't know what that means, you really shouldn't buy a house), AND you have zero income, AND you know that you’re completely ignorant about the matter, what the hell makes you think that you’re qualified to make a responsible, life changing decision just because it’s yours to make? There’s a difference between freedom to make your own choices vs. ability to make responsible decisions. If you can’t distinguish the two, you should spend less time questioning my knowledge and strengthening yours. If you’re unwilling to investigate something so vital from a source who has nothing to gain, don’t you dare stand confidently in front of me, proudly or, at the very least, openly displaying your ignorance, trying to make me feel inferior or equal to you. I’m not better than you because I know more than you, but that certainly doesn’t make you better than me. Your logic is faulty at best. If you can’t realize that, you shouldn’t be scrutinizing me about something you don’t even understand.

When did ignorance become a tolerable and justifiable scapegoat for broadening your knowledge? I’m embarrassed for uninformed people who proceed to enter into a life altering path without educating themselves about what they’re getting into and secretly resent them for their contribution to the destruction of our society’s integrity and value. What’s worse is that their lack of knowledge somehow portrays me in an unflattering way. It’s as though I’m paying the price for other people’s unawareness. I’m just waiting for a change when people start to see things for the way they really are, something not out of their potential. They just have to put an effort and use their brains and stop focusing on me. Despite what they may think, I don’t enjoy correcting people. It’s burdensome, unsuccessful, and it’s making me more cynical than I already am. That’s probably why I’ve disconnected from people like that. If I truly enjoyed correcting people, I wouldn’t withdrawal from that environment and gravitate towards people who do what I try to do for you guys. Common sense for thought anyone?