I would like to think I know a little about a lot of things in life. But I’ve learned there are a lot of things in life I don’t know very much about at all. For the longest time I gave the illusion to most people that I was a “Mr. Know It All”. Today I’m working on doing what I can to change that impression.
Does anyone really like a “Know It All”?
Growing up in grade school I often raised my hand and had the answer to many of my teachers’ questions. Of course it gave me the reputation of being a nerd and people picked on me incessantly because of it. As I grew older, I continued this pattern and believed I knew something about everything. One of the greatest downfalls that has come along with that is something I’m still working on. Unfortunately, I’ve had the tendency to use the Internet to look things up on the fly when someone makes a statement that I don’t believe is true. While I have often found inconsistencies in what people are saying and pointed it out to them, it’s also left me in an unfavorable light where I just seem like that annoying “Know It All”. Not only has this turned people off from wanting to get to know me, it has also prevented me from learning anything new. The best comparison I can make to this is to a full glass of water. What happens when one tries to pour anymore water into that full glass…? It overflows.
Though my journey of growth and healing to become closer to God, I have continuously been emptying out much of that glass of water so as to remain open to furthering my learning in life. In Buddhism, there’s a wise saying that says “as soon a student begins to think they know everything, the reality is that they really know nothing at all.” God continues to show me how profound this statement is. Each day now I ask to be emptied of my ego based belief systems that have kept me being that “Know It All”.
For many people, like myself was for the longest time, the world can become a fixed and rigid circle with its own inner belief systems. When anything that comes up to that circle is different from within it, it’s often rejected with many “Know It All” statements. One great example of this is how too many of the religions today are teaching its followers that homosexuality is an abomination from God. When in reality, if people were able to expand beyond their rigid circles of knowledge, they might see that gay people are loved by God too and that is the way God intended them to be. That’s just one of the many things I have expanded in my understanding and each time it happens, I continue to remember that to remain teachable, I have to allow myself room to expand.
I don’t wish to be that “Mr. Know It All” anymore. It only impedes my spiritual progress in life and pushes people away. It also gives power to my ego and limits my ability to grow healthier and be more loving to everyone. I think the next time someone around me says something that I believe is wrong, I won’t look it up on the Internet or try to correct them. Instead, I will try to remain silent and just listen for once. Who knows, maybe in doing that, God might help me learn something new…
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson