A man who asks is a fool for five minutes. A man who never asks is a fool for life.
Supposedly, that’s a Chinese proverb. More importantly, it’s 100% undiluted, weapons-grade TRUTH™. One of the most common mistakes I see people make is pretending they know more than they do. I’m guilty of it as well, which makes it even worse, because it’s dumb.
Do you really think people are going to judge you as a fool for not knowing the capital of the Maldives, or the meaning of defenestrate? Personally, I base my self-worth on more solid stuff than that, and I hope you do as well. In most of the western world, there seems to be this misguided notion that ignorance is somehow connected to stupidity. This is far from accurate. If you look back at history, you will find that some of the smartest people who ever lived were ignorant about things most of us would laugh at someone for not knowing today.
Ignorance does have a connection with one unattractive trait, and that is lack of curiosity. Thirst for knowledge is a sign of a healthy mind. However, correlation does not imply causation. Even though a lack of curiosity leads to ignorance, ignorance alone is not proof that you lack curiosity. In fact, you dispel that notion the moment you reveal your ignorance by asking.
Your homework for today is to ask someone about something you don’t know. I would advise you to make a habit out of this.
