The more you know…

The more you know, the more you grow. The more I learn, the more I realize how ignorant I am. I think that Einstein already said that, but it is worth repeating.

Sometimes I feel uninformed, but when I buy the farm (20 years from now hopefully) I will feel like a confirmed ignoramus.

Some people profess to be unconcerned with this. I would rather be young and stupid, said my wife. Maybe. But personally, I would prefer to be middle-aged and substantially more informed than an adolescent.

Socially, I like to hang around with people who can teach me something. Anything. For example, I just upgraded to a new smartphone and I am not embarrassed to admit that I am ignorant of half of its new capabilities. I will therefore eagerly listen to anybody who can enlighten me about these new features.

I am never ashamed to show my unfamiliarity with a subject, but it is extremely important for a figure of authority to show a good understanding of an issue. A single slip can dramatically damage his/her credibility. And once confidence is gone, it becomes extremely hard to be trusted.

For my part, I would rather pass for uninformed than for a fool. Disavowing scientifically proven facts is a mistake that only fools can back up. Admitting an inaccuracy is better than sticking to erroneous declarations. But it takes backbone to admit your mistakes and some people have a very weak spine.

The crucial difference between common people and leaders is that leaders can (and definitely should) rely on qualified specialists. Specialists immune to ideology!

The key to knowledge is to be curious and open-minded. Dogmas are the enemies of mankind and should have an expiration date. What was considered “true” two thousand years ago is merely a fantasy in the 21st century.

Just like an “app”, your thinking has to periodically updated.

Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance. Confucius

Alain

What do you think? I would like to hear from you. To leave an opinion, click on the Comment link located under the media icons. Thank you.

Single moms

Every day a “celebrity” trumpets that she is pregnant and proudly poses to show off her “baby bump”. Many of these nymphets are single. They have a “fiancé” waiting in the wings and will eventually get hitched (so they say) but it seems that is far more important to be in the limelight than anything else.

I am no moralist and I am not speaking out of high-mindedness; I am just tired of this ostentatious display of vanity.

Wanting to be a mother is perfectly natural, but experts agree that a toddler will be better off with two parents. Raising a child is serious business and requires at least two committed people (preferably four) to do the job properly.
Getting pregnant before securing a “bona fide” partner is akin to building a sand castle. At the first tremor, the whole edifice might fall apart and some “unlicensed” procreators might be tempted to run for cover.

Frankly my dear, I am tired of hearing about unwed “single moms”. They are wearing their label like a badge of honor and seem to expect special treatment. “I am a single soccer mom, let me through”.
Personally, I have no particular sympathy for “single moms”. It is a choice that they made and the world owes them absolutely nothing.

The problem is that if celebrities play this game, many impressionable young women will believe that there is nothing wrong with this practice. But the big difference between working stiffs and celebrities is that celebs have plenty of cash and can afford help; impressionable young girls, on the other hand, are often jobless, broke and on their own.

If this trend continues, the West is soon going to resemble Third World countries teeming with scores of fatherless kids.

Motherhood, by all means, but carefully planned motherhood. It is difficult to be a mom, but extraordinarily demanding to be a “single mom”.

Raising a family is difficult enough. But it’s even more difficult for single parents struggling to make ends meet. They don’t need more obstacles. They need more opportunities. Bill Richardson

Alain

What do you think? I would like to hear from you. To leave an opinion, click on the Leave a Reply link located under the media icons. Thank you.

I ain’t quite dead yet

Nobody likes to talk about death, but I just read an article suggesting that when you are pronounced clinically dead, you still can hear what is being said around you.
Blimey!

“Death just became even more scary: scientists say people are aware they’re dead because their consciousness continues to work after the body has stopped showing signs of life.”

Well, it would be very interesting to hear what people would say if after whispering: “I left a million dollars under…” you took the last train to glory.
The semi-defunct might hear things like Old bastard! Son of a motherless goat! Blundering buffoon! Fopdoodle! Ass dandruff!

As a general rule, I avoid talking ill about people I know. But in the past, I felt that I could speak more candidly about the dead. Not anymore it seems.
Now, for fear of hurting the corpse’s feelings, I will hesitate to say, “No big loss. He was a drunkard and a cheat.” I might be more nuanced in my appreciation.

The world is changing. When I was a young man, I never heard of transgenders; now it seems that they are popping up everywhere. Not That There’s Anything Wrong with That!
People of the same sex didn’t marry. Not That There’s Anything Wrong with That!
Nobody relied on a phone for directions or advice… Not That There’s Anything Wrong with That!

And what about parking? In my heyday parallel parking without power steering was quite a feat. Today a car can park itself… and even converse (and argue) with you.

So a still contemplative dead person would not be that extraordinary after all. Soon, the departed will be communicating with you through Siri.

Hey Siri, tell that dude in shorts to f**k off? He is getting too cheeky for my taste.

Alain

“For three days after death, hair and fingernails continue to grow but phone calls taper off.” Johnny Carson