What We Know

Image by Dariusz Sankowski from Pixabay 

“If you wish to improve, be content to appear clueless or stupid in extraneous matters." — Epictetus

I’ve been turning this quote over in my head for a long while now, and there’s something about it that resonates incredibly strongly with me. 

The trouble is, I can’t quite figure out what.

Is it suggesting that if we are focused on becoming expert in a particular area, we mustn’t be afraid of appearing stupid or unknowledgeable i.e. that we’ve figured everything out already -  because we all start somewhere, and by acknowledging the fact that we are always students, we will move along the path of learning and, ultimately, towards true mastery?

Or is it telling me that, if I decide to improve in a specific area, I need to single-mindedly focus on that subject only, and not worry about seeming knowledgeable or expert in other, unrelated areas - or, put another way, accepting the fact that mastery in one domain doesn’t give me license to comment (as an expert) on tangential as well as unrelated topics?

I can see where either interpretation makes sense, because I believe both meanings to be true.

When we’re learning something new, especially as part of our vocation, we become overly concerned about how we look and how we come across. We want to be taken seriously and accepted as a player in that specific arena. So, we tend to position ourselves in a particular way, we tend to only dive in where we’re already comfortable and, hence, don’t tackle interesting, valuable and educational sub-topics that could add to our knowledge base. This is foolish, because, frankly, we don’t and cannot know everything, even as so-called ‘experts’. We are all - and always will be - students. (What’s wrong with that? And why is that so hard to accept?) 

At the same time, we see examples in social spheres of successful individuals in one realm being asked and/or expected to have a point of view in other unrelated realms. For example, successful business people are asked their views on raising children or education, as if their gift in creating a wildly successful app or organization somehow qualifies them counsel others on the needs of our youth. They might have a point of view, but it’s likely nothing to do with their success in any given area. Worse, they actually think they’re qualified to speak on the subject, when many times, they aren’t.

Maybe, of course, it doesn’t matter, because maybe I don’t need to choose. Because they both do make sense and they both provide me with relevant, meaningful guiding principles.

And that is that we are always students and we shouldn’t be afraid to say that that is what we are. 

That we may be at different levels of mastery, but we should also accept that there never will be “mastery” in any absolute sense. It’s always a journey. 

That, as we do become known in a specific area, we must never lose our humility - whether that is in terms of our own learning or in guiding and bringing others along.

And that, as we attain some level of repute in our fields, we not mistake that for an all encompassing mastery outside of our personal spheres. By all means, comment, engage and learn, but don’t assume you have that right.