I Know That I Am Intelligent Because I Know That I Know Nothing
This is the eighth question of the 15-day Story Challenge
Question eight: What could you give a 40-minute presentation on with absolutely no preparation?
There is a quote a friend taught me, it reads “He who does not know and knows that he does not know but wants to know, teach him, for he is wise”.
There was a time I believed I could talk about a particular topic, but then I met someone who didn’t even try to learn or research as much as I did talk about it in a way that never occurred to me. That day I knew I know NOTHING.
One of Socrates' famous quote is: There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.
I don’t believe there is someone that knows all there is to know on a topic.
I don’t believe you have it all “figured out”.
I have unanswered questions, you have too, and I can’t come to you to answer questions I am not very sure of the answers or worse still I don’t even have answers to.
So whenever I address people, I don’t address them from a point of a well-versed person on a particular topic but as someone who is learning too.
I have never liked addressing people anyway. I preferred and still prefer a one-on-one conversation.
I could talk to a person, I could flow with two, three would be me managing - because three is obviously a crowd - that is if I have not turned invisible and left the room, but four or more, count me out.
If it has to be a crowd use the Socrates’ method of question and answer, the conversation would be more engaging, informative and educating, then the listeners and speaker alike get to learn too.
I once heard someone say whatever you do in life, you are negotiating.
So, when I am having a conversation with someone, I am not ignorant of the fact you know something I don’t know, and I know something you don’t know, so when I sit down using my hard currency(time), I am negotiating it for something of more value that I may never get with money which is your knowledge or experiences.
I believe you learn every day.
Just know you become wiser every day, how much depends on how open you are to learning.
I really thought hard on the answer to give to this question but no topic came to me.
I love taking my time to think before speaking, let me ponder!!
Addressing people makes you think on your feet, you have to be fully prepared to answer.
I hate when I feel pressure from any other person except myself.
I have met people who never passed through the four walls of a Bible school talk about the Bible and the things of God on a more deeper level more than those who have studied there most part of their life.
Besides, life is all about learning, unlearning, and relearning.
So to answer this question, I know not what I could give a 40-minute presentation on with absolutely no preparation?
Well like a wise man once said “to know is to know that you know nothing”.
