A CAVALIER NATION

Haughty. Imperious. Pretentious. Call it what you will, it is a major problem, and I am as much to blame as anyone. I guess you could say that I have always been a bit conceited—a regular old know-it-all—particularly when it comes to matters of my own “expertise,” but lately I have become more aware of this attitude, particularly among the so called erudite people who claim intellectual superiority because they once took an economics class, or read the Wall Street Journal, or listen to the occasional report on N.P.R..

Remember when as missionaries we would hear about the Pastor or Priest who spread nonsense about the Mormons? The rote response became “well, you wouldn’t expect a knowledgeable opinion of a Ford from a Chevy dealer would you?” I, for one, have mostly forgotten this principle. We would never ask an insurance salesman for medical advice, nor would we expect a mechanic to be able to offer legal advice, yet for some reason we seem to be seeking a second opinion from everyone but the people most likely to have an understanding of that about which we ask them to opine.

I am not saying it is a bad idea to seek counsel from those we trust. In fact, counseling with others is an eternal principal which leads to correct actions. I just don’t understand why we are willing to replace quality advice with “my buddy read in his marketing text book . . .”

The other day I was told by a client that his sister, a nurse who “is very good with numbers,” gave him some advice that was 100% opposed to the advice that I had been offering. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME! What I should have said was “ok, why don’t you take your application to the hospital and have your sister get your financing.” Instead I had to spend an additional hour setting him straight on the errors of her logic, which, without 6 years in the industry I wouldn’t have easily recognized.

As my attention and distain for the “self-acknowledging knowledge hounds” of the world has increased, my awareness of my own tendencies has also be raised. This, as you can imagine, has left me both frustrated for my superciliousness, and disgusted with my hypocrisy. What we need is a serious effort to put our own pride on the shelf and listen to the people who have the actual knowledge in the areas in which we are less knowledgeable. Look, there is nothing wrong with being educated, intellectual, or well-informed, as long as we keep our knowledge in perspective. Being good at math makes one no more prepared to be a loan officer than being good at music makes one prepared to teach a high school history class—even if you have read the biography of Abraham Lincoln.

That’s just the way I see it. Now, if you will excuse me I have to go meet my plumber to go over my taxes!