Egotism is the Anesthetic that Dulls the Pain of Stupidity
The title of this post is a quote that dates back quite some time. However, today is the first time I have ever heard it and it is one I will remember. It is attributed to Booker T. Washington.
Thoughts Provoked
Well, really there were two of them. One very positive and the other a tidbit spiteful, maybe...lol. Let me explain....
Humility
This is likely the obvious thought that comes to mind. If egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of stupidity then one would probably want to be humble.
Now this is just my opinion, but being humble tends to lean toward being open minded about lessons and information.
If you think you are the man and the master of the universe at said task then you are likely not willing to listen to any outside information, thus improve or grow even further in said task that you may already be awesome at.
Additionally, there is a statement I read in a book some time ago that has resonated with me since.
"Be interested to be interesting."
Meaning, take interest in others. The knowledge that they share, the experiences that they've had. Not only does this give you the opportunity to learn things, it gives you the chance to get to know the person and truly engage them.
Humility is a state in which we can do such things.
Conceited
Basically the same as having a big ass ego. This can happen for two reasons. The first being that someone is excellent at something and they know it. They are also likely close minded about learning any thing new about said thing.
The there is the second, which is likely the more common. They are somewhat delusional and THINK they are excellent at something and let their ego tell them so.
This is the case where egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of their stupidity.
How are you living?
So the question becomes - how are you living?
- With humility or conceit?
- With interest or gloat?
- With empathy or hate?
- With selflessness or selfishness?
The actions we take each any every day answer the questions above, not what we say.
Conclusion
Every one and a while we need to take a quick look at how we are living day to day, to see the habits we fall into and the actions we are taking.
In the end, the goal is to do better and be better!
Be kind to one another, do right by one another,
I let Kendrick Lamar tell me to sit down and be humble pretty regularly. :)
Nice!!!! I think I have the same experience with Nas ;-)
Nice, just don't forget those syrup sandwiches and gram allowances.
I attended a fantastic 4 hour session 2 days ago on being hopeful and spreading hope as a leadership skill. Your post reminds me of a bit of things I learned there. You do write well and I love reading your stuff.
Thank you so much, I try to always add value with every post I make.
Hear! Hear!
Thanks for sharing this on a Monday morning. :)
My pleasure!
I knew I followed you for a reason. Love the title. I'd like to remember it, but not sure I have enough unallocated memory to succeed.
Damn but it sucks when your memory gets over full.
I know that pain my friend, I know it well ;-)
I'd give you a full upvote if I could remember how
Now that is funny! lol
Very insightful. It is easy to judge others sometimes when what they post on social media gives off one impression, but if they react out of jealousy towards others, it is a good indication. I try to surround myself with others who life empathetically because I am so sensitive and empathetic, those who are conceited hurt me.
Yes, like the saying goes "you are the average of the five people you spend most time with" choose wisely :-)
Exactly. Because their energy will affect your vibration.
I agree that this is extremely common. I think it has a lot to do with the Dunning-Kruger effect that allows incompetent people to favorably misjudge their own abilities in a particular sphere due to their total ineptitude in that sphere which makes them unable to recognize how low their abilities actually are.
I've seen this a lot with musicians who are just picking up the guitar and within their first year already have the self-esteem of guitar gods as they can't recognize how badly they are doing while true virtuosos keep talking about the imperfections in their playing and how much more they have to learn.
More great Monday Motivation :) Like minds... lol
Ego is a funny thing. It's left over from when we were naked nomad hunter/gatherers to save our bare bums, but it is no longer necessary! One of those strange things we keep hoarding...
This is true, much of what happens in society is due to alot of primitive emotion still being deep within us. Cycles repeat in many cases, they just have a different user interface if you will.
Well said!
More great Monday Motivation :) Like minds... lol
Ego is a funny thing. It's left over from when we were naked nomad hunter/gatherers to save our bare bums, but it is no longer necessary! One of those strange things we keep hoarding...
Love the cover photo!
Thanks, probably sums up many of us!