Bold and Self-Righteous

I have always been leery of people who make bold and self-righteous statements.  And, sadly, much of our talk radio, television and social media is geared to spur reactions.  Each of these media know they are most successful at getting reaction when those who thrive on being bold and self-righteous speak - so they cater to people who do that very thing.

Nothing does it better than a bold and self-righteous declaration.  Especially if it is one that points out someone else's deficiencies and illustrates our own self-appointed superiority. 

Hey, I get it.  It is difficult to be motivated to take a stand for anything that has a complex answer.  After all, if it doesn't fit on a sign - or in a twitter post - then it is really hard to encapsulate that which is supposed to motivate us to make things better (or whatever it is we want).

The real issue here is the fact that any issue or problem worth our time for discussion and resolution is far too complex for bold and self-righteous declarations if we really, REALLY want to figure out the best thing to do.  Yet, we still allow ourselves to be swayed by the big, bold - and it usually helps that the messenger is beautiful (I guess).

Perhaps it is my sensitivity to this particular issue that has led me, throughout my lifetime, to seek out opinions from those who show humility within their areas of competence.  Of course, I would prefer that an expert in any subject area have confidence.  But, I, for one, believe a person can be confident, capable, and still show recognition for both the complexity of a subject and the possibility that they are not always correct (or that the answer they suggest will not fit all situations).

If I recall correctly, Socrates was quoted as saying that "the only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing."  And, I also seem to recall that Socrates pointed out that one of the greater parts of wisdom is recognizing how much and what you do not know.  Being confronted by how much we don't know is an extremely uncomfortable thing.  No wonder we are drawn like flies to honey when someone makes a grand statement that they know the answer and it is... 42... or something like that.  We would prefer to look at and hold onto a loud inaccuracy than be uncomfortable with uncertainty.

I get that too.  It's not fun feeling uncomfortable and sensing that you are directionless sometimes.

But it has gotten so bad that the bold and self-righteous statement has gotten to be a bit like a drug.  Once we swallow one pill, we want another - and it just gets harder to dig in to the mess that is what life is.

Here's to digging in.  Won't you join me?