What Do You Know?

IT'S NOT WHAT YOU KNOW, THAT CAN FOOL YOU,
IT'S WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW, AND DON'T, THAT DOES.

PEOPLE ARE CONTINUALLY SHOOTING OFF THEIR MOUTHS
ABOUT STUFF THEY KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT.

I READ A STORY ONCE ABOUT A GIRL WHO WENT OFF TO A FOREIGN COUNTRY TO GO TO GRADUATE SCHOOL. WHEN SHE CAME HOME, HER DAD ASK HER WHAT SHE HAD LEARNED. HER RESPONSE WAS, "I LEARNED HOW LITTLE I KNOW." HER DAD THEN SAID, "GOOD, NOW YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO GROW."

KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ANY SUBJECT IS LIKE THIS:

IMAGINE YOURSELF IN A DESERT. IMAGINE TAKING A STICK LONG ENOUGH TO TOUCH THE GROUND. TAKE THE STICK AND DRAW A CIRCLE AROUND YOU IN THE SAND. LET THE "INSIDE" OF THAT CIRCLE REPRESENT ALL YOU KNOW ABOUT ANY SUBJECT. NOW, LET THE AREA, THE OUTSIDE OF THE CIRCLE TOUCHES, REPRESENT WHAT YOU NOW REALIZE WHAT YOU STILL NEED TO STUDY ABOUT THAT SUBJECT.

NOW SUPPOSE YOU STUDIED AND LEARNED MORE ABOUT THAT SUBJECT. SINCE YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT THAT SUBJECT, YOU CAN DRAW A LARGER CIRCLE TO REPRESENT YOUR INCREASED KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THAT SUBJECT.

NOW, AGAIN THE INSIDE OF THAT CIRCLE REPRESENTS ALL YOU KNOW ABOUT THE SUBJECT WHICH IS MUCH MORE THAN BEFORE.

BUT!

NOW THE OUTSIDE OF THE CIRCLE TOUCHES MUCH MORE AREA THAN BEFORE REPRESENTING WHAT YOU NOW REALIZE, YOU NEED TO LEARN, IS MUCH LARGER THAN BEFORE.

EACH TIME YOU LEARN MORE ABOUT A SUBJECT, YOU UNCOVER THE REALIZATION THAT YOU HAVE MUCH MORE TO LEARN AND WHAT HAPPENS IS THIS:

THE MORE YOU LEARN IN LIFE, THE MORE YOU REALIZE HOW LITTLE YOU KNOW, COMPARED TO WHAT YOU STILL HAVE TO LEARN, AND THIS GOES ON FOREVER.

SEE HOW STUPID IT IS WHEN PEOPLE GET CONCEITED?