I don’t know….
Bald businessman wearing glasses with hand on chin making funny face against gray background
Saying “I don’t know” can be difficult…. You are stating the limits of your awareness…. You are admitting to your knowledge bounds… You are potentially opening yourself up for criticism for your lack of knowledge… and there is that unfathomable reality that there may actually exist another, who might know more than you do!
Most people want to pretend like they know it all….
Have you seen those “I have always known that” type nods from people? Or those nods in agreement to the biggest authority figure in the room…. Or, how about those brash “I don’t understand what you are talking about”, type comments when what is being stated is clearly outside the bounds on his understanding, and with his comment, he tries to sweep it under the rug of preservation of his self-assumed image of being the absolute brain around…. Not to forget, the “I had always known that… so what’s the big deal”, coming at the tail-end of this newly acquired understanding she just gained as you were explaining how it works to her; an arrogant mask to her ignorance!
Face it! You do not know everything! No body knows everything!!! And it is quite acceptable to not know it all….
Saying “I don’t know” calls for maturity….
It does not necessarily give the others an impression that you lack knowledge… in fact, it might actually establish the clarity that you have about what you know and what you don’t!
Only the really smart people truly know what they know and what they don’t… Only the truly strong can openly say that they don’t know something with the desire to now know it!
“I don’t know” is a powerful statement…. it opens up doors for learning… It shows your respect for knowledge… your desire to truly understand and your recognition that anyone that exists could know more about a subject than you do… that everyone is worthy of respect! It creates healthy dialogue and promotes progress!
Recognize… Acknowledge… Reach out… Respect…. Learn… Grow… Contribute… Prosper!
Be clear on where you stand with your levels of understanding of various subjects. There are smart people everywhere on this planet! It helps to join them!
