Things We Think We Know, But Don't

“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” - Confucius

One fine day, my casual surfing on Pinterest yielded me a treasure grove of wisdom. It blew my mind, forcing me to reconsider what I always thought I knew. What I had assumed to be words of wisdom turned out to be a judgement that was watered down, tampered with.

Here’s an example: curiosity killed the cat. Everyone knows that, right? I did, too. Until it came to my notice that that wasn’t the entirety of the proverb. It goes: curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back. I’d never thought of it that way but I’d never minded children being naturally curious either. Curiosity is inbuilt in our mindsets as showcased by curious aunties wanting to know exactly what you’re doing next or who your friend was and the gossip that is part of our routine of building and maintaining relationships.

They say, blood is thicker than water. Friends are fickle, family is forever. We’ve never questioned it even when evidence proved otherwise. Turns out the actual proverb is: blood of the covenant is thicker than water of the womb. Surprise! Relationships by choice can be as strong as relationships by birth, if not stronger.

We know that great minds think alike. But inside a classroom when the professor shakes her head as all forty of her students give the wrong answer, we excuse it, saying that exceptions are always there. Well, the joke is on us because the complete proverb is: great minds think alike but fools rarely differ.

We hear often, birds of a feather flock together, usually when we go out with friends or colleagues as an assessment of how complementary people are. But usually we find that in times of need we turn to that old friend whom we talk to once in a long while. The quality of your friendship with a person is determined by how much you open up to them and trust them. The entire proverb goes: birds of a feather flock together, until the cat comes. Beware fair-weather friends.

“Jack of all trades master of none. Oh dear, you would never be able to settle down in one job for long. You haven’t any hobbies? More’s the pity.” says the person who hasn’t tried out a single new thing for eons. Someone needs to learn about holistic development because alas (not really) the entire proverb is: Jack of all trades master of none, but better than a master of one.

The early bird catches the worm. Being a punctual person, I’ve come to realise that being on time doesn’t mean being unnecessarily early as you run the risk of disrupting an ongoing process. Time, your own and the other person’s, should be used as wisely as, say, money; it’s a precious resource. And the proverb is: the early bird catches the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese. I’m cracking up as I contemplate the fate of the first, overly eager mouse that ended up as food itself. Poor mouse.
The ball is now in your court. I’ve been humbled by the realisation that I know nothing and alerted that not all that I hear or read is the whole truth. It’s human to err but on the other hand…

“The greater our knowledge increases the more our ignorance unfolds”- John F. Kennedy

Reference:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/andyneuenschwander/x-things-thatll-make-you-say-holy-shit-for-one