FRIDAY THOUGHTS: THINK

Thinking before speaking is a wonderful habit.

Finding out truth, facts, and details before formulating an opinion, or making an inflammatory or blanket statement is, too.

It's amazing how people set out to be hip, original, revelatory and radical in their speaking and thinking, and end up sounding and looking positively foolish.

Grandmothers everywhere have warned, "Just because you think it, doesn't mean you have to say it".
It's one thing to spark lively discussion. It's another to seek to get a rise out of people, incite strife, or start confusion. 

It's unfortunate, when one spews what boils down to stupidity, under the guise of challenging or correcting the concepts and ideas of others.  

It's even more unfortunate when one doesn't know when to shut up. 

Some are so consumed with arguing, that they don't even acknowledge points of agreement.
When others run out of points, referring to people as "deep" is supposed to serve as an insult, but it often backfires.

I have a feeling that "deep" is, sometimes, the word trotted out when people are too arrogant or ashamed to admit that THEY don't understand. 

It's okay to be wrong. 

It's okay to not know something. 

What one shouldn't do is endeavor to remain that way, staunchly defend ignorance, or get all snippy and argumentative with people who actually DO know what they're talking about ( and have legitimate documentation to back it up ).

Don't allow your dislike of someone to cause you to engage in debate without taking your brain with you. Is it too much to bear to agree with someone for whom you have zero fondness? Sometimes, one is so anxious to shoot others down; get a dig in, or bring others down to size, that one diminishes oneself. Maybe that annoyance one feels, when faced with knowledgeable people, is just a warning to check oneself; do better; expand one's mind; stop carrying books, and actually open and read them. 

Reading AND comprehension are fundamental.

One of the best skills to have, is knowing where, and how to look for information. 

Information, these days, is too readily available for one to remain in the dark about anything that one truly wants to know. 

It's definitely too readily available to repeatedly put one's foot into one's mouth, and expose one's cognitive shortcomings.

If you're constantly accusing others of being too smart, too deep, too profound, then....well...I guess you told them, huh? 

Hear that laughter? 

Make sure it's the coveted "WITH you" variety.