"Experts."

One of the things highest on my list of pet peeves (perhaps second only to eating with your mouth open) is a self-proclaimed expert. These days, I feel surrounded by numerous people who feel that their opinion and information on just about any topic under the sun is the be-all, end-all. And I just can't deal with that.

Need to know how to cook an egg? Ask the expert. Need to know how to do a double pirouette? Ask the expert. Need to know how to solve world hunger and create world peace? Ask the expert. The SAME expert for all of these issues, mind you, because people these days are "experts" on stinkin' EVERYTHING! I mean, surely you are not telling me the answer to a question that I asked the person next to you, who actually knows something about the topic of my inquiry? But time and time again, I'm proved wrong. The expert always likes to show you that they know. Whether they're right or wrong.

Maybe that's the answer. Maybe the "expert" doesn't care if he's right or wrong. Maybe he just wants to talk. Just to hear himself and prove to himself that he's still there. Just to reaffirm that he's important enough to know something about everything.

Well, here's what I say to that: BE AS YOU ARE. It's good enough. It's smart enough. And it doesn't annoy or offend people. If everyone was just as they are, people would be so much more comfortable. We wouldn't have to smash people down to build ourselves up. We wouldn't have to hurt other people in an effort to feel important. And we wouldn't have to run our mouths on topics with which we're only vaguely familiar, so that we can feel like we're needed and intelligent.

Dudes. Know what you know. Learn what you can learn. Don't force it on anyone. And just be as you are.

xoxo