“The
fools think they know it all. The bold pretend they do. The wise know they know
nothing. “
Not more
than 2 days back while I was busy making a premium dish for our guests, I made
a solecism of asking some learned people in the cooking science department
about the amount of pepper powder that needs to be used for the dish. I had a
vague idea but I wanted the dish to be perfect; so I ended up getting three
different suggestions and additions. I just wanted a perfect dish so I followed
all three advices and yet I validated the very proverb- “Too Many Cooks Spoil
The Broth”.
In the above
situation I was to be blamed completely but many a times I have realized that
even without asking for an opinion or suggestion, some ideas from people pop
like an imagery of sharp munitions being thrown between two armies of a
prehistoric war and some of them drill into your mind in a way that you would
feel like yelling- God Stop It!
These clods
will ask you a question, give you an analysis, and even before you could answer
them, they are ready with an answer. You would just be standing there through
the whole throbbing process of a “Know- it all’s” analysis. Now if you are
ill-starred that day and you provide your own opinion, these clods would spend
hours of your otherwise useless time proving to you how wrong you are.
Dealing with
people of your own age is relatively easy, you can afford to get a little nasty
on them and tell them- “you can say what you want but every opinion of yours
that is going inside me is going to get out as an enormous poop in the morning.
So jabber on mister”. However, my issues
are with the slightly grownup lot because they tend to blame you for nearly
everything, even if it’s not your fault. For example if you go and tell them- It
was night and a random alien who I’ve never encountered before killed me in my
sleep, they would still blame me.
Internet
suggests various techniques on how to Out-fox a know-it-all. I have tried most
of them and trust me none worked. All I know is taking certain opinions with a
grain of salt and accepting it for everyone’s sake help me in not creating a
scene in front of certain esteemed people; but it’s before I sleep at night
that I regret not giving it back to the lousy know it-alls. I feel- how dare I
not tell them if you really know it all, why don’t you know that you are
imprudent, dumb, infuriating and a pain; but hey, it took me a long time to
realize that there is no cure for a know-it-all because they will never figure
out that they don’t really know it all. Even on their death bed they would just be giving sermons on the
various career plans that are available after death. So you see, it’s beyond pointlessness;
you can never make a know-it –all feel the way you do that’s just going to
trigger them to say more about your feelings and the way they feel about your
feelings.
Here are a
few remedies I have tried which haven’t worked exactly; but since it’s an
article, every problem discussed should have an abstract remedy .
Remedies:
Act like a
Retard
Next time
you see a know it all act dumb and don’t talk much, just smile a lot and let
him talk because even a know it-all finds it difficult interacting with retards;
gradually we can expect him to give up.
Stuff your
mouth with food
When you see
them approaching you at an event stuff your mouth with so much food that you
wouldn’t be able to respond even if you wanted to, that could ease out the
moment.
Try light
humour/sarcasm
If your
co-worker is a know it-all then you can’t ignore him all the time or act
retarded so try some light humour in a not-so-offensive way that could put the message
across to your colleague .
Deactivate
yourself
Sometimes
even when the above points don’t work, deactivate yourself and ignore the prat
because someday Karma will deal with him, if not in this life then his next
life.
There are no
medicines for know it-alls but the world is full of them; you have to put up
with them cause they know everything except the fact that there is a fine line between virtuosity and insanity. No
offence, I am not saying a know- it all is wrong always but some times they
behave like a windows update process that’s painful although helpful; but if I really need
help, I am not shy to ask. However it becomes very difficult to tell a know
it-all that – being right all the time is great but one must learn when to shut
up.
Image Credits: Google
Image Credits: Google
