The subtle art of saying nothing

There are a lot of things I know but there will always be more things that I don't know.

I accept my ignorance because I understand that existence is a complex process and human beings are complex creatures and societies are complex organizations and I am stuck right in the middle of it all and I am never going to fully comprehend any of it.

To deal with all of this complexity, we accept a lot of simple opinions and ideas without questioning and researching what they really mean. These ideas become our intellectual equivalence of browsing a greeting card aisle to avoid the time and effort of expressing ourselves through our own original thoughts and words.

Bumper sticker intellect.

Shrink-wrapped and fun-sized opinions.

They are mobile and convenient and a perfect accessory for that busy person on the go.

I understand.

People want to have opinions because no one wants to look foolish, although "foolish" is a word often substituted for "ignorant", which is not the same as "foolish". If you did not know this, you are not foolish, just ignorant. If you are insulted that I just called you ignorant, go look up the definition of the word "ignorant", because, if you don't, and you continue to believe that I just insulted you by calling you ignorant, that's foolish.

The good news is we can address ignorance by putting in time and effort, and utilizing the proper resources, to reach a well-informed opinion. Before doing that, however, take the time to decide if you really are passionate about an idea. If you don't care about an idea, you don't have to have an opinion. I know it feels like you should have an opinion, but you really, really don't.

Just accept your ignorance and truthfully say: "I don't know".

Or perhaps: "I don't have an opinion."

Or even: "Hmmmm..."

which is an effective, noncommittal way of moving a conversation forward if you happen to be stuck talking to a person discussing a topic on which you have no interest nor opinion. It's bound to happen time and time again.

And even if you have a well-informed opinion you still might want to consider using these noncommittal conversational techniques, because most people don't want to hear about your well-informed opinions, and have very strong opinions about where your well-informed opinions should go, particularly if they are opposed to their own opinions. Revealing, or even feigning, your ignorance will allow the other person to continue to express their opinions, without you having to agree or disagree with them, which will make you appear more intelligent and interesting.

In this way, a paradox is born in which ignorance becomes knowledge and apathy becomes compassion and silence becomes intellect and wisdom and power, and all you have to do is say nothing.

Which sounds easy...but is a surprisingly difficult thing for people to do.