Of seeming wise...

I have come to find I am a pretty easy going person. Even as a leader, you'll rarely find me getting upset about somebody stepping out of line a couple times, or maybe even several times. Trust me, I make mistakes and many of them. I've been through a lot of embarrassment as we all have. I can sympathize with people who feel like things in life don't come easy. I feel the bitter feelings of kids who get yelled at or chastised because they are unintentionally ignorant. We're human beings, we make mistakes and we don't know everything. Isn't it great that we have established that common principle among ourselves: that we are human beings and we make mistakes? I think many of us have used that shibboleth for an instrument of comfort for a friend or acquaintance. In fact the Apostle Jeffry R. Holland once said:

“Perhaps your life has been different from mine, but I doubt it. I’ve had to struggle to know my standing before God. As a teenager, I found it hard to pray, and harder to fast. My mission was not easy. I struggled as a student, only to find that I had to struggle afterwards too. In this present assignment, I’ve wept and ached for guidance. It seems no worthy accomplishment has ever come easily for me, and maybe it won’t for you – but I’m living long enough to be grateful for that.”

If you've ever read about the Elder Holland, he is probably one of the most successful people you will ever hear of. He's been the president of BYU and has been on every board imaginable. He gives some of the best speeches and talks you will ever hear and yet here he is admitting that He doesn't have it easy.

While we make mistakes, we step out of line, we slip up or mess up, thats all fine. Where I become uneasy is when you cannot admit it. There is somebody who simply cannot take the blame for something everywhere you go!

Firstly, there are those people who will only kinda feign knowledge here and there when they are

put in tight spots. They're usually not that bad because they at least have good intentions, they want to prove to the teacher that they at least have the brains to assume they know what is being taught or have ways of figuring it out. Thats good. At least they don't have life spoon fed to them. They can usually pass without annoying anyone as long as

their attitude is good while they speak.

But then, there's those kinds of people who nonchalantly flaunt their knowledge. That bugs me. Especially when it is previous knowledge or skill that is previously forgotten or at the moment latent so that they don't have to follow it up with proof. You know, the kinds of people who say "yeah, I used to be really really good at basketball, but I'm not now" just before you play a game of basketball or they'll say "yeah, right now, I'm only a saxophonist, but I used to be one of the best at clarinet and trombone." Great, so you're seeking praise and awe without anyone expecting you to back it up.

My band director taught us all really good solution to avoid that: "Be cool, but don't talk about it." Thats right exactly! Just show it! That way you show it and back it up at the same time. If people don't like it, don't explain that it used to be good, just make it better! You might find they like you!

Then there are those with a serious problem of a propensity to argue with everything, along with the fact they cant admit they're wrong. They seem to just combine all my pet peeves into one person. I encountered such a person about a week ago, here is my tale:

I was simply minding my own business in physics, just doing my work, when this kid randomly blurts out "You know what is really crazy? The Mormons actually believe Christ came to the Americas, what a bunch of ****."

At first I just ignored him but then I found out he was actually talking to me when he looked straight at me and said "How can you honestly be so dumb to believe that? There's no proof."

I just smiled politely and said "You know, since you were there, I'd love for you to explain what really happened."

And then I just simply went along with my physics homework hoping he got that it was just a joke, and actually assuming he thought he was joking. But then five minutes later he said "Its just absurd for you guys to believe that after getting killed he just showed up to some Indians."

By that time I was annoyed and said "Wow, what a crazy concept, a religion that believes that God loves all His children. How dumb, right?"

Then he began spouting out random facts that I really didn't pay attention to and then he finished with "ya, so you go to a dumb church, Stupid F***** Mormons."

So I explained to him that he could make fun of what I personally believed in all he wants and I wouldn't care, but that I couldn't sit there and let him talk about my church that way.... That shut him up, until thirty minutes later when he said "Well, having used to be the best forensics debater, I've come to learn that you can't argue with stupid people."

"Yeah, you just proved that." I said

I swear, he was the triple kill of typical stupid people! Not only was he unceasing, but he couldn't admit he made a mistake, or may have been wrong, then he did that whole "oh I used to be the best" thing. I like people, even if you're stupid, but I don't care how cool you think you are, if you're a high school orchestra teacher or a used-to-be-the-best-forensics debater, you make mistakes! Just admit it! Make mistakes and make friends! Please!