Too Much Learning

A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing - so the adage goes. But I have learned over the decades that a whole lot of it is lethal. The other night at a social event, a PHD person expounded on his subject. Academics all have a pet topic that they have honed in on for years. By the time they get to the bitter end of all the collected facts, they feel there are no more avenues to explore and therefore, their theory borne of it are the compleat conquerors. ( I lean toward old spellings.)  The man spoke, rather well and authoritatively, for almost an hour to his polite, eclectic audience. Throughout his talk, he assured us, by mentioning generously that he had a PHD and that he knew he was absolutely right no matter what we thought.  We hoped to be impressed by him, but knowledge or not, our human natures took over and we couldn't help but squirm  and drink far too much of whatever we had in front of us. We didn't care what it was. We needed to hydrate - or perchance, dilute. The speaker made a fine lecture but to the wrong audience. We were all well out of school. As the gentleman ranted on, impressing us with his theory and that his interpretation of the subject was the correct one and an infallible one, some of us given to a different opinion hoped to meet him afterward to inform the learned chap that no subject in the world was that closed. I, having only water and cold coffee in front of me to drink, was pleased that it were not wine or something stronger because I wanted a clear head to make reasonably intelligent remarks to the professor afterward. My hopes were dashed when the man returned to our table and during my discussion with him was told "that is the trouble with you people who don't know what I, a PHD, know." I gave up. I have no PHD or even and MA - in anything! On reflection, I believe that too much education merely separates the educated from those who keep open minds, the ones not bound by ties of their own construction. The more you know, the less you know. I hope that education equips a person to help others, to broaden the mind, to accept the ideas that others and daily life present. People who use their education to help their fellow man, people like ordinary doctors and teachers and nurses and persons of that caliber use their education. These are the truly knowledgeable folk who deserve our respect.