Mark Bernstein recently quoted an excellent post by Kathryn Cramer about immigration issues, a post which also explores deeper questions. The quote slapped me in the face:
I took the Fortran course; he got the point.
Last weekend, I spent an evening with a friend, lecturing him on all sorts of interesting things. I was exhausted, and I let my mind range. He was enthralled.
I talked entirely too much. It was quite impolite. Later, when I apologized, he demurred, saying that it was a fascinating evening.
But that doesn't make it right. I was being the person in Kathryn's quote, sans the blonde (we can't have everything).
Unfortunately, I have a tendency to do this semi-frequently. It's not consistent with true, Christ-like love. It is not the action of a priestly person who always looks to serve the needs of others. As a Christian, I should not revel in my intellect at the expense of others; rather I should revel in the truth of Christ and the Gospel more frequently.
To all of you whom I have treated in this manner, I apologize. One of you turned away from me in disgust (it hurt when you did so, but you were probably right. But why didn't you tell me?), but most of you became yet more interested.
So I need your help. Please keep me from slipping into this again.
I have derived a law: Smart people who win arguments often only prove the human inability to understand much at all.
If it were otherwise, people with little intellect, education or training would (from time to time at least) be able to win arguments against smart people. But complexity spoken by an intellectual looks more impressive than simplicity spoken by a simpleton.
There is always someone smarter than the smartest person.
This post began with Mark Bernstein. It shall now end with his finger. He has such a great way of putting things:
