Jefferson Review

"Your Liberty is Our Interest"

Home /  Archives / Links / Quotes / Book Reviews / Advertise /Contact us / Subscribe / Calendar

My Wish For Everyone In 2007 – A Large Dose of Humility and a Happy New Year!

By Theresa Fritz Camoriano

A couple of days ago, I was behind a car with a bumper sticker that said, “A Town In Texas Has Lost Its Idiot” and included a caricature of President Bush.  I am sure the person driving that car thinks he (or she) is very smart, certainly smarter than the President of the United States, whom he considers to be an idiot, and no doubt smarter than most of the rest of his fellow citizens.  But why?  What gives that person such cocky self-assurance?

As I read that bumper sticker, I thought, if this person really were wise, he would be more humble and respectful. 

As Thomas Sowell recently pointed out, we are all very ignorant.  No single individual even knows how to make something as simple as a pencil. We all rely on the knowledge and skills of millions of other people, whom we do not even know, cooperating through the market to provide us the goods and services we need for our very survival.  People like Thomas Sowell, who are very intelligent and knowledgeable, are well aware of how little they really know, and, as a result, are quite humble.  On the other hand, when people act like braying jackasses, being pompous and arrogant like the person with that bumper sticker, they usually are sending a loud, clear message of their extreme ignorance.

If only we all would begin to realize how little we know, and how much we depend upon wisdom gained over generations and knowledge dispersed among millions of people, perhaps we could acquire some humility and be more respectful and appreciative of others.  Wouldn’t that be a breath of fresh air?

If people realized how little they really knew, perhaps they would stop trying to run other people’s lives by force, recognizing that they do not have all the answers.  They might begin to treat others with respect rather than with disdain, respecting others to spend their own money as they think best, to associate with people of their own choosing, and to decide which risks to take and to be responsible for their consequences.  They might begin to engage in civil conversations rather than shouting matches, and they might begin to listen and even learn from people with different points of view and different experiences – even from people with less formal education and people with funny accents and poor grammar. (After all, even if a person looks good on TV and can make long sentences with big words, it doesn’t mean he has any idea what he is talking about!)

So that is my hope for 2007.  I hope we all deflate our egos, get down off our high horses, and exercise some humility and respect for our fellow human beings.  If we do, it certainly will be a very Happy New Year!

(To post comments about this article, please go to http://Resa.TownHall.com)

Weather (Louisville) / Mapquest /  White Pages / Business Search / CNN / Dictionary / E-card / MSN