Ignorant

To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge.
Disraeli

Are any of us willing to admit that we are ignorant? We beleive that ignorance is a shameful thing, that we should know everything about everything. But the truth is, of course, that nobody knows everything about everything. And those people who know a great deal about any given subject, probably know little about all the other ones. There simply is too much to know, even for a magnificent machine like our own brain.

Many times we don't even know that we are ignorant. We think we have the answers, and we happily inform everyone else of that. It is interesting how many people, when they hear that the "expert" says some idea just assume that he is right and then go on to quote it themselves without bothering to check out the facts of the situation. A very important part of being aware of being ignorant is knowing what exactly we are ignorant about.

To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge. Once we know what we are ignorant about and can admit that to ourselves and to others, then we will be motivated to learn about it because we definately don't want to remain ignorant. Being ignorant really is a problem, but it is important to realize that it is a problem that can be remedied relatively easily. Being ignorant is not the same thing as being stupid. A stupid person doesn't understand what he is lacking, but a person who knows they are ignorant is already on his way to rectifying that situation.