I have been fascinated to note how much trouble there is in admitting ignorance. Nothing should be easier or more natural. After all what do I know? Not much compared with the Lord. Besides, much of what I do know isn’t actually real unless it flows from the mind of God. Jesus complained that, having eyes to see, we do not see. I often say that there is NO personal growth without finding something personal to grow about. There is also no seeing without admitting that I am blind. Revelations 3:17,18 Because thou sayest, I am in need of nothing: and knowest not that thou art blind: I counsel thee buy of me eye salve and to anoint thine eyes with eye salve that thou mayest see. The only ones that now see are the ones that admitted that they were blind and allowed their sight to be restored. The rest seek other blind men to lead them and they all fall into the ditch.
To “see”, to know, I need to ask for feedback, admit ignorance, value feedback, consider it, apply it, and reward it, try it fail try it again, come back and report and ask for more feedback.
I remember when I was teaching in the Air force and told my student that they had to earn 100 points, one point for each ignorant question and loosing 2 points for every informed question. The ones that took me up on it and asked lots of uninformed questions, walked away knowledgeable, the others stayed comfortable and ignorant.
Most people that I observe tend to watch everyone else intensely to find fault and put them down and be “one up” on them, BUT if anyone gives them information, they see it as an accusation of ignorance. If you try to give them directions sufficient to find what they are looking for, they become irritated. They prefer to get lost rather than to stop and ask for directions, or take forever and mess up the project rather than read the pamphlet. You can’t even ask them for information, or they see it as accusation that they should have already given you it. They jump in and explain that they were busy etc. when no one was accusing of anything.
If I want to succeed then I admit I don’t know, ask God to open my eyes, and jump in and stick my foot in my mouth, try and try again, ask others for feedback and thank them for it.
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