She must be very intelligent

Image by Tom Philips

My friends invited me to listen to a talk being given by a famous person, considered a great intellectual and philosopher.

After the talk we friends went to have a meal. Of course the conversation centred around the lecture. Surprisingly we all discussed the speaker but not the matter on which she spoke. This was a bit puzzling for we discussed the messenger but not the message.

Then everything became clear when one friend said, "This speaker she is very intelligent."

"Why do you say that", asked another friend.

He looked around in amazement, and then sheepishly confessed, "Because I could not understand a single thing he said."

There was all around laughter and almost everyone else confessed that they too had not understand much, if anything at all.

We always have the nagging fear that we are inadequate and that people might find out how little we know. So we endorse the absurd, ridiculous and illogical. We let others not only lead but dominate our lives, just because they seem to know more.

It takes wisdom and courage for a person to confess that he or she does not know or understand somethings. Unfortunately these qualities seem to be in short supply.

Here is something Albert Einstein said on the subject, 

"If you can't explain it to a six year old, then you probably have not understood it yourself."

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I am always suspicious of people who use complicated language usually interspersed with big and confusing words and too many technical words, or phrases. 

This approaches popular amongst marketing people and also the following categories of people, pseudo philosophers, insincere teachers, fake scientists, incompetent business and social leaders, most politicians and of course most of the priests.

They normally use the time tested strategy,  

"If you cant impress them with your knowledge then dazzle them with your bullshit"