There was a time when wisdom came
From years of toil and thought,
When knowledge was a precious thing
That had to first be taught.
But now the world has moved along,
We’ve found a quicker way,
Just watch a clip, absorb a bit,
And lecture folk all day.
The doctor studied seven years,
The surgeon studied ten,
But Kevin knows a better way—
He watched a bloke called Ben.
He knows the cause of every ill,
From dandruff down to gout,
And if the experts disagree,
He simply shouts them out.
Our Sandra’s now a therapist,
She read a Facebook post,
And diagnoses everyone
While buttering her toast.
“You’re narcissistic, Uncle Jim,
And Dad’s got OCD!”
But mention Sandra’s drinking and
She’ll say, “Don’t lecture me!”
Young Darren’s into finance now,
He trades in crypto schemes,
He calls himself an entrepreneur
With seven income streams.
He’s lost his wages three times round,
His overdraft’s a wreck,
But says he’s nearly wealthy now—
Just waiting for a cheque.
And Doris knows the climate’s fine,
She’s lived for eighty years,
She’s seen some snow in April,
So she laughs at scientists’ fears.
“The planet’s always changing, dear,
It’s nothing new to me!”
Then wonders why her roses bloom
In early February.
We all have grand opinions
On the things we do not know,
We shout them from the rooftops
And refuse to let them go.
We cannot fix a dripping tap,
Or make the printer print,
But give us world affairs to solve,
We’ll offer every hint.
The facts are merely obstacles,
The truth a point of view,
And evidence is optional
When confidence will do.
Why waste your time with learning
When conviction wins the day?
A loud enough opinion
Makes the facts just fade away.
And somewhere sits a quiet soul
Who’s studied all his life,
Who knows that every answer
Brings uncertainty and strife.
He weighs the facts, admits his doubts,
And cautiously says, “Perhaps…”
But no one hears his wisdom
Through the thunderous verbal scraps.
For certainty is fashionable,
And doubt has lost its crown,
The loudest fool’s a genius
If he shouts the others down.
We’ve all become authorities,
With expertise to spare,
We know about the whole wide world
Without once going there.
And if you think I’m talking rot,
Or question what I say,
I’ve read three posts this morning—
So I’m an expert, anyway!
