The Most Dangerous Type of Person

We are told from a young age from our protective parents, teachers, clergy, doctors, and media that the world can be a dangerous place, filled with dangerous people.

In my opinion, the most dangerous type of person is the Know-It-All.

The Know-It-All is the person who has no questions, but only answers. Answers not only for themselves, but for the world and people around them also. 

The Know-It-All has a closed heart and closed mind. Because they have all the answers and know all there is to know about a certain thing, they cannot possibly hear any other point of view or opinion about it, because without a doubt, those other opinions are plainly wrong. 

The Know-It-All sees in black and white, and believe that they are right in doing so. What they know to be true is white, and all else is black. 

In their noble quest for what they believe to be right, they see that all else is wrong and must be silenced, censored, and squashed. 

That’s where it gets dangerous. The Know-It-All can quickly become tyrannical, trying to blot out what they believe to be black, bad, or wrong through any means necessary. They bully, intimidate, coerce, and guilt others to do as they do, to be as they are, to believe what they believe, and they are unable to hear any feedback.

The Know-It-All lacks empathy, depth of character, maturity, wisdom, and tact. In their striving to see only “white”, they fail to see all the colour that surrounds them. In their efforts to make the world as right as them, they kill diversity, free thinking, unique expression, individuality, community, and growth.

Perhaps their closed heart and mind towards growth is what makes them the most dangerous. The Know-It-All cannot possibly grow. This is because the Know-It-All believes that they have no room for growth. They really do think they know all there is to know about a certain topic and as such, there really is no room for further exploration and growth.

Let’s look to nature to help us understand what happens with a failure to grow. Think of a tree that stops growing. What happens? To put it bluntly, that tree dies. The failure to grow is so dangerous because what isn’t growing is dying. 

Can you spot the sign of a Know-It-All? It’s the pointing finger. 

The pointing finger is the sign of the Know-It-All. 

The pointing finger is the sign of the person who knows it all about something - anything! - vaccines, viruses, God, Jesus, spirituality, raising kids, farming, health, driving, self-development, law, the weather. A Know-It-All is the one who points at others and says they’re doing it wrong. 

Do you know a Know-It-All? If you’re anything like me, you’re thinking, “Yup, I know a few of them.”

Oops. Did you just point your finger?

That’s the sign of a Know-It-All.

Where are you a Know-It-All? What area of life do you think - no, you know - you have all the answers. Where do you point your finger and tell people to do what you do, be more like you are, to believe what you believe. 

Do you have all the answers about vaccines? Do you know everything there is to know about viruses? Do you know absolutely every detail about law? Are you all-knowing in self-development? Have you successfully unravelled all the mysteries of God and spirituality? Do you have all the answers about health? Have you mastered nature?

This week, I’m inviting all of us - myself included - to have yet another serving of humble pie. 

Find your own Know-It-All and ask it these two questions: 

1. Is it possible that there is something you don’t know about this issue?

2. And is it possible that there is something you don’t yet know about this thing, that once you do know, could change everything?

Why is it so important that you find and humble your own Know-It-All? Well, because you would make this world much easier for the rest of us to live in, first of all. 

If we all were to open our hearts and minds, we would all be able to access our own inner wisdom, our own connection to our heart and God, our own inner strength. We’d all be able to think for ourselves, enter into constructive dialogue, and come to creative solutions for problems that we face together. 

Without a doubt, the world would be a much better place if we all stopped believing that we have all the answers and start asking intelligent questions. 

You don’t have all the answers. I don’t have all the answers. But together, WE do - all of us. Let’s stop arguing about who’s right and wrong, and start coming together to come to real solutions.

Here’s to conquering stress.

With heart,

The Stress Experts