What is a fool?
Robert C.
Dear Robert,
There are many definitions of a fool or of being foolish. Most of them seem to center around being stupid. I don't think that is really the case though. People who really lack intelligence are not fools from what I can tell. They are innocent in their ignorance.
A true fool is someone who doesn't know of their ignorance - and behaves as if it doesn't exist. A fool will always assume that he or she is right. A fool typically believes that their perspective is the most accurate. Fools talk more than they listen - because they believe the one speaking is the most important. Fools are not teachable, and tend to learn very little from anyone else or even from their own mistakes. A fool will have a lifetime of experience ... but no wisdom.
A fool can be an intelligent person. We're not talking about an IQ here. But what one does with one's intelligence seems to be the difference between a fool and a wise person. Oddly enough, it is the wise man who is usually most aware of his own ignorance. And it is the fool who is usually most aware of his own brilliance.
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