The Desk.

Now for my first 'real' post:

Let's move away from the religion thing for a while and on to something a little more generally applicable - the hierarchy. It goes like this:
He who knows not and knows not he knows not is a fool - Shun him.
He who knows not and knows he knows not is simple - Teach him.
He who knows and knows not he knows is asleep - Awaken him.
He who knows and knows he knows is wise - Follow him.

That says it all. The simple man is willing to learn, the fool is incapable of learning. The man who is 'asleep' holds the virtue of humility, but can't do anyone any good because of it. The wise man might be a little pedandic, but he's got a right to that. Of course these lines are blurred in reality because it is often the fool who makes himself appear wise, and the sleeping man who appears to be a fool. The best of these: the simple man.

I know plenty of all of those types. Except the wise man, I don't think I'd call any of the people I know wise. The great bulk of my life is spent in the company of fools, but most of the people I choose to converse with are not. Naturally I prefer to be around those who hold similar beliefs, but people who disagree with me often provide the greater interest. A wise man can hold any point of view on a given issue, as long as he has points he can argue. And of course wisdom can come to a man in one area of expertise, while he remains simple in other matters. Once a fool is always a fool, but the ticket from simplicity to wisdom is to surround yourself with those who stimulate your cognitive arguments. The way to awaken from sleep is to have faith that your point is valid. I slept for a long time until I realized what it meant to have this faith.

I said earlier I was going to move away from the religion thing. Sorry, that's just the natural progression of my thoughts, always back to religion for some reason.