Opacity, stupidity and ignorance

I try not to be opaque in communications that matter: the principles of good communication are clarity, consistency and redundancy and I do keep those in mind when dealing with complex or involved or important subjects. Simplicity can be very challenging.

I find it difficult, nevertheless, to educate. People don't come to me in search of an education and so sometimes I find that our aims are not aligned and I cannot simply walk away. I have to educate and I go unheard or misunderstood. It is frustrating.

If an attempted solution fails one should try something else.

I suspect that I am often perceived as stupid and that disappoints because stupidity is irremediable. I think that a lack of aggression is misconstrued as a lack of conviction, but force of personality is not preferable to valid argument; neither is seniority or position (ipse dixit and ad hominem).

I am inconsolably ignorant. I am less ignorant than most, but I know that the difference between 10^(-19) and 10^(-20) though an order of magnitude is not significant. Even two orders of magnitude would make no difference. The saving grace of ignorance is that it is remediable and it is a natural and pandemic state that is without shame. I can learn.

I write because my measure of ignorance is almost universal and because I am tired. I am tired of many things and I am just tired. I think that patients should take some responsibility for their own ignorance and that colleagues should look and see that they live in glass houses....

All my best wishes for the new year!