When I was a young man and people asked, “What do you know?”, I would tell them about my areas of expertise. The young people would smile, the middle age folks were quiet and older folks would shake their head for they understood best the hubris of youth.

When I got older and people asked the question, “What do you know?”,  I would say, “Not as much as I once thought I did and not as much as I need to.”   The young people would shake their heads not fully understanding, the middle age folks would smile because they understood in part, and the older folks would sit quietly knowing there was still too much pride in the statement.

Now days when I’m asked that same question I answer, “Not much really.”  The young folks shake their head in disbelief, the middle age folks are quiet for they don’t understand, and the older folks smile because they do.

-      Michael O’Gara © 2012

Reflections of a Writer

 http://www.michael-ogara .com

http://michael-ogara.com/blog/2012/12/17/What do you know?